KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 23 (Bernama) — The Fourth World Halal
Forum, to be held in May, will see the International Halal Integrity
(IHI) Alliance tabling the draft International Halal Standards for
public comment.
IHI Alliance chairman Datuk Seri Sheikh Saleh Abdullah Kamel said
the draft would be endorsed first at the Organisation of the Islamic
Conference (OIC) Standards Committee meeting in April.
“The standards are a tangible initiative to be developed by the
OIC and it will have a lasting impact on the trade of halal goods and
services in the future,” he said.
The Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry and IHI Alliance are jointly hosting the forum.
Sheikh Saleh said all OIC countries need to approve the standards
to be followed by every Islamic country and the people involved in the
halal business.
“IHI Alliance will then start to appoint special representatives
in each OIC country and non-OIC countries to make sure all products are
IHI Alliance halal certified.”
The progress will be monitored after the WHF announced the standard, he said.
The draft will also need to be endorsed by about 700 members of
ICCI at its General Assembly in Egypt to be held before May, said
Sheikh Saleh who is also the chamber president.
The standards will be used to unify a fragmented Global Halal
Industry and help ensure integrity throughout the halal value chain.
At the close of last year’s forum, a resolution was passed for the
IHI Alliance to develop and present the International Halal Standards.
Among topics to be covered in the Halal Standard stream are
Logistics, Food Services Laboratory Testing and Analysis, Animal Feeds
and Inputs, Animal Welfare and Handling, Animal Slaughter and
Processing, Non-Meat Processed Foods, Cosmetics and Toiletries,
Pharmaceuticals Finance.
The main stream will focus on issues affecting the Global Halal Industry.
This year’s WHF is the best platform for market leaders, industry
experts, academicians and scholars to gather and shape the future of
the halal industry.
Halal food business alone is currently worth RM580 billion while
the total halal industry is worth about more than RM1 trillion.
— BERNAMA