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

What's the big fuss about Halal certification?

Increased trade with the Middle East and South East Asia means Halal certification is a booming business in Australia.

The sector is projected to be worth $1.6 trillion worldwide by 2050, and Australian food exporters are racing to get into the market.

I think Australia is quite proud of its ability to produce Halal meat to international requirements, while doing it in a humane way.

JON CONDON, JOURNALIST

Halal food has been prepared according to Islamic law, and is free from pork products, alcohol and certain other ingredients. A variety of Islamic groups are involved in Halal certification, with companies who wish their products to carry a Halal label paying fees for inspection and certification.

According to beef industry journalist Jon Condon, Halal certification is widespread in Australia and can be a big money earner for meat processors.

'What it means is when the various body parts are divided up it gives those export meat works the flexibility to sell certain items, including meat cuts and offal, into Halal markets.'

'In some cases, it can be the highest paying markets, so it's all part of finding the optimum market for each individual item.'

Mr Condon says Australia has a good reputation in terms of its ability to meet Halal requirements.

'We are able to sell Halal certified products into the Middle East, South East Asia and other communities around the world.'

'I think Australia is quite proud of its ability to produce Halal meat to international requirements, while doing it in a humane way.'

This certification process has angered a small number of consumers, however. Kirralie Smith is the founder of Halal Choices and does not support Halal labelling. Ms Smith and other anti-Halal activists claim certification fees are being directed to mosques which aim to impose Sharia law in Australia. She says her objections are not about racism, however.

'There are companies wanting to make a lot of money out of it,' says Ms Smith.

'A lot of these companies are just paying the certification because they don't want the hassle.'

Dr Muhammad Khan, the CEO of Halal Australia, says there is nothing wrong with money from Halal certification going to mosques.

'It is absolutely not necessary to talk about this subject matter,' he says.

'Don't [Kosher certification organizations] fund their own synagogues? Why can't the Islamic certification body give donations to mosque projects?'

Mr Khan says accusations of secrecy are misguided, and the Halal certification process is helping the Australian economy grow.

IMAGE: VARIOUS HALAL CERTIFICATION LABELS

The Byron Bay Cookie Company, which has been certified Halal for 10 years, recently became the target of anti-Halal campaigners, who objected to the company's Anzac biscuits carrying the Halal label.

'It hasn't been easy, we've had a lot of calls and emails that have been quite aggressive where we have had to ask the police to step in,' the company's CEO, Keith Byrne, told ABC News.

'We as an iconic brand have been targeted but ultimately if people look at any major producer will typically have Halal depending on the countries they supply too.'

Like meat processors who say Halal is no different to certification for grain-fed and grass-fed cattle, Mr Byrne compares Halal to gluten-free labelling.

'The Halal company that certifies us is based in Sydney, they come and they audit us and then they go away again, they don't bless our foods, they don't bless our site, there's no religious context to it, they check our hygiene and they check that there's no alcohol there.'

What is Halal?

Halal is an Arabic word meaning lawful or permitted. In reference to food, it is the dietary standard, as prescribed in the Koran.

By official definition, Halal foods are those that are:

1. Free from any component that Muslims are prohibited from consuming according to Islamic law.

2. Processed, made, produced, manufactured and/or stored using utensils, equipment and/or machinery that have been cleansed according to Islamic law.

All foods are considered Halal except the following:

-Alcoholic drinks and intoxicants

-Non-Halal animal fat

-Enzymes (microbial enzymes are permissible)

-Gelatin from non-Halal source (fish gelatin is Halal)

-L-cysteine (if from human hair)

-Lard

-Lipase (only animal lipase need be avoided)

-Non-Halal animal shortening

-Pork products

-Unspecified meat broth

-Rennet (All forms should be avoided except for plant, microbial and synthetic rennet, as well as rennet obtained from Halal slaughtered animals)

-Stock (mixed species broth or meat stock)

-Tallow (non-Halal species)

-Carnivorous animals, birds of prey and certain other animals

-Foods contaminated with any of the above products

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/bushtelegraph/halal/5843904

Halal mark a must for all food products in UAE

Dubai: All food products claiming to be halal need to have a halal mark and certification from next year, a senior official from the Emirates Standardisation and Metrology Authority (Esma) has said.

The announcement comes as part of a halal regulations package, which will also include halal certification for cosmetics and perfumes as well as clothes and accessories.

“It is His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai’s dream to make Dubai the capital of the halal economy and this initiative is part of that project. Through this process we will make sure what people consume assuming it is halal is actually halal,” said Mohammad Saleh Badri, Director-General of Esma.

According to Badri, there is currently a system in place to verify halal compliance of food products but it has very limited scope.

Recently mandated by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to formulate halal codes for cosmetics and perfumes to be implemented in all Islamic countries, Esma hopes the halal food standards will also be adopted by other countries.

“Each emirate has its own system to verify halal compliance at municipal level but there are no general standards and regulations. We will be putting a whole new system in place which will not only be a point of reference for firms in the UAE but also for other Islamic nations,” added Badri.

Currently in the process of ratification, the standards will be in place by early next year, covering all types of food products and outlets.

“Every eatery and food brand that claims its food to be halal will come under the scanner and we will go into details of the ingredients used, the processing, the plantation, chemicals used, the packaging as well as the slaughtering of animals. Every process should comply with Sharia regulations,” said Badri, explaining the certification system.

The announcement comes following recent speculation about Western food chains not complying with halal standards, which led to the withdrawal of certain products in several countries.

“Once we have our system in place, there will be no place for speculation and scepticism. It will be clear to people what products are halal and what are not permissible. We will ban those products that don’t comply with the standards,” Badri said.

Paying attention to detail, the standards will even look into cases of food products being genetically modified or processed using chemicals or fertilizers that have traces of non-permissible products.

Having traces of pork, animals slaughtered in a non-Islamic way or the presence of alcohol in food products among other things is not allowed according to Sharia.

In the next phase, the authority will implement standards to ensure all clothing and accessories are also halal.

Five new halal products bearing fruit

PETALING JAYA: A number of university research initiatives on halal products are beginning to bear fruit, with some of them now on the verge of breaking into the market.

Five such products were highlighted during the recent World Halal Week (WHW) 2013 for the purpose of sharing and commercialising new research findings and innovations that are worth being marketed.

Being new and literally small players in the business industry, these halal products are from various industries like pharmaceuticals, packaging clusters, food and cosmetics, and had gone through deep research works before being turned into products that can benefit the consumer.

Excellent Icon Sdn Bhd director R Sathiyamoorthy said the two-year-old company was aggressively into producing nature-friendly tapioca-based tableware products.

“Our products are edible. They are alternative products for existing plastic and polystyrene tableware products,” he said, adding that the company has a production capacity of 100,000 per month.

Sathiyamoorthy, who is also a mechanical engineer, said its products could withstand heat for up to two hours and they are “eatable”.

Moving forward, the company eyed WHW 2013 as a platform to commercialise its products as a part of its strategic plan to expand business.

International Islamic University Malaysia’s international institute for halal research and training (INHART) invented a ready-to-consume beverage called Agarwood Hydrosol.

INHART director Hamzah Mohd Salleh said the younger generation was more attracted to such healthy beverages.

Starting small, INHART is looking to engage with small and medium entrepreneurs to market its products. Reszon Diagnostics International Sdn Bhd introduced a diagnostic system for malaria, namely PlasmoNex, which is pending intellectual property (IP) patenting.

University Malaya associate professor Chua Kek Heng said PlasmoNex is a highly sensitive substance designed to detect malaria at an initial stage.

Concerning rising malaria cases, he said in 2008, 247 million malaria cases were recorded globally, with close to a million ending in death, triggering the research team to come out with the ingredient.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia research institute team introduced its agricultural product called “CiliBangi”. The organic seed product is said to have a high resistance level against viruses with upgraded flowering and fruit maturity.

Another product highlighted at the conference was halal collagen and hydroxyapatite (HAp), an extract from fish scales, produced by Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris.

The patented invention technique is said to be economical and simple without the usage of chemicals and enzymes which yield 40% to 60% of collagen and HAp produced from the same fish scales.

All the products were nominated for a WHW 2013 award as potential halal products to be developed and commercialised.

WHW 2013, previously known as Malaysia Halal Week, aims to bring economic and wholesome benefits and services for Muslims and non-Muslims alike to establish Malaysia as a global halal referral centre.

Last year, six IPs were successfully matched and commercialised, including Beauticococa based cosmetics, an interactive courseware multimedia for umrah and haj, V-Haj and others within the food, pharmaceuticals and packaging clusters.

Press Release :Halal Research Council and KPK Agriculture University Signed Agreement

Halal Research Council and KPK Agriculture University will work together for the development of Halal Industry.

11-04-2013

                                     

(Lahore) A Strategic Partnership agreement signing ceremony between Halal Research Council and KPK Agriculture University was held today at the office of Vice Chancellor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Agriculture University; in which the experts from food, nutrition, livestock and other Industries were participated.

According to the agreement, Halal Research Council and KPK Agriculture University will provide joint consultation, training, research and technical assistance to each other for the promotion of Halal industry especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.  The strategic partnership agreement was signed by the Chief Executive Officer of Halal Research Council Muhummad Zubair Mughal, Professor Dr. Khan Bahadur Marwart Vice Chancellor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agriculture University and Professor Dr. M. Subhan Qureshi – Dean Faculty of Veterinary Sciences. As per the agreement, Halal Research Council will provide international linkages and Halal Certification services to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agriculture University in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Halal related industries. Professor Dr. Khan Bahadur Marwart Vice Chancellor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agriculture University, addressing the agreement signing ceremony, said that nowadays distinction between Halal and Haram has become a big issue and organizations like Halal Research Council has smoothen this issue for general public through its expertise. He further added that due to this agreement between Halal Research Council and KPK Agriculture University, Halal Industry in Pakistan and particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will progress rapidly. Professor Dr. M. Subhan Qureshi Dean Faculty of Veterinary Sciences said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has a specialty that livestock is in abundance here. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a mountainous area, hence, meat is available in excess here relatively to dairy; and substantial amount of profit can be earned by exporting meat in the international market with Halal logo.  

Muhummad Zubair Mughal the Executive Officer of Halal Research Council said that the Halal Research Council’s agreement with KPK Agriculture University will be a milestone in the development of Halal Industry, due to which educational and training efforts along with trade and advancement in Halal sector can be further strengthened. He said that Pakistan’s Shariah values are acknowledged all over the world. If we export Halal meat, poultry, dairy, confectionary, spices and other food products from Pakistan to international market, then they will be highly recognized due to our Shariah values.  Moreover, he mentioned that Halal Research Council has started an 8-month Post Graduate Diploma to provide trainings on Halal industry internationally, so that experts from food, dairy, livestock and other related departments can enhance their capabilities and knowledge about Halal. This will help them ensure the quality standards in the concerned departments. He also informed that our diploma is acknowledged around the world and many international food and agriculture universities have shown their interests to make the topic of Halal as part of their educational syllabus.

It must be noted that Halal Research Council is a Pakistan based institution that is providing Halal Certification and Education & Training in Pakistan and many other countries.

New Zealand: Say Hello to Halal

Understand halal, or miss out on an enormously business opportunity. According to a recent estimate, 23% of the global population, or 1.57 billion people, are Muslims, with a massive and growing population among our near neighbours in South East Asia. And in the latest New Zealand study, more than 36,000 people identified themselves as Muslim. Halal in the Muslim faith is defined by the Quran as ‘allowed’, ‘permitted’ or ‘lawful’. To be halal, certain activities must be done in accordance with a specific set of rules and guiding principles. This includes the prohibition on eating certain animals, including pork, intoxicants such as alcohol and blood or blood products. It also outlines methods of slaughtering animals that are to be eaten.

Already some of our nation’s most forward-thinking companies are successfully tapping into this market. Unsurprisingly, dairy is leading the way. Colostrum: the first milk produced by cows that have just calved, is the latest ‘super food’ to take the health conscious world by storm. And expert suppliers like Auckland-based NZX-listed New Image are ensuring that includes the Muslim world by making sure the animal handling and production of the colostrum and the gelatine capsules it comes in meet Halal standards. The company is currently exporting approximately NZ $30-40 million worth of colostrum per year to Halal-based markets and its products have been halal certified for more than five years.

Simon Yarrow, general manager, global sales and marketing, said the process of getting certification was not difficult, requiring only a few ingredients to be changed, and entry into halal markets in Malaysia and Indonesia was also simple once the paperwork was in place.

Meanwhile, BurgerFuel is also leveraging healthy eating and halal to make inroads into the Muslim market. The Auckland based firm is using its a range of halal menu options to fuel its growth in the Middle East. The firm has so far opened up stores in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and is primed for further expansion with further Master Licence agreements in place for Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain and Libya.

Alexis Lam, Marketing Manager, said: “Our beef in New Zealand has been Halal for quite some time now, so there wasn’t a need for us to reshape our whole supply line in order to make the new territories viable.”

The target market for BurgerFuel is the Middle East’s emerging younger, more affluent population, particularly in forward-thinking city locations like Dubai. To achieve and maintain its certification, the company works with its whole supply chain to ensure that all BurgerFuel suppliers go through the relevant procedures and signoff processes for their industry.

Lam said: “There seems to be a healthy respect for the Halal certification we have in New Zealand. It has opened up a whole new market for us as well as another revenue stream as we become an exporter of 100% pure New Zealand grass fed beef as well as the Master Franchisor. I think the Kiwi firms that have global outlook in terms of their business and brand have a great opportunity in the Halal market,” he said. “It’s about a willingness to get out there and talk to the people.”

At the same time the New Zealand Asia Institute, which is part of the University of Auckland Business School is urging NZ Inc. to look beyond food for halal opportunities and develop a keener sensitivity to the Muslim religious lifestyle as a whole, both here and abroad. This would provide big boosts to sectors like financial services, travel and tourism.

Business School Dean Professor Greg Whittred said: “It is important that halal is recognised as more than just a commodities-based economy but validated as a much larger and broader entity that includes lifestyle, culture and politics.”

And Fiona Acheson, Trade Commissioner, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, added: “Halal consumers are a growing market. About 27% of Asia is Muslim, but the Muslim population is forecast to grow at about twice the rate of the non-Muslim population in the next two decades and 60% are under 30 years of age. It’s this younger group that are starting to seek halal products and want to buy food products, not just meat, and even cosmetics and pharmaceutical products that are halal. The first step is to recognise halal as a consumer trend and respond to it as you would with other trends such as sustainability and organics. Understand what the market potential is for your product if it carried the halal brand.”

By Andy Kenworthy

WE INVITE ALL MUSLIMS TO HALAL WORLD FORUM 2012 FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD

After 8th and 9th. General Assembly Meeting of WHC in Istanbul/Turkey, 10th General Assembly Meeting of the World Halal Council (WHC) will be held on 23 & 24 November 2012 in Manila, Philippines.
We are pleased to inform you that the 10th General Assembly Meeting of the World Halal Council (WHC),the global federation of Halal Certifiers is scheduled for the first time in Manila, Philippines on 23 & 24 November2012 at the Shangri-la Hotel in Makati City, Philippines.
The Islamic Da’wah Council of the Philippines, Inc. (IDCP) is hosting this event, and, in addition, a 2-day Halal World Forum (HWF) 2012 for Halal manufacturers, suppliers, rdealers, academe and consumes is also being organized on 21 & 22 November 2012 in order to have a harmonious meeting and dialogue between the producers, consumers and certifiers around the world.
In connection with the 2-day Halal World Forum, we are pleased to extend our cordial invitation to you and your organization to participate in this meeting and business matching event.
The hotel venue is at the business center of Makati City, which is conveniently located for your business and pleasure during your stay in the Philippines.
Considering that we have limited the number of participants to only 500, the participant’s registration as well as hotel accommodation is on a “first come first serve “ basis in which IDCP will be happy to assist you.

ATTY. ABDUL RAHMAN R. T. LINZAG
President/CEO
Islamic Da’wah Council of the Philippines, Inc. (IDCP)
Member, Executive Committee – World Halal Council (WHC)

Organic Halal meat to hit shelves

By The Halal Journal Newsdesk (Source: The National) published 12 hours ago

Original Article Source: The National
By Caline Malek

Shoppers will be able to buy organic Halal meat in supermarkets within three months.

It will be available in Carrefour hypermarkets across the country and some independent butchers in Dubai. Organic Halal meat has been available only from hotels and restaurants.

OBE Organic, an Australian family business, plans to ship 500 kilograms of the meat each month, starting from the end of March. The company soon hopes to increase that to 1,300kg.

"Consumers in the UAE are learning about the benefits of a new organic lifestyle," said Dalene Wray, the company's regional manager in Asia and daughter of the chairman, David Brook.

"They understand that they have choices and can choose to make organic food a part of their daily diet."

Mr Brook heads a cooperative of Australian farmers with 25,000 head of cattle and more than 7 million hectares of grazing pasture - an area almost as big as the UAE.

The area is in the rich Channel Country, mostly in the north-east state of Queensland but spreading into the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales. The animals are slaughtered in a certified organic abattoir in Brisbane.

OBE's Halal certification has been approved by the Government.

"It is important that we provide the opportunity to consumers to have access to our clean, safe, Halal organic beef from Australia," said Ms Wray.

The company already exports meat to Kuwait, Egypt, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and North America.

"We will start with Carrefour in Dubai's Mall of the Emirates, Mirdif City Centre, and Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi," said Dariush Rakhshani, the manager of the meat's local distributor, Country Hill International.

"It will also be sold at some independent butchers' shops in Dubai, such as Prime Gourmet on Sheikh Zayed Road."

Organic food has grown in popularity in the UAE over the past few years.

"Overall, organic is a good way to go," said Stephanie Karl, a nutritionist at the Dubai London Clinic. "It's not always practical or available … organic food is a luxury but a great choice."

Allow More Bodies To Undertake Halal Certification, Says SMI Association

 (14 Nov 2011)  The appointment of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) as the sole halal certification body from Jan 1, 2012 will affect the food and manufacturing industry, says SMI Association of Malaysia.
Its national deputy president, Teh Kee Sin, said the government needed to look into the possibility of allowing more bodies to undertake the certification job.
"Currently, Malaysia has seven international halal certification bodies (including JAKIM). Next year, there would be only one and we are worried about this monopoly.
"At present, JAKIM already faced problems regarding the application and renewal of the licences. I guess this may even take a longer time (to solve)," he told a media briefing here today.
They hoped that the government would delay allowing JAKIM to take over the job on Jan 1 to sort out the problem via calling for more dialogues with the industry.
Also present were president of Malaysian Bakery, Biscuit, Confectionery and Mee Merchants' Association, Kent Lim and president of Malaysian Seafood Industries Association, Lee Teck Wee.
Meanwhile, president of Malaysian Foodstuffs and Toys Merchant's Association, David Yeow Kock Tiong, said JAKIM must standardise the issuance of the halal certificates in the states.
He said JAKIM's guidelines must be business-friendly and transparent.
"Halal industry is very important to the economy and the government should be more pro-business," he said.
Source: BERNAMA
Ref: http://www.daganghalal.com/HalalNews/HalalNewsDtl.aspx?id=1914

Plan to label ritually slaughtered meat angers religious groups

Consumers could be told whether the meat they buy comes from animals that have not been stunned before slaughter, following a move in the European parliament.

MEPs on the food safety committee voted on Tuesday to back amendments to a food labelling bill that would see the mandatory inclusion of labels stating “meat from slaughter without stunning” on relevant food products.

The proposals, which go before the European parliament in July, target meat slaughtered using ritual techniques like those employed by Jewish shechita and Muslim halal butchers.

Animals killed by the shechita technique are not stunned before having their throats cut and blood drained out. Halal meat is slaughtered using a similar technique, although research by the British Veterinary Association suggests 80% of halal meat is stunned before slaughter.

Religious groups have expressed anger at the proposals. A Jewish campaign group, Shechita UK, controversially claimed the measure was the “21st-century equivalent of the yellow star, but on our food”. “This amendment does nothing to improve animal welfare, fails to fully inform consumers and is clearly discriminatory by design,” said Henry Grunwald, spokesman for the group.

His comments were attacked by the British Humanist Association. “To compare the proper labelling of meat from religious slaughter methods with the Nazi requirement for all Jews to wear yellow Stars of David is grotesque and false,” said Naomi Phillips, its head of public affairs. “Giving consumers the information to make ethical choices about the meat they buy through labelling does not prevent Jews who wish to from buying kosher meat.”

Scottish Conservative MEP Struan Stevenson, who introduced the amendments to the bill, had originally suggested the labels should record whether meat was halal or shechita. But he opted for the “non-stunned” label after representations from religious groups.

Stevenson insisted his proposals were born from “animal welfare concerns, not by anything to do with religion“. Stevenson said: “A very significant quantity of meat finding its way onto our shelves and tables has been slaughtered by this method and we’re not aware of it. The public have a right to know.”

The UK government has signalled it opposes the proposals, which, to become law, also need to be endorsed by the council of ministers, the body comprised of representatives of governments drawn from each of the EU’s 27 member states.
Reference: http://halalfocus.net/2011/04/24/plan-to-label-ritually-slaughtered-meat-angers-religious-groups/

Most halal products lack official approval

Just over a third of all the halal products offered for sale in Indonesia actually have official halal certificates, according food and drug monitoring agencies.

Only 41,495 products — 36.73 percent of all products registered at the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) — had official halal certificates, according to the BPOM.

Lukmanul Hakim, the Indonesian Ulema Council’s (MUI) Food and Drug Analysis Agency chairman, said on Tuesday that there was lack of awareness among manufacturers about the need for halal certification.

Halal certification was needed to show that certain products could be safely consumed Muslims and to ensure that the products could be consumed by all people, regardless of religion, due to the healthy and nutritious ingredients and hygienic production process required for halal products, he said.

“Halal certification will assure that the products are safe both in terms of sharia and hygiene,” he said on the sidelines of a hearing with the House of Representatives’ Commission VIII overseeing religious affairs.

According to government regulations on food labeling and advertising, every manufacturer or importer of products to be circulated in the Indonesian market had to declare that their consumable goods were halal.

They were also responsible for affixing halal labels to their products.

A 1996 Health Ministry regulation stipulated that the MUI’s halal certification process would be based on an edict (fatwa) issued by the council’s commission on the use of product ingredients.

The regulation further stipulated that a agreement letter on the use of halal logos would be issued by the BPOM.

“By attaching a halal logo, a manufacturer ensures that the product is safe for Muslims,” Lukmanul said, adding that such certifications were needed since most Indonesians were Muslim.

In fact, many consumable goods circulating in the domestic market lack halal certificates.

The House of Representatives has been deliberating a bill on halal products that would make it mandatory for food and drugs offered for sale in Indonesia to bear a halal label.

The bill, however, has sparked controversy among manufacturers, who said it would be an additional burden on the national economy. The bill was also criticized as superfluous since existing laws regulating food and drugs were sufficient.

Lukmanul, whose organization and the BPOM have been authorized to issue halal certifications, said the bill would hopefully increase awareness on the importance of certification.

According to a BPOM market survey, 54.9 percent of all products with halal logos that it found offered for sale had not been officially certified halal.

“Not all products with halal logos have official halal certificates,” Lukmanul said, adding that most halal logos were counterfeit.

Lukmanul said the situation was worsening since people were unable to determine whether if the products they purchased were genuinely halal.

BPOM director Kustantinah said the agency had continuously monitored consumable goods safety by intensifying pre-and post-sale controls.

“We still find many products improperly using halal logos, however,” she said.

She said that 357 products of 843 products surveyed by the agency in 2010 improperly displayed halal logos, meaning that they actually had no halal certificates.

Lukmanul said that popular awareness of the importance of halal certifications for daily consumable goods had significantly increased.

Citing a recent report, he said 21,837 products were certified halal in 2010, a 100 percent increase from 2009. About 21 percent of the products certified as halal were imported from the US, the EU, Australia, New Zealand and China, among other countries.

“We have seen a sharp increase in interest among foreign manufacturers to obtain halal certificates for their products. This is part of their strategy to win our market,” he said.

He said Chinese manufacturers’ awareness of halal certifications had increased sharply, as evinced by China’s 21 percent share of halal-certified imported products.

“They may think that a halal certification will increase the competitiveness of their products in the Indonesian market,” he said.

In another hearing session on the bil at the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Indonesian Consumer Protection Foundation (YLKI) chairman Soedaryatmo questioned the government’s ability to make the certification obligatory, saying that it had turned blind eye to companies that have refused to comply with the policy.

“It would be better that the certification is voluntary,” he said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

He also said that the existing procedure also burdened micro and small companies as certification officials have asked fees to conduct surveillance on their products.

Courtesy by: The Jakarta Post