‘Pakistan can tap global Halal food market’

FAISALABAD: Pakistan can become a leading Halal food market and tap two billion consumers worldwide if it meets international standards.

This was the key remark made by the speakers on the second day of an international conference titled “Emerging Issues in Food Safety” at University of Agriculture, Faisalabad on Tuesday.
Dr Nadeem Riaz, Research Scientist & Director of the A&M University, Texas called for standardisation of hazard analysis and critical control points in the country to make food purely Halal.
Hazard analysis and critical control points is a systematic preventive approach to food safety that addresses physical, chemical and biological hazards as a means of prevention rather than finished product inspection.
He also shed light on other factors including poor sanitation situation and use of washing soaps which contain non-Halal contents.
He said a transparent system of Halal auditing, not just mere inspection, is a welcome approach to remove any suspicion about a manufactured product.
Former justice Khalilur Rehman, who was the chief guest, stressed the need for developing a comprehensive mechanism to remove contamination in Halal goods.
He pinned hope on the Punjab Agriculture Meat Company, established by the provincial government, for addressing the issue of adulteration in Halal food.
Dr Tipayanate Ariyaptipan of Halal Science Centre, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok briefed about the combined laboratory techniques for screening adulterated food products available in the Thai Muslim market.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 16^th,  2011.

Pakistan: MoU signed with Malaysia for meat exports

Lahore - A memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Punjab government and Peneng State Government Malaysia regarding cooperation in halal industry at Chief Minister’s Secretariat here on Saturday.
Chief Executive Officer Lahore Meat Company Dr Hamid Jalil on behalf of Punjab government and Minister for Religious Affairs and Chairman Halal Industry Development Peneng State Government, Haji Abdul Maalik Qaseem on behalf of Malaysian government signed the MoU. Punj

ab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, Minister Agriculture Ahmad Ali Aulakh, Members Provincial Assembly, Chairman Planning & Development, Commissioner Lahore, Chairman Special Initiatives, Vice Chairman Punjab Investment Board and officers concerned were present on the occasion. According to the agreement, Peneng State Government Malaysia will work jointly with Punjab Meat Company for setting up of Halal Industrial park in Punjab, training programme, international certification and export of halal products from Pakistan.
Speaking on this occasion, the CM said Malaysia was a brotherly Islamic country and the agreement between Peneng State Government Malaysia and Punjab government with regard to promotion of halal industry was a good omen. He said there was a big scope of exporting halal meat from Punjab to international market and Punjab government was taking solid steps in that regard. He said a state-of-the-art slaughter house was also being established in Lahore with the cooperation of Iran whereas for the first time in the history of the country, halal meat had been exported to Malaysia. “The Punjab government is also working on the project of certification of halal meat so that it could be exported to Middle East, Malaysia and other countries from Punjab as per international standard,” he said, adding that the government would work for the uplift of halal meat industry with the cooperation of Peneng State Government, Malaysia, and directed Dr. Hamid Jalil to take further steps in that regard.
Ref: http://halalfocus.net/2011/05/15/pakistan-mou-signed-with-malaysia-for-meat-exports/