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China to hold International Halal Food Festival next month

BEIJING, Aug 3 (APP): China will hold a 4-day international festival for Halal Food and Muslim Commodities next month.

According to the organizers of the festival, the 3^rd China (Ningxia) International Festival for Halal Food and Muslim Commodities will be organized by the People’s Government of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region from September 10-13. On the occasion, the organizers have also planned to hold an Investment Trade Fair.

With the main theme of ‘opening up, friendship, cooperation and mutual win’, the holding of the event is to promote the brand of the Halal products and to set up a platform for international cooperation on Halal Food and Muslim oriented commodities.

To mark the 50^th anniversary of the establishment of (Ningxia) Hui Merchants Convention, the organizers have planned to hold 1^st Hui Merchants Convention, the 2^nd China (Ningxia) Cashmere Products Show, and 4^th Western China’s Featured Agricultural Products Show. The organizers will also hold seminars on different topics and expected to receive over one thousand prominent guests from home and abroad

source : http://www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=47402&Itemid=2

Middle East halal industry tops $20 billion

DUBAI: The halal industry in the Middle East is estimated to be worth more than 73 billion UAE dirham ($19.8bn), according to industry reports.

Sparking the interest of global players looking to strengthen their operations in this highly-profitable market, Orange Fairs & Events will be hosting Halal Expo 2008, from November 24 to 26 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dubai.

The exhibition aims to provide a high impact platform to aid global players, who are looking to leverage the high demand for halal food products in the region, which have grown to comprise a significant part of the global halal food market, expected to reach $500bn by 2010.

Amidst the growing demand for halal food products in the region, Dubai has emerged as one of the first to leverage the booming prospects within the market after establishing a highly successful food processing industry, which earns more than 11bn dirhams a year.

The emirate’s food processing sector is expected to rise by 11 per cent annually, owing to its growth as the world’s third largest re-exporter, with 72pc of its exports being shipped to Asia, Africa and Gulf countries.

“The growth of the global halal food industry is well exemplified by the expansion of the halal food trade in the region, specifically in Dubai, which is being regarded as a global hub for halal products,” said Orange Fairs & Events director Raees Ahmed.

“Additionally, Dubai’s open trade policies have encouraged the growth of the halal food industry not only in the region, but as well as in Western markets, where the Muslim population has seen a significant growth.

“Our goal is to foster trade and facilitate a platform that promotes convenient access to genuine Halal goods, and therefore further the development of Halal trade.”

Currently, 20 global companies have confirmed their participation at Halal Expo 2008, from eight countries, with the organiser also expecting to welcome more than 80 international exhibitors.

source : http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=224076&Sn=BUSI&IssueID=31128

McDonalds Opens Store In New York City For Only Halal Food

McDonalds fast food organisation has opened its first store in New York that will sell only Halal Food. They have made two delicous new burgers made with Halal meat called the McHal and the McLamb.

The McHal will cost only 99c and comes with a gaurantee that it has been made in the Halal way. The McLamb is going to be the bestseller!

Islamic people prefer to eat Halal food. (It means “allowed”) The animal has to be killed in an exact way not like in Western countries.

The McHal will be very popular with the New York Moslem people who will visit the store for breakfast lunch and dinner for their meals. Some were outside the shop today. One said

“We cant wait to eat the American food with ‘Islamic twist’. It smells great!”

source : http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s2i38589

Halal products gaining in popularity

DUBAI - Halal products are becoming a popular trend with all faiths and the UAE will benefit as a hub for distribution, according to food producers at Gulfood 2008 Exhibition on Tuesday.

Dubai halal food company Al Islami Foods launched Al Farooj Fresh, a fast food restaurant chain in the UAE, to meet demand for halal restaurants.

Al Islami Foods CEO Saleh Abdullah Lootah made the announcement at the exhibition at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre yesterday and said the demand for halal restaurants was growing globally.

Lootah said there was a large population of immigrant Muslims in countries like the United Kingdom and France, and the faith itself was growing worldwide, generating demand for halal foods.

However, he said there was also demand from non-Muslims and said events after 9/11 had led to an awareness and interest in the region.

“Consumers are becoming educated and they’re reading more about halal products,” he said.

Additionally, halal products in Dubai found a welcome reception among its diverse multicultural population.

Allanasons Ltd marketing general manager Afzal Aziz said halal foods were benefiting from consumers’ increased attention to the contents of their food, such as demand for organic products, as halal was associated with cleanliness and food safety.

“People want to know what the product contains. Halal certification is now stricter with worldwide agencies providing recognised certification,” he said.

Mohammed Shukri Abdullah, secretariat of Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS), the world’s largest halal exhibition, described halal as “the next force to be reckoned with”.

Abdullah said companies were already basing themselves in Dubai and Sharjah which presented ideal hubs.

“From Dubai and Sharjah, they can dispense the product and have a proper marketing strategy because of this region’s awareness of halal,” he said.

Shabbir Sura, marketing manager for Alwazzan, the producer of Khazan Meats, said the Kuwaiti company had recently expanded with a factory in Sharjah and planned to continue the move to the UAE.

“Other faiths are choosing halal because they believe scientifically it is healthier,” he said.

“The UAE is to become our hub in one year. The most enquiries (for export) have come from the US and it will be our first priority.”

Gulfood 2008 began on the Sunday and concludes on February 27.

source : http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2008/February/theuae_February925.xml&section=theuae&col=

DUBAI, Feb 25 (Bernama) — Ayamas Food Corporation Sdn Bhd is looking at the possibility of expanding its product range as well as establish a presence in the Middle East market.

– BERNAMA 

source : http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news_lite.php?id=316244

Singapore’s food shipments to UAE soar

Singapore - Singapore’s food shipments to the United Arab Emirates jumped 67 per cent last year with the UAE’s recognition of the city-state’s halal certification system, the government’s trade agency said on Monday. Food and beverage (F&B) exports to the UAE hit 171 million Singapore dollars (121 million US).

The products are “known not only for their taste and high standards of production, but also their creativity and variety in the Middle East,” said Lim Ban Hoe, regional director at the agency, IE Singapore. Halal refers to products deemed fit for consumption by Muslims. F&B exports have more than doubled since 2005. The UAE recognized the Islamic Religious Council’s halal certification system in 2006. Twenty-two firms from Singapore are taking part in the largest trade show for the F&B sector in the Middle East, which lasts until Februry 27 in Dubai.

source :  http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/187875,singapores-food-shipments-to-uae-soar.html

Halal Journal To Issue Special Cover Edition For Gulfood 2008

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 22 (Bernama) — The Halal Journal will be coming up with a special cover edition for the 13th Gulf Food, Hotel and Equipment Exhibition and Salon Culinaire (Gulfood 2008) which will be held in Dubai from Feb 24 to 27 this year.

The special cover-on-cover edition which uses the January/February 2008 issue with the cover story “Middle East Awakens - New Interest and Moves from the Region on the Halal Sector”, will also carry an additional feature on how to penetrate the global halal market, using the expertise and services offered by the Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC).

The eight-page special edition will also feature ten Halal certified and export ready Malaysian products for the Middle East market, the magazine said in a statement here.

Its managing editor Kamarul Aznam Kamaruzaman said over 1,000 copies of the special issue will be distributed free during the Gulfood 2008, which is expected to attract companies and buying delegations from all over the world.

The Halal Journal which is also the official supporting media for Gulfood 2008, is the only magazine in the world that tracks movements and trends within the global Halal industry.

It is also the main official media for the annual World Halal Forum to be held in Malaysia in May.

– BERNAMA  source : http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news_business.php?id=315679

Food&HotelAsia2008 set to return with more exhibits

EH Staff - Mumbai

Drawing from the success of their first exhibition in 2006, Food&HotelAsia2008 (FHA2008) is set to return with a wider food and beverage showcase in its specialised FoodAsia, Bakery&Pastry and Wine&SpiritsAsia events, to be held from April 22 - 25 at the Singapore Expo.

FoodAsia2008, an event dedicated to the food and beverage industry held within FHA, serves as a comprehensive one-stop food and beverage (F&B) marketplace, hosting thousands of international trade buyers from the F&B industries under one roof. FoodAsia2008 will incorporate several exciting features alongside its exhibition, namely the FHA Culinary Challenge (FCC), the FHA Imperial Challenge, the Halal Food Pavilion, and the first Asia Barista competition.

The FCC is Asia’s most recognised culinary competition, attracting the world’s best in the culinary profession to gather and compete with their peers as part of this industry challenge. The FHA Imperial Challenge separately features the best of Chinese culinary professionals in Asia competing to clinch the title of the FHA2008 Imperial Challenge Champion Team.

Having achieved great success in its first showing in 2006, the Halal Food Pavilion will return for the second time at FoodAsia2008. The pavilion, which aims to reach out to the growing local and international halal market, will comprise two features - the halal food and beverages aspect, and the business aspect, including financial and consultancy services.

Adding to its current line-up of events is the inaugural Asia Barista Competition to be launched alongside FoodAsia at FHA2008. Each Asian country planning to compete in the World Barista Competition will be invited to participate in this competition that seeks to raise the skill standards, educate and spread awareness of the Barista profession in Asia.

Bakery&Pastry2008 aims to provide Asia’s professional bakers and pastry chefs with an ideal platform to congregate and exchange ideas on their skills and profession. The Asian Pastry Cup, one of Bakery&Pastry2008’s events, is a spin-off from the internationally acclaimed World Pastry Cup which puts the artistic abilities of Asia’s finest pastry chefs to the test.

Wine&SpiritsAsia2008 is an international exhibition of wine, spirits and beer that serves to bridge the gap between leading wine and spirits buyers and prominent international sellers. The FHA2008 Wine&SpiritsAsia Challenge, where wine entries will be judged by influential wine connoisseurs, strives to raise the knowledge, prestige and commercial value of winning wines to the world.

“The importance of Food&HotelAsia as the leading marketplace for F&B professionals has been remarkably underlined, and we look forward to build on the success of each individual specialised event to broaden its appeal to new and existing exhibitors and trade buyers,” said Ting Siew Mui, Singapore Exhibition Services’s project director (Lifestyle Events) for FHA.

FHA2006 recently beat strong competition to triumph in the Exhibition of The Year category of the first Singapore Business Events Awards (SBEA) organised by the Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau (SECB) of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

?source http://www.expresshospitality.com/20080215/market26.shtml

MIHAS from May 7-11

KARACHI: The 5th Malaysia International HALAL SHOWCASE (MIHAS 2008) will be held at MECC , Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 7 to 11 May 2008.

Following the success of MIHAS 2007, Malaysia is once again set to host the 5th Malaysia International HALAL Showcase from 7 to 11 May 2008 at the MATRADE exhibition and Convention Centre (MECC), Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Being a unique trade fair focused in promoting the best of global Halal industry. MIHAS is increasingly catching the attention of our divergent target market around the world.

As Malaysia’s largest food and beverage expo and the world’s largest Halal trade fair that is today in its fifth year, MIHAS has indeed contributed effectively in moving the global Halal market to a new level.

This is due the support from the Halal industry enjoyed by MIHAS after each year of which the figures bolow readily demonstrate.

According to MIHAS 2007 statistics the 426 Halal companies from 26 countries occupying 514 boths and 36,792 visitors visit from 64 countries. In 2007 MINHAS RM213.9 million in sales generated during business matching for Halal products.

Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), as a project hosted and MIHAS will serve as the springboard for international Halal business to penetrate the global Muslim market and the ASEAN market generally.

Therefore, the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) being the organizer of MIHAS cordially invites Pakistan to capitalize in MIHAS strength towards achieving common goals in Halal market.

In achieving this goals, the MIHAS secretariat would appreciate if we could set a meeting at a date and time convenient to you to further discuss on possibility of having a Pakistani pavilion in MIHAS 2008.

The post show report and other information on MIHAS 2008 are available at the website.

source: http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=123631

HDC About To Implement Halal Industry Action Plan

KOTA KINABALU, Jan 14 (Bernama) — Halal Industry Development Corporation Sdn Bhd (HDC) is set to step up its development and promotional activities at the national and international levels under its 2008-10 Strategy & Action Plan recently approved by its board of directors.

He felt the industry, while dovetailing with the corridor’s comprehensive and holistic masterplan, will help spur a new era in the state’s economic development as well as in entrepreneurship.

source : http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news_lite.php?id=307734