Brazilian meat company BRF has announced that it would establish a new subsidiary that will focus on supplying meat for Muslim markets.
The company said it would set up a unit Sadia Halal that will hold assets related to the production, distribution and sale of food products for Muslim markets.
BRF said in a statement: "The purpose is to grant more independence and focus to BRF businesses relating to Muslim markets.
"In this context, BRF will analyze strategic alternatives for Sadia Halal, enabling the development of its expansion, in current markets as well as in those not currently served by BRF."
Last year, the company announced plans to invest around $496m to acquire firms in Argentina, Thailand and Britain.
In April, the meat processor entered into an agreement with to acquire the remaining stake in Oman-based frozen food distributor Al Khan Foodstuff (AKF).
BRF owned 40% stake in AKF and the total acquisition was estimated to have a valuation of $64m.
The stake increase move is part of BRF's expansion plans in the Middle East and Asia. Through this acquisition, BRF intends to gain local market access in order to strengthen its brands and distribution networks.
AKF is a distributor of frozen food products in Oman, catering to retail, food service and wholesale clients. It has been distributing Sadia brand products in Oman for the past 25 years.
BRF markets its products under the brands Sadia, Perdig?o and Qualy and exports them to over 120 countries.
It is considered to be one of the world's largest food companies with over 105,000 employees, 35 industrial units in Brazil, 13 plants abroad - six in Argentina, one in the UK, one in the Netherlands, two in Thailand and one in the UAE and 40 distribution centers.
It earned a revenue of BRL8.1bn in the first quarter of this year, up 15.2% compared to the same period a year earlier.
