JEDDAH/SHARJAH – Participants in the two-day Halal Congress Middle East held recently at Expo Centre Sharjah sought unified global halal standards. “While the focus was on the multitude of business opportunities associated with one of the fastest growing industries in the world, the need for a unified standards system was heard loud and clear since all stakeholders in the industry very well know that a single halal standard will ultimately harmonize exports and imports and ease market access to several regions,” said Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, Director-General of Expo Centre Sharjah. “The global halal industry is estimated at $2.77 trillion and growing more than 20 percent annually. It caters to about 1.6 billion consumers worldwide. Delegates had an in-depth session on the potential of the industry and opportunities awaiting them across the world,” said Asad Sajjad, CEO of Halal Development Council and co-organizer of the Halal Congress Middle East. With common mistakes made by some certification bodies, experts said a universal system must be set to ensure consumers' food is 100 percent halal. “Halal is a very sensitive issue that Muslims should deal with,” said Haluk Dag, secretary general of the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC) in Turkey. “We must have a technical committee to deal with halal food issues, especially with new technologies in place such as mechanical slaughtering and genetically-modified organisms.” “Different halal authorities follow different Islamic rulings,” said Dag. “There must be a common platform where all the parties come together and argue on the specific issues to define the minimum requirements of halal standards.” Close on the heels of getting mandates from the Organization of the Islamic Conference to prepare unified standards for halal food and cosmetics, the UAE is in the global limelight again, thanks to the Halal Congress Middle East that has brought together the most influential and authoritative minds on halal markets and standards to Sharjah. In the wake of UAE's Emirates Standardization and Metrology Authority (ESMA) being mandated by OIC to draw up unified halal codes for perfumes & cosmetics and food standards, the technical sessions on halal standards and the session on halal cosmetics and pharmaceuticals were significant to all stakeholders. An overview of opportunities in the American halal market was presented by Dr. Mian Nadeem Riaz, Director, Food Protein R & D Center, A & M University, (representing IFANCA USA). “The US halal market opportunities are largely untapped. Halal consumers spend $20 billion on food in the US each year but manufacturers are yet to fully tap into this affluent market segment,” said Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, quoting IFANCA (Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America). According to a study carried out by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, the number of Muslims in America rose to 2.6 million in 2010 from one million in 2000, underscoring the potential for growth in both sales and regulatory infrastructure within the country. On export front, while Australia, New Zealand and Brazil have long been established as major suppliers to halal markets worldwide, the US lags behind by a considerable gap. “Most halal certification bodies do not have scientific and Sharia committees,” said Dr Hani Mansour Al Mazeedi, a research scientist at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research. “The two committees are needed to work hand in hand to understand new technologies, to solve emerging religious issues linked with new technologies, to understand the chemical nature of raw materials and to provide procedures to switch haram production lines to halal ones.” He said in the West, many halal meat certifying bodies were “ignorant” about halal processed food requirements, such as processed cheese in hamburgers. “They are not sincere in selecting their halal slaughter operator,” he said. Al Mazeedi added that more inspections of halal premises should also be done. “Some bodies are not trustworthy and certify haram meat,” he added. “There must be an international trustworthy organization that will harmonize halal services globally such as the Muslim World League of Saudi Arabia.” Countries are starting to take the necessary steps in order to achieve that. “For centuries, we needed a common language which defined quality and safety in our daily lives, especially when it comes to trade,” said Dr Mohammed Hussain Shojaee, the director of Faroogh Life Sciences Research in Iran. “And until we resolve this part, we won't be able to move forward.” — SG
