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@Halal | september-october. 2019
Events
Toronto halal foodfest attracts
large crowds
The Greater Toronto Area is home to the largest population of Muslims
in Canada, making it the perfect destination
N
orth America’s larg-
est halal food festival took
place in Toronto recently at
the International Centre in
Mississauga and attracted
over 35,000 visitors from
across the continent.
“The Greater Toronto Area is home to the
largest population of Muslims in Canada,
making it the perfect destination,” noted the
organisers of the festival.
“Sufra Halal Food Fest Toronto is a celebra-
tion of halal food and the diversity of the
city, and of Canada as a country laden with
culture.”
Now in its seventh year, the two-day event
featured more than 150 exhibitors – halal res-
taurants, bakeries, manufacturers, speciality
stores and artisan vendors – who showcased
a diverse range of flavours from around the
world.
Aside from the large selection of food
to sample, there was a shopping bazaar,
cooking demonstrations, stand-up comedy
performances, children’s storytelling and
meet-and-greets with famous bloggers.
This year’s title sponsor for the festival,
Sufra, hosted a children’s cooking class
featuring Sufra products as well as providing
complimentary food samples.
The festival also featured a 14,000 square
foot Kids Zone included with admission, a
baby lounge for families with young children
and a story-time session, ‘You Are What You
Eat’ by Noor Kids founder, Amin G Aaser.
Noor Kids is a Harvard-supported edu-
Reem Ahmed, Masterchef
Canada Season 5 winner
with her booth at the
Toronto.
cational services organisation that seeks to
build confidence in the religious identity of
young Muslims. Noor Kids publishes one of
the world’s fastest-growing Islamic children’s
book series with titles in over 250,000 homes
across 25 countries.
Overall, the Halal Food Fest shared a
glimpse of the multicultural Canadian
Muslim community while giving insight
into the food industry. With so much of the
Muslim community being made up by larger
and younger families, events like the Halal
Food Fest has made it possible for all ages to
have a good time.
The expo saw record
number of visitors
for its seventh year,
showing multitudes
of food and speciality
stores for the
Muslims in Toronto.