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Thailand seeking to increase global share of halal food market

KUWAIT: Thailand’’s cuisine has achieved a meteoric rise in popularity and now stands proudly as a staunch international favorite alongside the world’’s longtime champions.
But as Thailand’’s food exports are growing by as much as eight percent per annum, the country has been slow in catering to the international halal food market, an industry that is estimated to be worth somewhere around one trillion U.S. dollars per year.
The word halal is an Arabic term that means permissible, and when used in relation to food means that its contents, preparation or the techniques for slaughter animals are inline with Islamic law.
It has been reported that 70 percent of the world’’s Muslim population of two billion people follow halal food standards, a massive demographic that Thailand, which follows an agricultural policy of making itself ”the kitchen of the world”, simply cannot afford to ignore.
While 10 percent of Thailand’’s population of 64 million are Muslim, it is the general lack of information concerning what constitutes halal and non?halal food that is blamed by many experts as the reason why the country has not been more competitive in the field. While it may have fallen behind its Muslim neighbor Malaysia in the field, Thai Muslim and non?Muslim food producers are increasingly making use of government and privately funded facilities to learn how to make their products halal and attain internationally recognized certification that confirms their strict adherence to Islamic procedures. Surprisingly, the world’’s largest producer of halal food is Brazil and the largest consumer is the United States, a little known fact that underscores the fact that only 20 percent of the world’’s Muslims live in the Middle East.
The Central Islamic Committee of Thailand (CICOT) is leading the charge to elevate Thailand into an international heavyweight in the field through its Institute for Halal Food Standards of Thailand, a government funded project that aims to ensure that the development and certification of halal food standards complies with the provisions of the Islamic religion and correspond to international standards. The CICOT is an entity that runs under the office of the Shiekhul Islam of Thailand Sawas Sumalyasak, a position which is regarded as the leader of Thai Muslims and which is appointed by the Thai king to act as his personal advisor on all issues related to Islam. Also up and running since 2003 is the Halal Science Center (HSC) of Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, a world?class laboratory that provides state?of?the?art halal accreditation services by checking for prohibited animal proteins, alcohol and the presence of microbes that can be indicative of unclean and non?Islamic methods of food production. According to CICOT statistics, 1,000 companies were certified to produce halal food in Thailand in 2004, and that number has grown since then. But according CICOT sources, Thailand has over 20,000 food producers and 50 percent of them are able to produce halal food if they change simple procedures, a move which could boost halal food exports five to tenfold.
One major Thai food producer that is throwing its resources towards competing in the international halal food market is Charoen Pokphand (CP) Foods Public Company Limited, the flagship of Charoen Pokphand Group’’s agro?industrial business in Thailand, which operating agro?industrial businesses related to animal farming and food manufacturing for the Thailand and international markets. CP Group boasts a range of halal certified food products that are exported internationally yet remains underexploited as a cost effective producer as only a fraction of its halal goods are imported by Middle East countries due to Thailand’’s lack of a reputation for such foods.
While 1,200 other Thai manufacturers exported halal products worth almost two billion U.S. dollars in 2007, only twenty percent went to the Middle East and the rest were exported to Malaysia and other Muslim countries in Asia. With the concerted efforts of government officials and entrepreneurs in Thailand, along with recent successful inspections of Thai halal food manufacturers by the UAE’’s municipality and the Muslim World League, Thai meat products will almost certainly start to become a increasingly popular in Middle Eastern countries as local merchants realize the tremendous benefits that trading with the world’’s largest rice exporter entails.

source : http://alwatan.com.kw/Default.aspx?MgDid=662876&pageId=476

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

Global sukuk market to reach $200bn by 2010

Appetite for Islamic bonds is growing at an unprecedented rate due to the support of regulators and governments in the Gulf and Muslim Asia. And the sukuk market is expected to reach $200 billion (Dh734.61bn) by 2010 on the back of Gulf oil wealth and sovereign debt sales by the United Kingdom, Japan and Thailand, said a report by Damac Capital International.

Between 2006 and 2007, the market for sukuk more than doubled, reaching $62bn – up from $27bn. From 2001 to 2006, sukuk grew by a compound annual growth rate of 123 per cent, the recent report found.

The increasing acceptance of Islamic finance applications – which are becoming more of a global phenomenon – has played a major role in this rapid growth. Currently, the Islamic banking and finance market is worth more than $500bn and is growing at 15 to 20 per cent annually, Hany Hussein, vice-president and head of asset management and equity research at Damac, told Emirates Business.

“Affluent Muslim investors are looking for some serious investment options that comply with Shariah,” he said. “It is estimated that 20 per cent of Muslim investors, with billions to invest, would now spontaneously choose an Islamic financial product over a conventional one with a similar risk-return profile.”

Mohammad Faiz Azmi, global Islamic finance leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers, said Islamic finance is no longer just a niche market and is now considered mainstream. “If you look at the region, most of the funding is through sukuk and not through commercial bonds,” he told Emirates Business.

“Sukuk are shooting throu-gh the roof,” he added. “The middle class’s demand is driving Islamic finance. Now that they have money, they want choice. If they can invest money, then why not do it in a halal way? Now you see sukuk that are almost always oversubscribed. It is because while there are many interested in halal products, there are not so many halal products being offered.”

As per Moody’s estimates of the Islamic finance market, 50 sukuk worth $19bn came to the market from the Gulf last year, with 28 in Bahrain, 12 in the UAE, five in Saudi Arabia, four in Kuwait and one in Qatar.

The UAE’s sukuk market, which registered only seven transactions in 2006, has thus increased by 70 per cent up in one year alone. Volume issuance of UAE sukuk rose by nearly 27 per cent to reach $11.1bn. Moody’s report noted the majority of issuance came from the financial services and real estate sectors, including sukuk transactions from DIB, JSL, Dubai Investments, Aldar and a residential ABS transaction from Tamweel. In 2007, three UAE sukuk, amounting to more than $1bn each, were issued by JSL and DP World.

According to the report by Damac, more countries are issuing sukuk, and there are expectations other non-Muslim countries will enter the field. In 2007, 10 countries issued sukuk, as opposed to only two in 2001.

The UAE and Malaysia continue to be the two main locomotives of sukuk issuance. More than $25bn of sukuk or 75 per cent of all sukuk issued in 2007 originated from these two states.

Standard & Poor’s has said it expects them to continue to be the giants in the market. However, analysts hope the Gulf will eventually adopt the Malaysian model of a single national Shariah board overseen by the government, rather than individual banks maintaining their own boards.

But for Azmi, there is no right or wrong model. “It’s what the investors want that matters,” he said, adding Malaysia – where 56 per cent of the world’s sukuk issues originated – is talking to the Middle East about creating a banking model that could span the two regions.

He said: “In 2002, we made a major decision in Malaysia that rather than just make products acceptable to ourselves, we started reinventing some other products to make them acceptable to the GCC. So there were two sukuk and that was unusual because for the first time they used a different basis [global Shariah] that was acceptable to the GCC. Now in Malaysia we have two types of bond, one is called the local Shariah and the other is called a global Shariah.”

The West is also upbeat about joining the sukuk bandwagon. The UK has set out plans to become the first Western government to issue sukuk this year. There has been a lot of discussion and preparatory work done by Her Majesty’s Treasury specialists and various Islamic finance experts from the City of London prior to the launch. London has already been named as a leading financial centre with regard to Shariah-compliant finance and experts agree it is currently the strongest European centre for the industry.

Kitty Ussher, MP and economic secretary to the Treasury, said on the sidelines of the Norton Rose Women in Islamic Finance Summit in London that the UK was “keeping up the momentum”. While she was unable to give a date as to when the UK would issue a sovereign sukuk, she said the response to a consultation paper finished in April would be published on June 2.

Financial analysts agree a major challenge in Islamic finance is the lack of standardisation and homogeneity. Because there is no single interpretation of Islamic law, each financial institution has a board of religious scholars who determine which products are Islamic. And what one bank considers Shariah-compliant may be unacceptable for another.

Azmi shrugs off this argument saying differences should not come as a surprise. “In anything that is used by different countries, inherently there will be some interpretation challenges. But the interpretation issue is not unique to Islam. There are examples from the conventional world where they cannot get it right, either.”

Currently, the key issuers are corporations and financial institutions who view sukuk as a source of stable funding for their long-term projects and as a remedy for their maturity gaps.

According to Hussein, financial institutions and governmental agencies were the first to tap the market and accounted for 58 per cent and 42 per cent, respectively, of the total issuance in 2003.

As of 2007, corporations’ share of the sukuk market has amounted to a significant 71 per cent. The share of financial institutions and governmental agencies am-ounted to 26 per cent and three per cent, respectively.

“Companies issue sukuk to diversify their source of funding and to benefit from the strong demand for Islamic finance products,” Hussein said. “Sukuk issues have ranged from the simple sale and leaseback [Ijara] structures, such as the $1bn Dubai Department of Civil Aviation sukuk issued in 2004, to the $2.53bn trust finance sukuk structure issued by Aldar Properties in 2007, demonstrating the flexibility of Islamic finance principles.”

Largest islamic bank to open in June

The UAE’s largest Islamic bank will be launched in Abu Dhabi on schedule next month with a capital of Dh4 billion and is already optimistic about performance, its head of personal banking said. Al Hilal Bank has obtained a licence from the Central Bank as a full Shariah-compliant Islamic bank and is in the process of setting up branches throughout the country, Mohammed Zaqout told Emirates Business. (Nadim Kawach)

source : http://www.business24-7.ae/Articles/2008/5/Pages/05292008_1e5715576a6f42acaf7e9b2b43301ee9.aspx

New Chicken Processing Plants In ECER To Boost Poultry Industry

KUALA LUMPUR, May 16 (Bernama) — Two new chicken processing plants to be set up in the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) will make the poultry industry more efficient and allow it to tap into South-East Asia’s rising demand for poultry said industry experts.

They said the plants earmarked for Gambang, Pahang and Gua Musang, Kelantan would complement an existing one in Chendering, Terengganu.

In a statement here Friday, ECER said the poultry production was expected to rise by 35 per cent to 175.37 metric tonnes in 2010 from 129.74 metric tonnes in 2005.

The ECER currently contributes 11.9 per cent of the total poultry production in the country.

It said under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, Gambang has been identified as the location for a large-scale poultry processing plant, which could process one million birds annually.

Executive consultant for Federation of Livestock Association of Malaysia, Abdul Rahman Md Saleh, said as Malaysia experienced a demand-driven livestock evolution, the association welcomed the proposal as the processing centres modern facilities would help to ensure cleanliness as well as authenticate the meats halal status.

“The additional processing plants will help to better streamline supply of processed chicken and reduce wastage of chicken by-products that are traditionally thrown away such as chicken feathers, legs and stomach lining that can be processed into fertiliser,” he said.

Abdul Rahman said these plants could help improve productivity and provide additional income to the industry.

“They will also help to reduce pollution of chicken by-products into the environment.

“We have been asking for more processing centres, so this proposed plan comes at an opportune time. As processing plants need to be big with a minimum workforce of more than 80 people to achieve economies of scale, they will provide ample job opportunities for people in the region,” he said.

RAM Holdings Bhd’s chief economist, Dr Yeah Kim Leng, said the new plants were timely with demand and food prices rising.

He said the opportunities for the new plants were good as local and overseas demand for chicken and especially halal meat was encouraging.

“With the current global food shortage and the need for self sufficiency, I believe the new plants will be good investments which will be looked on favorably by market forces,” he said.

Yeah said the new plants would further enhance the country’s plans in becoming a “halal hub” as chicken is one of the region’s major sources of protein.

Meanwhile, both Abdul Rahman and Yeah agreed that the new plants would also help to reduce imports and increase production capacity of processed chicken in chilled meat products.

They said the local poultry industry produced 764,000 tonnes of chicken meat and seven billion eggs annually.

“Some 80 per cent of 1.2 million tones of meat produced annually is chicken, while about 10 to 15 per cent of chicken meat produced locally is exported to Singapore.

“Per capita demand for broiler meat is expected to increase from 28kg per person in 2005 to 29kg per person in 2010 while the projected production increase is 9,503 metric tonnes in 2005 to 11,286 metric tonnes — valued at RM4.64 billion - in 2010,” they said.

The projected production of processed poultry meat in 2010 is valued at RM59.5 million to cater to both domestic and export markets.

source : http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news_business.php?id=333434

Halal Label Abused in UK

A THIRD of meat products sold in supermarkets and shops were misleadingly labelled, a new survey has revealed.

The food, which included mince, sausages and samosas, often illegally contained meats other than those the buyer would be expecting them to contain.

This could have serious consequences for people trying to avoid some meats for dietary or religious reasons.

Now Staffordshire County Council Trading Standards has issued guidance to businesses telling them how to stay within the law or face a fine of up to £20,000.

Trading Standards Offices from throughout the West Midlands purchased over 100 samples of meat products.

The samples were analysed by Public Analyst laboratories including Staffordshire Scientific Services, who checked that the species of meat named on the label was the only type of meat present.

The analysis showed that 38 of the 109 samples were adulterated.

Minced lamb was the most likely to be contaminated, with two thirds of the samples containing beef and or pork.

Seven samples described as “Halal” were purchased as part of the survey.

These were found to be just as likely to be contaminated as any other meat products, although no Halal products were found to contain pork.

Staffordshire County Councillor Carol Dean said: “Customers buying food rely on the labels and descriptions of the food made by the business.

“An accurate description of the type of meat in a meat product provides information, allowing customers to choose which product to purchase.

“This is particularly important for customers who wish to avoid particular species of meat due to religious or dietary reasons.

“Trading Standards are keen to work with businesses to ensure that food is correctly described.

“The guidance leaflet explains three simple steps which butchers should be taking to ensure that meat products contain only the types of meat stated on the label.”

The guidance leaflet is available from Staffordshire Trading Standards and can be requested by telephoning 0845 330 3313.

source :  http://www.thisischeshire.co.uk/display.var.2195539.0.meat_products_misleadingly_labelled.php

China To Promote Halal Products

KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 (Bernama) — A Malaysian business delegation’s visit to Xi’an, Shaanxi, in China from this weekend is expected to open doors to local businessmen to penetrate the huge halal products market in that country.

The 100-strong mission, to be headed by Malaysian Malay Chamber of Commerce (DPMM) president Syed Ali Alattas, will be in that region for five days from Saturday and it will, among others, organise a business forum for both Malaysian and Chinese businessmen.

Syed Ali expressed confidence Tuesday that Malaysia’s halal products have good potential in China in view of the 50,000 Muslims in Xi’an.

The Malaysia delegation will also use the forum to explore the possibility of suppliers of raw materials in China being a source for Malaysia’s halal products, he said at a media briefing here on the trade mission.

“Through such an arrangement, Malaysia can re-process the raw materials from China into products for re-export back to China under Malaysian brands,” he added.

According to Syed Ali, the mission’s main objective is to establish strategic networking with counterparts at the global level, exhibit Malaysia’s halal products, discover new business partners, and help strengthen the trade ties between the two countries.

The mission is also to provide exposure to small and medium entrepreneurs in Malaysia to the business climate in China, he added.

source : http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news_business.php?id=324069

Local producer secures Halal beef certification

Locally produced beef has won Halal certification, which means it is acceptable for consumption by Muslims, the Council of Agriculture (COA) reported on Thursday.

Noting that Halal is an Arabic word meaning “lawful,” COA officials said Taiwan-produced beef with Halal certification is now available from a local store.

The shop owner, with assistance from the COA, the Taipei Grand Mosque and a national beef trade association, only managed to make the Halal-certified beef available after months of painstaking efforts — from the building of a special ranch where cattle are raised to the construction of a Halal abattoir and a Halal packaging facility, the COA officials said.

SANITATION

Officials from the Taipei Grand Mosque said the beef from the specially designated store meets high food security and sanitation standards and is absolutely free of excess water, which is sometimes injected by unscrupulous dealers into local cattle prior to slaughter in order to artificially increase their market weight.

The availability of the Halal beef will help meet the demand from Taiwan’s approximately 150,000 Muslims, COA officials said.

OTHER MARKETS

“If the Halal industry flourishes, Taiwan might consider making inroads into other Muslim markets around the world with Taiwanese Halal products,” a COA official said.

The idea of producing Halal beef locally came after the COA heard complaints from Muslims living in Taiwan as well as buyers from other Asian countries that they had seen very few Taiwanese food products carrying Halal certification.

Halal certification is recognition that the products are permissible under Islamic law and can be used or consumed by Muslims.

source : http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/03/29/2003407502

Organic and Halal Head to Toe Skincare Range

UK., The February launch of ecologically and ethically formulated skin care range, Saaf Pure Skincare, brings a new twist to ecoluxe as the first and only range in the world that is both organic and halal certified.

Using rare, organic, cold pressed botanicals and finest quality, steam distilled organic essential oils with scientifically proven healing and antiageing properties, Saaf Pure Skincare has been certified by the Soil Association. It qualifies, too, for Halal accreditation, by employing a policy of no alcohol, no GMO’s and no irradiation. Further accreditations make it vegetarian and vegan approved as well as being cruelty free and Naturewatch certified.
Saaf Pure Skincare is highly effective, totally organic and utterly ethical. Providing the gold standard in organic and ethical skincare, the 100% natural formulations do not contain any chemical nasties, products are totally free of alcohol and the organic oils used are chosen purely for their therapeutic, healing and regeneration abilities.

What they do contain ensures that Saaf Pure Skincare provides the maximum possible levels of natural antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and Omega 3, 6 and 9, all essential to healthy skin function. “If up to 60% of what we put on our skin is absorbed into the body, why not use this to your advantage and feed your skin with healthy and beneficial organic oils?” reasons Dr Mah HussainGambles, founder of Saaf Pure Skincare. In development for four years by Dr HussainGambles, a qualified pharmacologist and homeopath, Saaf Pure Skincare draws on this ultimate combination of expertise. The result – a nine product strong, highly concentrated, effective and healing beauty range.

The line up includes: Organic Hydrating Face & Lip Balm; Organic Ultimate Moisture Face Serum; Organic Complexion Boosting Serum; Organic Pure Face Cleanser; Pure Shower Oil; Organic Foot Softening Balm; Organic Eraser Body oil; Organic Super Hydrating Body Balm; Organic Enriching Hair Oil. Priced from £9.99 to £32.99.
As a skincare specialist, with 15 years experience, Dr Mah’s formulations for Saaf Pure Skincare are based on sound science. And being a woman allows her the intimate knowledge and understanding of what women want in a skincare range. As Dr Mah says, “ Preserving the skin is so important to women because it’s also about self preservation.”

Dr Mah’s pure policy extends through to the packaging as well which is all recyclable. Each of the products is packaged in recyclable glass, with peel off labels, for a low environmental impact; the chic black cartons can be recycled and even the company’s brochure is made from recycled paper and printed with vegetable based ink.

This is premium skincare and Dr Mah’s personal vision of making ecoethical luxe is borne out by Saaf’s distinctive gold logo and sleek black packaging. Frosted glass bottles and jars add an elegant touch, reflecting the stylish and discerning customer it attracts.

What started as a local business, ’manufacturing’ her creams from her kitchen and selling through the internet, selected UK boutiques and via mail order, has led to worldwide interest and rapid expansion. “I started to get international interest because Saaf is the world’s first Halal and Organic certified skincare”, says Dr Mah.

source http://www.soap-wire.com/2008/03/saaf-pure-skinc.html

Brunei To Create Niche In Global Market For Halal Products

Bandar Seri Begawan - The Brunei Government has tapped the services of a UK-based consultancy in drawing up the master plan for an agro-technology park that is deemed critical for the sultanate to create a niche in the global market for halal products.

The Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources’ Department of Agriculture recently drew up an agreement with SQW Consulting to assist the department in developing the Brunei Agro Technology Park.

SQW Consulting will help the government conduct studies on the agro-technology park - and give recommendations for its establishment.

Its work is expected to be completed between six and nine months.

Under the Brunei’s halal brand initiative, the development of the agro-technology park will facilitate local and foreign businesses who want to build their products with the Brunei Halal Brand.

The project will be located on a 263-hectare land in Tungku, Gadong. The park’s development will be in two phases. The first will involve the completion of 50 hectares of land, available with full basic infrastructure and facilities for investor.

The area can house up to 50 companies. Phase One is expected to be completed in 18 months.

The park will offer potential tenants the flexibility to choose from a range of property specifications. There will be choices of small to large sized property units including laboratory and office buildings. There is also the option for custom-made buildings to be developed on allocated areas.

Local and foreign investors can look forward to using research and innovative technology applications that focuses on science-based activities such as agriculture, fisheries and forestry.

The approach will involve the development of Brunei’s New Halal Science Centre, a research institute aiming to become a pivotal global ground for halal related activities.

Another venue is also allocated for the Food Development Centre value-added processing of agriculture products as well as incubator programmes. The Agribusiness Incubator will facilitate the setting up of agriculture-based companies allowing them to tap into the scientific and managerial resources and develop them into viable ventures.

The Brunei Agro Technology Park aims to become a globally renowned park for halal food products as well as providing access for local and foreign businesses to exploit the knowledge and technology offered within the park.– Courtesy of The Brunei Times

source ; http://www.brudirect.com/DailyInfo/News/Archive/Mar08/270308/nite12.htm

Johor To Set Up Halal Food Centre

JOHOR BAHARU, March 24 (Bernama) — The state government will set up a halal food centre to market halal products produced by Bumiputera entrepreneurs and Muslim traders.

Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said the centre, to be managed by the Johor Islamic Religious Council, would make it easier for Muslims in the state to obtain halal foodstuffs and other daily essentials.

“The consumers need not worry as the products on sale at the centre would have halal certifications,” he said when opening the 76th conference of heads of Islamic councils and departments here today.

His text of speech was read out by Johor religious committee chairman Zainal Abidin Osman.

The state government, said Abdul Ghani, would also set up a council to resolve issues pertaining to faith, syariah and other issues among Muslims in the state.

– BERNAMA

source : http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/state_news/news.php?id=322311&cat=st