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Market of halal products

A FOUR-DAY fair of Malaysian halal products was held recently in a city hotel for boosting business of halal products and strengthening the trade connections with Bangladesh. Malaysian Ministry of Entrepreneur Cooperative Development and EPIC TIPS, a company of Kuala Lumpur in collaboration with the Malaysian High Commission in Dhaka organised the fair. Some 30 small and medium enterprises and over 80 business communities from Malaysia participated in the fair with the main objective of expanding the platform of halal products for the business communities of the two brotherly Muslim countries. Proactive steps are to be taken in seizing this opportunity by widely introducing halal products with a view to meeting the growing global demand.

It is to be mentioned here that Malaysia as a Muslim country has already become the world’s ‘halal-hub’ and its various food products have become popular brand in many countries including Bangladesh because of quality and standard and, of course, with the confidence of its products being made as halal products. Malaysia will act as a catalyst, as Bangladeshi entrepreneurs can also do healthy networking with their Malaysian counterparts to further develop their own local halal market. Malaysia is well aware of the global halal market potential and Bangladesh’s highly untapped market where a big majority of consumers are Muslims.

The global trade in halal food - if products such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and other services are added in - the combined market value is believed well in excess of one trillion US dollars though the estimated market value of the halal food trade is now at US$ 580 billion. ‘The World Halal Forum’, held in Kuala Lumpur in the recent past, drew the prospect of the halal food industry saying it was expanding along with the Islamic faith, the world’s fastest-growing religion.

source : http://nation.ittefaq.com/issues/2008/09/02/news0443.htm

Agriculture woos Kuwait, Brunei to invest in halal sector

The Agriculture Department has stepped up efforts to find new markets abroad for the budding halal industry, with initial talks held with Kuwait and Brunei on possible investment opportunities.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said separate discussions with the ambassador of Brunei and Kuwaiti officials brought new investment opportunities in the fledgling industry.

The government is offering two big-ticket investment proposals worth P3.04 billion in Mindanao to develop the industry and unlock its export potentials in the $500-billion world market,

Visayas and Mindanao have been declared free from foot-and-mouth disease but the World Animal Health Organization has not yet cleared Luzon.

Assistant Secretary Clayton Olalia said the halal food industry portfolio would include the economic zone in Davao City and a model poultry farm in Cagayan de Oro City.

Olalia said the proposed P2.2 billion Halal Economic Zone in Davao City would be the centerpiece of the investment portfolio being offered to overseas investors in the Middle East, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the United States.

The zone is expected to generate 24,000 new jobs for Muslim Filipinos and boost Philippines’ export earnings by at least $200 million yearly.

The other investment proposal package is an P840-million halal model poultry farm complete with research laboratories, abattoirs and other modern facilities.

Around 32,000 Muslim farmers and entrepreneurs in Mindanao are expected to benefit from the proposed initiative.

source : http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=business5_aug28_2008

Halal board to boost export market, int’l standards for RP-processed foods

Cagayan de Oro City (27 August) — Aware of the huge market potential of halal products here and abroad, the Muslim Mindanao Halal Certifying Board, Inc. (MMHCBI) will meet here on Thursday (August 28) with the Northern Mindanao Poultry Growers’ Association on compliance with the Philippine Halal Standards in food and non-products preparation.

Ustadz Esmael Ebrahim, spokesperson for the MMHCBI, said the meeting will be held at the Pearlmont Hotel, Limketkai Drive this city.

The MMHCBI, the Philippines’ halal certifying body based in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, will conduct a briefing on the religious and technical aspects of producing halal foods with representatives of prominent industry trademarks in attendance. Expected to attend the food certifying meet are members of the Mindanao Poultry Growers’ Association, particularly, San Miguel sister company Magnolia, Swift, Bounty-Agro Ventures, Inc. Fresh and Vista de Rio Farms.

Food companies have sought to enrich their technologies’ research and development for a market expansion that has to have strict compliance with the Philippine Halal Products Standards. By doing so, they are aiming for a fair share in the global halal market, now worth $ 150 billion in international food trade statistics.

Poultry production is fast becoming an investment opportunity in ARMM the BIMP EAGA and other parts of the country. Muslim countries, such as those of the Middle East have high demands for Halal products, meaning those that are processed in accordance with Islamic laws and tradition.

Being certified halal products by the MMHCB (for both food non food products like cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, etc.) will mean such products are good for Muslims and non-Muslims alike, because ‘halal certification’ means international health standards are complied with. These standards are: HACCP (hazard analysis critical control for products); GMP (good manufacturing practices (both prerequisite BFAD certification) and ISO (International Standardization Organization)

The MMHCBI, which crafted the Philippine Halal Products Standards, is composed of five muftis (Guardians of House of Opinion) of the ARMM provinces and food technologists, chemists, nutritionists and scientists of widely-recognized erudition in their fields of expertise on both the Islamic Sharia law and food science.

Local Governance Support Program in the ARMM (LGSPA) has aided the MMHCBI in numerous areas of capacity-building and institutional linkages, resulting among others to the crafting of the Philippine Halal Standards and its acceptance by Muslim religious authorities and food experts here and abroad. LGSPA is the capacity-building program of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

The MMHCB has also had the recognition of its equally reputable counterparts in Malaysia and Thailand with which it had entered into memorandums of understanding and agreements for a continuing working cooperation.

Ebrahim said the August 28 meeting, convened here by the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo), will also be attended by officials and representatives of the Department of Trade and Industry in the ARMM, the Department of Agriculture and Food in ARMM; the ARMM Regional Board of Investment, and national officials of the Department of Agriculture, the National Coordinator for Philippine Halal Industry Development and MEDCo officials.

In efforts at gaining for the country a share from the huge global market for halal, the meeting has been organized by the Department of Agriculture in Region 10, through DA Region 12 Assist. Director Ismael Mustapfa, the government’s national coordinator for its Halal Industry Development Program.

source : http://www.pia.gov.ph/default.asp?m=12&r=&y=&mo=&fi=p080827.htm&no=61

HDC To Propose The Enactment Of A Halal Act To The Government

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 (Bernama) — The Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC), will propose the enactment of a Halal Act to the government.

Its managing director/chief executive officer, Datuk Seri Jamil Bidin said the corporation was currently in the process of drafting the Act which would help monitor and prevent misuse of the halal certification in the country.

“In Malaysia, we don’t have a specific Act for enforcement with regards to the misuse of the halal certification,particularly among restaurant owners,” he told reporters here Wednesday.

“We hope with the establishment of the Act, the whole cycle of halal integrity would be protected,” he said.

He said the process of drafting the Act is expected to be completed by next year.

Currently, a total of 26 hotels and 500 restaurants nationwide have been granted the halal certification.

The HDC was established in 2006 as a private company fully owned by the Ministry of Finance.It was recently given the responsibility of issuing the Malaysian Halal Certificate, taking over the function from the Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim).

The HDC has been tasked by the government to capitalise on the multi-trillion dollar global halal industry. It has also been handed the mandate to facilitate the growth of the halal economy in Malaysia while making the country the premier referral centre and hub.

This is to be done by providing comprehensive halal certification, research and development as well as infrastructure growth support.

Jamil said the HDC had created a range of halal training programmes to increase understanding and develop human capital within the industry.

He said the training programmes catered to the general public and for both Muslims and non-Muslims.

source : http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news_business.php?id=355621

Brunei The Google Of Halal?

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, BRUNEI: “Can Brunei be the Google of Halal?” The question put forward by the leader of a global open source community project called ADempiere Bazaar based in Berlin, drew plenty of intrigue and interest from the audience during an international halal market conference in Brunei.

Introducing the concept of ‘halal software’ to an audience for the first time, ADempiere Bazaar’s Redhuan Daniel Oon said it rings an opportunity for Brunei to position itself to become the ‘Google’ among the Muslim nations in new applications built upon successful open source applications.

“What Brunei can do in the sense of becoming a ‘Google’ is that it can specialise in something and give a brand promise to the market. What Google promised was ‘I’m faster’. So Brunei can say something like, ‘I’m cleaner,’ or ‘I’m more focused because I’m not doing anything else,” he said. Redhuan, an advocate of the link between halal and open source, said the concept of ‘halal software’ is not just about software to support the halal industry but also about the handling of the software itself. (By HADI ADI DP MAHMUD/ The Brunei Times/ AsiaNews)

source : http://www.mysinchew.com/node/15367

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

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

The largest survey of Muslim women in the UK

A unique and groundbreaking “1000 Sisters’ voices” survey carried out by Ummah Foods, a “new generation” British Muslim food company, and by SISTERS, the inspirational new magazine for Muslim women, has found that, while an overwhelming majority view Islam as their guide to life, read the Qur’an and observe hijab, they also shop at high street stores, go out to eat and travel regularly. The picture that emerges is one of a population balancing the demands of their faith with the opportunities afforded by life in the UK.

Khalid Sharif, founder of Ummah Foods, and Na’ima B. Robert, editor of SISTERS Magazine, began asking some interesting questions about the lives of Muslim women in the UK so they could improve their products for them. The result has been a groundbreaking look at the thoughts, opinions and ideas of Muslim women in the UK. The survey, which is the largest ever, gathered respondents from all walks of life, from around the UK, all eager to give their views on issues as diverse as their relationship with Islam, their opinions of hijab, halal shopping, Internet use, entrepreneurship and of course Muslim men and marriage.

One of the most surprising findings was that British Muslim women, married and unmarried, are still romantics at heart.

Finding a soul mate and settling down in a happy family environment were top of the women’s list with 96 per cent of women saying that this is what marriage meant to them. But they were also keen to find ways of successfully combining work with family life.

As in all communities everywhere, the respondents believed that “good men are hard to find”. Education, personality and a high affinity with the principles of Islam were top of most lists.

Also of interest to Muslim men is the fact that, while character and Islamic knowledge come top of the Muslim woman’s wish list, racial background is ranked as one of the least important aspects.

Outside of family life, finding ways of helping to resolve the challenges facing the British Muslim Community far outweighed thoughts or concerns about global issues with 70 per cent opting for issues in the UK with the remaining looking to Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

One of the more interesting aspects of the survey was that Muslim women seem to have turned their backs on the major supermarket chains when it comes to halal food shopping with only 10 per cent choosing the supermarkets.

Khalid Sharif, Managing Director of Ummah Foods commented: “The major food retailers have not yet grasped how to attract Muslim shoppers. One of our key objectives at Ummah is to help the Supermarkets develop and offer products that meet the ethical codes that most Muslims want to abide by. We are trying hard to encourage the major chains to think more creatively about how best to tap into this important market and to encourage more Muslim women into their stores.”

He added “We asked Muslim women in the UK what they would like us to do next, and the unanimous call was for premium chocolates. We listened carefully to their suggestions, and are now very pleased to announce the launch of five new products in the Ummah Foods Premium Halal Chocolate range”

Na’ima B. Robert, editor of SISTERS magazine, said, “As the UK’s first magazine for Muslim women, we respond to how Muslim women in the UK today define themselves. In this survey, we wanted to hear their thoughts, ideas and concerns - so that we may better address these in our magazine.”

She added “SISTERS aims to satisfy the Muslim woman’s varied needs – spiritually, intellectually, emotionally and practically, in a beautiful, glossy package. It’s our very own ‘halal Glamour’!”

“All of us at SISTERS and at Ummah Foods are delighted with the responses we have received so far. We have managed to get so much interesting information and the whole process has been a real eye-opener for us, as businesses and as part of the British Muslim community. We are definitely looking forward to doing another one next year!”

source :  http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/global/article4400197.ece

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