Two UAE-based food firms receive Halal Certification

Dubai — Muslim consumers in the UAE can now start looking for the country’s official logo given to certified halal food products.

Two companies have been certified to use the National Halal Mark developed by the Emirates Standardisation and Metrology Authority (Esma) after the logo was officially released at the ongoing Gulfood Exhibition 2015.

Global Food Industries, which manufactures frozen food in Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi-based food and beverage firm Aghthia were the first companies to get the halal mark on their products.

“The official release of the mark and awarding it to two companies means it is now in the market. People can look for it,” said Farah Ali Al Zarooni, the director of standards department at Esma.

She was speaking to Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the Halal Investment Conference held as part of the Gulfood Conferences on Tuesday.

“We are importing more than 85 per cent of products from other countries, which are mainly non-Muslim countries,” she said. “Our scheme will make sure raw materials and sources are 100 per cent halal and it will assure quality and safety of products for human consumption, controlling all phases of the supply chain from farm to fork,” said Al Zarooni.

The requirement for the halal mark on imported halal meat products to the UAE will start with products from Australia and New Zealand, officials said.

Valued over $52.5 billion, the UAE’s meat and live animal imports stood second among the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) countries in 2013. In two years, all halal food products imported to the UAE will have to carry the halal mark of quality that is recognised by the OIC.

The inaugural Halal Investment Conference under the theme ‘Standardising the Global Halal Industry’, put the spotlight on the UAE’s role in global halal standardisation and product certification.

A senior official said the UAE’s halal standards and mark are likely to be adopted at a GCC level.

“When any member of the GCC comes up with good standards, we will take it as a model for GCC level… There will not be any conflict of interest,” Nabil Molla, secretary general of GCC Standardisation Organisation (GSO), told this paper.

Appreciating the halal standards and mark developed by the UAE, he said, the GSO will also discuss the option of adopting the same mark at the GCC level. “By the end of the year, all these details will be clear,” he said.

“The GSO’s vision is to become the pioneers of standardisation and excellence, both regionally and internationally. Through the facilitation of trade, we strive to eliminate barriers, all the while protecting our consumers, their health and our environment,” he said.

However, an industry expert said there was a need for the authorities to consider the practical difficulties faced by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in implementing the strict halal standards.

Hassan Bayrakdar, founder and managing director of Raqam Consultancy, said it would be difficult for many SMEs to apply certain halal standards especially in some areas such as transporting and storage of food products.

“The cost involved in obtaining halal certificate and other related certificates may give a competitive advantage to bigger companies,” he said, calling for authorities’ attention into such issues.

Noaf Al Naqbi, head of the certification body accreditation section at the Dubai Accreditation Centre under the Dubai Municipality, said the centre will organise training on halal requirements for certification bodies and awareness sessions for slaughterhouses and food manufacturers.

Source: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/biz/inside.asp?xfile=/data/uaebusiness/2015/February/uaebusiness_February137.xml&section=uaebusiness

The Perception Problem of Halal Food Industry

Can an agenda driven small vocal minority with social media savvy derail a trillion dollar industry? 

If you do not address a provocative rumour, does it become a reality?

Can an agenda driven small vocal minority with social media savvy derail a trillion dollar industry?

The agenda is the halal food industry for the nearly two billion Muslims and non-Muslims with aligned values.

The vocal minority is the ‘halal-hysteria’ movement, like Boycott Halal in Australia via Facebook, and its viral impact has reached beyond the country’s shores.

What is the ‘measured and proportional’ response from the halal industry as its impacting local SMEs (with halal products) and Australia’s reputation in its export markets like the Gulf countries?

Two points to discuss:

What is the manner of the ‘halal’ slaughter?

What are the cross section of comments by the ‘halal-hysteria’ movement?

Sacrifice

The word ‘slaughter’ may no longer be politically correct to use when describing the event. The event is actually a sacrifice to the Creator for the bounty bestowed upon us (mankind, not just Muslims) so that we part-take of the good and healthy blessings.

“Dhabiah is the prescribed method of slaughter for all meat sources, excluding fish and other sea-life, per Islamic law. This method of slaughtering animals consists of using a well-sharpened knife to make a swift, deep incision that cuts the front of the throat, the carotid artery, windpipe, and jugular veins. The head of an animal that is slaughtered using halal methods is aligned with the qiblah. In addition to the direction, permitted animals should be slaughtered upon utterance of the Islamic prayer “in the name of God.”

The halal (permissible) is a process and procedure, and it starts not at the sacrifice at the abattoir, but at the birth of the animal! Where was the animal was born (cage)? What was it fed (grind up pieces of other animals and antibiotics)? How was it raised (same cage)? How was it transported to the abattoir (smaller cage)? Did the animal view other animals sacrificed?

The focus has to be the life-cycle of the animal and not just the last six seconds of their life. Thus, more light has to be shown on factory farming so that all consumers can make an informed decision.

The comments

The comments, from informative to provocative, after an article usually convey a pulse of the sentiment, right or wrong, for those interested in the topic. The sentiments based on evidence change opinions versus sentiments that are meant to inflame.

Here are two comments from a recent article January 22, ‘Some people really don’t understand what halal means.’

“The halal rort is growing fast and is now a multi-trillion dollar industry world-wide. Halal certified food involves a fee paid to an Islamic certifying body and this means any halal certified food we buy incurs an Islamic tax under Shariah law. Part of this then apparently funnelled through to the Islamic Brotherhood and others. The little halal symbols are on a huge variety of everyday food and are becoming an increasing part of our Western diet. We are not just talking about meat here. It has been described as ‘Stealth Jihad in the West’. Even Cadbury’s chocolate is catering to them including promoting shariah-compliant, halal-certified chocolate bunnies and eggs for Easter! So Muslims celebrate Easter now?”

Few points here:

— There is a Muslim/Shariah tax for non-Muslims who purchase halal? Why is the writer not raising the issue for organic and Kosher, also available in their countries? Furthermore, such people have the freedom not to purchase. One can vote by their ‘dollars.’

— Part of the halal certification fees is sent to fund ‘Islamic Brotherhood.’ Where is the evidence, as forensic accounting of books and wire transfer closely monitor the situation? The said organisation is banned in the Muslim countries.

— The halal food becoming part of the western diet. Why is that bad? If this person ate a halal sacrificed meat versus non-halal, would he/she be able to tell the difference? The halal industry needs to present hard scientific evidence of the benefits of complete draining of the blood, which may be produced by non-stun slaughter.

If Nestle, with 500 halal products in Malaysia, and Cadbury are offering halal products, it’s because there is a consumer demand and not because they want to back-door a religion. The money Nestle and Cadbury receives from selling their products eventually goes to paying their employees, their shareholders and support stock prices.

If Muslims want to have purchase halal chocolates during Easter or halal turkey during Thanksgiving, isn’t it about tolerance, understanding and respecting other’s faiths?

The writer below is probably the sampling, and industry needs to answer his questions.

‘Let’s not overreact. It has nothing to do with “financing Islam” or “supporting” or “not supporting” Muslims. As long as no one is misbehaving, forcing others to do something or threatening my way of life, I don’t care what religion they are, as long as they are peaceful — but truly peaceful, not in the MSM kind of way. Halal hysteria is a bit over the top, in my opinion. Yes, the animals are suffering (I think) and it looks cruel — so that alone may push people to avoid halal meat (if they can avoid it, someone rightly pointed that most meat in NZ is halal certified anyway — but I think it is done in a slightly more caring way using stun gun first). But a lot of other animals are killed cruelly, like ducks to get the foie gras, which I adore. So, what do we do there?’

What is the halal industry campaign to educate?

Source:http://www.khaleejtimes.com/biz/inside.asp?xfile=/data/opinionanalysis/2015/January/opinionanalysis_January30.xml&section=opinionanalysis

Regulating the sacred: why the US Halal Food Industry needs better oversight

For many Muslims, adherence to Islamic dietary laws, known as halal, is an intrinsic part of their everyday lives. Even those who are relatively lax with other rituals of the faith tend to adhere to halal. But a spate of scandals involving halal meat – first in Europe and now in the US – threatens the reliability of the industry and highlights the need for improved oversight.

There are 1.6 billion Muslims around the world who collectively support a market for halal foods that is currently valued at more than US$1 trillion. The demand for halal products from countries like the US is certain to grow because a large number of Muslim-majority countries do not have enough agriculture and livestock resources to feed their booming populations. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the other Gulf Cooperation Council countries, for example, are expected to import US$53 billion of halal food by 2020.

The superior quality of its products has made the US a leader in the global market for food prepared by Islamic standards. But increasingly it is facing stiff competition from both established and emerging players like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Brazil and Uruguay. In order to maintain its competitive edge, the US needs to bolster its halal-assurance mechanisms. This is necessary not only for the export market but also to instill confidence among the millions of domestic halal consumers in America.

The Midamar controversy

Last month, Bill Aossey Jr, founder of Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based Midamar Corp, was indicted on 19 felony counts for allegedly shipping mis-branded meat to Indonesia and Malaysia from 2007 to 2010. He is accused of making false statements on export certificates and committing wire and money fraud. Indonesia and Malaysia have strict halal import regulations that require that the meat be processed only at their approved slaughterhouses. Aossey Jr has been accused of shipping beef from a Minnesota plant that had no such approval from the two importing countries.

Midamar insists that it was a minor labeling issue and that the meat it shipped was halal. Its lawyer criticized the government for initially accusing the company of not being compliant with halal rules but later retracting that allegation. He also accused the government of ‘improperly trying to define halal standards’. Defining what is halal or not should be left to the Muslim faithful without governmental interference, he appears to be saying.

The controversy surrounding Midamar is emblematic of the issues plaguing the industry. Unlike the Kosher food sector, there is no widely accepted golden halal standard in the US or even internationally. Despite some initiatives taken by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, a universal standard has yet to emerge. While all Muslims agree on the fundamentals of Islamic dietary laws, as mentioned in the Quran, there are significant disagreements when it comes to the details.

Unlike kosher, there is no universally recognized standard for proper halal food preparation. But there are a few minimal consumer expectations. Reuters

Click to enlarge

Mechanical versus manual slaughter

Some of the contentious issues include: the permissibility of stunning an animal, mechanical versus manual slaughter, vertical versus horizontal cut, permissibility of minute quantities of alcohol as processing agents, and the list goes on. Adding a further dimension of complexity is the growing awareness among Muslims that the food they consume should not only be halal but also ethical. Proponents of this movement highlight issues such as the humane treatment of animals and the use of genetically modified organisms.

As a result of this lack of consensus, the definition of halal can be as expansive or as restrictive as one wants it to be. This obviously poses a problem for food manufacturers frustrated by the diversity of opinion and unable to adhere to a set standard. But despite the disagreements, the average Muslim consumer has come to expect some basic standards. At a minimum, halal signifies that the permissible animal or bird has been slaughtered by a Muslim; that it is alive at the time of the slaughter; that a ritual blessing is invoked; and that the blood is completely drained out.

But this diversity of definitions creates a large loophole for fraud. Businesses and individuals have charged premium fees for generic meats they incorrectly labeled halal. Several private halal certifiers do provide some oversight of the industry but that has proven to be inadequate. The fact that there are no regulations governing the certifiers means that anyone can claim to be one. This has led to the mushrooming of scores of “certifiers” with little or no religious or technical expertise. A related problem is that of self-certification by the companies. This essentially makes the whole exercise redundant as then there is no third-party oversight.

Fragmented and haphazard

The US government’s regulation of what constitutes halal works in a fragmented and haphazard manner. The Department of Agriculture oversees federally regulated plants and also inspects exporters to ensure that they meet the importing country requirements. Since 2000, eight states have also enacted their own halal consumer protection legislation similar to the ones that were designed for kosher consumers. But the scope of these laws is often vague and poorly implemented. Cutbacks in the public sector has led to an acute shortage of inspectors, making them effectively toothless. But there have been rare cases when the authorities did crack down on those indulging in fraud. The Orange County District Attorney, for instance, obtained a US$527,000 settlement in 2011 from a business which was fraudulently selling selling generic meat as halal.

In order to protect both the consumers and the reputation of the industry, it is vital that a holistic approach be adopted involving all stakeholders. There are obvious limitations to governmental involvement due to the separation of church and state principle. But it can certainly improve transparency and consumer information by mandating that anyone selling a product as halal should back up that claim. The disclosure requirements of New York’s Halal Food Act of 2005  if strictly implemented, which they are currently not, could serve as a good model. The government can also regulate the certifiers by imposing a minimum set of standards including qualifications and avoidance of conflict of interest.

Bureaucratization and professionalization of the halal certifiers at a minimum will greatly improve reliability – as it has in the kosher industry – if not completely eliminate fraud. A transparent and reliable American halal industry is good not only for consumers but also for businesses.

Source:http://theconversation.com/regulating-the-sacred-why-the-us-halal-food-industry-needs-better-oversight-34108

Global Islamic economy growing faster than ever: expert

Dammam, Asharq Al-Awsat—The global Islamic economy is growing faster now than at any time previously, attracting increasing investment from around the world, according to the chief executive of a company operating in the sector.

Nader Sabri, chief executive of Muslim lifestyle products manufacturer TIMEZ5, told Asharq Al-Awsat the sector—which includes segments such as Islamic finance and halal food products, as well as the collective economic output of Muslim countries—was “growing faster than at any time before” and had “become very attractive for international investors,” a large portion of whom were not Islamic or based in Muslim-majority countries.

“There are two types of company [operating in this sector],” Sabri said. “The first comprises those who are entering Islamic markets from the outside. These are mostly non-Islamic companies whose interest in Islamic markets is part of a [wider] strategy for entering emerging markets.”

“The second type are those who look [for opportunities] in Islamic markets from the inside, [looking then to venture] outside [Islamic countries]. These are usually companies managed by Muslims or with a focus on this [Islamic] market,” he continued.

“The first type seeks to create opportunities and to capitalize on Islamic markets as they would in any other market. These companies are not driven by Islamic values but will adhere to them [in their activities] in order to reach these markets,” he said.

“The second type of company, meanwhile, adopts Islamic values as part of its raison d’être and applies quality standards and . . . innovation in Islamic markets.”

Speaking of Gulf contribution to the overall Islamic economy, Sabri said that “50 percent of the market’s total revenues” came from Gulf countries, adding that 87 percent of Gulf revenues came from non-Gulf consumers who purchased such products while visiting the region, especially during the pilgrimage season when the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia are crowded with pilgrims who often purchase products to give as gifts to family members back home.

But Islamic products also have appeal in non-Islamic countries due to the estimated 300 million Muslims living there, Sabri said, adding this showed there was “a need for more products . . . for Muslims living in foreign [non-Islamic] countries.”

The global Islamic economy includes all sectors driven by the global Muslim population’s adherence to any kind of faith-based activity, with products or services created to cater for such activities. These include Islamic finance, where consumers can obtain loans, mortgages, insurance policies or investment products all adhering to Islamic Shari’a law by avoiding the need to make money via interest. It also includes the global halal food market, which follows Islamic prescriptions on animal slaughter, as well as the tourism, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, media, leisure, and lifestyle segments.

“The lifestyle products segment is currently one of the fastest-growing in the global Islamic market, after years of being on the margins due to the domination of the market by Islamic finance and halal food products,” Sabri said.

A recent Thomson Reuters report estimated the total size of the halal food and Islamic lifestyle products segments at 1.62 trillion US dollars, expecting it to grow to 2.47 trillion dollars by 2018.

The global Islamic economy also encompasses the economies of Islamic countries around the world—estimated at 8 trillion US dollars in total size—which together hold a 1.6 billion population currently growing at twice the rate of the global population.

Sabri added: “Historically, investment in the Islamic market has been concentrated on two segments: Islamic finance and halal food products. The total size of the Islamic market is between 10–12 trillion dollars approximately. And given that the growth rate of the world’s Muslim population is around 1.5 percent, which is double that of the world’s non-Muslim population, Muslims consumers worldwide represent a strong economic force.”

But despite the size of the global Islamic economy and its impressive growth in recent years, there are also many difficulties associated with operating in this market.

“The main challenge is the adoption of new technologies,” Sabri said. “This begins at the simplest level: Muslim consumers have become used to traditional designs, colors and styles, which makes changing these deeply embedded aesthetic expectations a very difficult task indeed. As such, it is important to market and inform consumers of new innovations and to create a suitable, trustworthy environment for the safe consumption of new products.”

Despite this, Sabri points to the success of a number of new products and innovations that have recently entered the market.

“This means the Muslim consumer has become much more receptive towards new ideas,” he said. “It is important to market these products using the language of the consumer . . . joining local cultures with Islamic values, and using the mother tongue of the [particular] consumer [being targeted], in addition to applying internationally recognized standards [for all products], which helps increase the demand for the product.”

Source: http://www.aawsat.net/2014/09/article55336440

Australian firms interested in Pak Halal Food Market

LAHORE - High Commissioner Designate to Australia, Naela Chohan has said that Australian companies are interested in investing in the Halal food market and want to enter the Middle Eastern region through Pakistan. It will benefit both the countries and Pakistan will be able to attract more countries for Halal food processing.

She was talking to Punjab Board of Investment & Trade (PBIT) high-ups during her visit to PBIT where she was welcomed by Chief Executive Officer, Mohammad Ilyas Ghauri. On this occasion, she was also given a presentation on the core functions and working of PBIT and the priority sectors that are in focus in Punjab. The High Commissioner Designate said that she will be working on image building of Pakistan, mainly, trade and export promotion of Pakistan to Australia. CEO PBIT extended PBIT’s full support and services to Mrs Naela Chohan in facilitating the Halal Food Exhibition in Pakistan to attract Australian companies. Industrialists from Sialkot Chambers of Commerce & Industry briefed Mrs Chohan about the potential of exporting sports and surgical goods to Australia. The meeting ended with the exchange of souvenirs.
APP adds from Karachi: “A lack of interest, information and prevalence of stereotypes about Russia have kept Pakistani exporters away from entering Russian market,” said chairman of Pakistan-Russian Business Council of FPCCI, Muhammad Farooq Afzal.
The Russian Government’s decision to ban fruit, vegetable, meat, fish, milk and dairy products from United States of America, European Union, Australia, Canada and other countries that have imposed sanctions on Moscow offers a great opportunity for Pakistani exporters to enter Russian food market.
In the wake of the imposed sanctions on Russia in late 1998, the resultant financial crisis and Russian debt default also, Pakistan could have become a major exporter of kinnow, mango, potatoes, rice, processed food and fruit juices there, Chairman, Pakistan-Russian Business Council of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) said in a statement here on Friday.
The Chairman, Pakistan-Russian BC, mentioned that it was precisely around that time Europeans, Americans and even Chinese moved back and captured the Russian market. He said that a visit to any supermarket in a Russian city will show how much the country depends on imported food. It would be very difficult for one to find anything of Pakistani origin except kinnow and certain specie of rice.
The PRBC can help Pakistani exporters of food products in finding space in Russian market. Many members of PRBC in the Russian capital have their counterparts and have a great degree of expertise about the complex market.
For Pakistani food products to do well in Russia, a combination of good marketing and attractive packaging is a must along with quality products.
PRBC has worked out a strategy to export 8 items that Russia usually buys from the US and European Union. These include fruit, vegetable, sports items, sports garments, leather garments and pharmaceutical and textiles etc, said M. Farooq Afzal.
Russia imports food products from UK, USA and EU worth dollars 10 billion and the Asian countries especially Indian firms are rushing towards Russian market to fill the gap, he said.
He suggested to Pakistan food exporters to fully participate in Russian food exhibitions in major cities of that country coupled with a combination of good marketing and attractive packaging along with quality products.

Source: http://nation.com.pk/business/23-Aug-2014/australian-firms-interested-in-pak-halal-food-market

Halal Meat May Be Processed Differently, But Is it Safer?

Many Muslims have migrated from their ancestral homes in North Africa and Asia to Europe and North America. These emigrants have brought their distinctive cultures and culinary traditions with them. They've also brought their dietary laws, which strictly regulates the slaughter and processing of meat.

Food processed in concordance with Muslim dietary laws is called Halal. Halal is an Arabic word that means "permissible." Although traditionally, meat slaughtered under Jewish kosher practices were consumable by Muslims, most authorities today only accept meat slaughtered by a method called "zabiha."

Zabiha imposes many requirements. For example, the animal must be healthy and must not be a forbidden species, the slaughterer must be a sane adult Muslim and the animal must be facing Ka'aba (Mecca). The slaughter itself is preceded by the words "Allah-o-Akbar' (God is Great)." A very sharp knife must be used to prevent undue suffering. Failing to adhere to any requirements of zabiha renders the slaughtered animal "Haram" (forbidden).

Contrary to the claims of animal rights activists, the slaughtering process is specifically designed to minimize the animals' pain, whereas commercial methods sometimes grievously injure the animal while leaving it alive.

Meat is central to many dishes originating in Muslim countries. One survey found that Muslims constitute 5 per cent of the British population but consume around 20 per cent of the total meat purchased in the country. In order to satisfy this demand, the food industry caters to the needs of their Muslim customers.

Today, halal meat is largely produced in commercial slaughterhouses staffed by specially trained Muslim workers who conduct the actual slaughter and supervise the subsequent processing. The animal must be healthy so the workers are trained to identify diseases that would render the animal unclean. Most facilities also have government inspectors on the line so the product still meets government standards.

But the focus of halal is on ensuring spiritual purity rather than science-based cleanliness, so buying halal food does not guarantee your food will be safe. Last year a Halal food processor in British Columbia was charged with several counts of knowingly selling food unfit for human consumption and a similar case was reported in Texas.

Fortunately, such cases are rare and problems also occur with non-halal products. Robert Singleton, a co-owner of, Rancho Feeding Corp, a California slaughterhouse, plead guilty yesterday to processing cattle infected with skin cancer. His deal has him working with prosecutors against his co-accused in the case. Workers at the plant allegedly took advantage of inspectors' lunch breaks to process diseased animals, going so far as to replace disfigured heads with those of healthy animals to hide their crime. This fiasco resulted in the recall of a staggering 8.7-million pounds of beef.

The case of Rancho Feeding Corp. highlights why halal food is safer. For the owners of Rancho, the opportunity to sneak diseased meat down the line was just too tempting to resist. In a federally regulated Halal facility, there would have been ritual slaughterers in addition to the government inspectors so, with extra pairs of eyes watching the line it would have been much harder to commit this fraud. Halal certification does not mean that the food is free from harmful microbes, extraneous materials, or chemical contamination. We need modern science-based food safety programs to prevent these types of hazards but purchasing halal products ensures that there is an extra layer of oversight that can effectively prevent food fraud and generally results in a closer examination of the food that ends up on our plates to ensure that it is safe to eat.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/steven-burton/halal-meat-processing_b_5716361.html

Delegates to Sample Variety of Halal Foods Provided by Midamar at This Year’s ISNA Convention

Cedar Rapids, Iowa (PRWEB) August 31, 2012

Midamar will be exhibiting at the 49th Annual Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) Convention themed “One Nation under God – Striving for the Common Good”. The convention will be held over Labor Day weekend at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington DC and is expected to attract more than 30,000 attendees from across the eastern region of the USA.

Midamar will be supplying a variety of popular Halal food options to the attendees, including Halal pepperoni pizza, beef burgers, beef franks, beef gyros, fully cooked chicken tenders, and boneless, skinless chicken breast and thighs. Midamar is often described as a pioneer in the Halal Food industry. Established in 1974, Midamar was the first food company in the USA to coordinate with USDA in the development of Halal standards and processes in USDA inspected and approved processing facilities. Since then, Midamar has become a globally recognized Halal Brand and leading exporter of USA produced Halal foods.

“From the outset, our mission was to provide premium quality, Midwestern meat and poultry to Halal consumers in the USA and around the world, and to do this while maintaining the strictest Halal compliance standards” said Midamar Director Jalel Aossey. “We have been attending the ISNA convention for decades, and are thrilled to be able to supply the delegates with a variety of premium quality Halal food options. With so many people attending this conference, it is important to offer meals that will appeal to a variety of tastes and preferences.”

Besides supplying Halal food to be served at the Convention Center Food Court, Midamar will be holding taste testing and sampling sessions at its booth number 837 in the famous ISNA International Bazaar. “We will be offering samples of Halal Hot Links, Beef Franks, and all white meat fully cooked Chicken Tenders. All attendees are welcome to come to our booth and taste Midamar products,” explained Aossey.

Aossey’s grandfather started his business in Iowa in 1915 and his father Bill Aossey established Midamar in 1974 as the USA’s first Halal food company. The company now sells products in North America, Africa, the Middle East, and South East Asia. “Midamar is a Halal brand that produces and distributes Halal products. As a Halal company, we incorporate values of family and community in everything we do. Before we embark on new projects or pursue new opportunities, we assess the impact on the people and the environment we live in. Being a Halal company is much more than being a company that sells Halal products.”

As the first Halal food company to develop an e-commerce site in 1999 and the first Halal brand to export from the USA to Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, Midamar has established itself as an innovative leader in the Halal Industry. It is the first US company to offer Halal Organic Beef and Chicken Line to consumers in the USA and internationally.

Recently, Midamar was honored with the "Distinguished Community Service Award" from the USDA's Center for Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. It was the first company to receive the USDA award "For exemplary work in providing Halal food options for Muslims in America and around the world". Midamar is also the first USA based food company to receive the coveted international award for “Best New Halal Food” at Gulfood in Dubai for two years running.