France: Miti, Jakim to discuss halal certification

PARIS: International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) will be speaking to the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) as part of its effort to assist foreign companies to obtain halal certification.

“The halal industry is very important to us. But representatives from the European Union (EU) and the United States that I met recently have raised issues with regard to getting halal certification in Malaysia,” Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed told Malaysian reporters here on Thursday.

“Miti will be having discussions with Jakim to assist these countries get halal certification,” he said, adding that different countries in the world had different halal certification standards.

Mustapa, who was leading a trade and investment mission to Europe, had a meeting on Thursday with the Secretary of State to the French Minister for Economy, Finance and Industry, Pierre Lellouche, who also raised the halal certification issue.

The mission delegation comprises representatives from the private sector as well as state governments, corridors development authorities, Miti, Malaysian Investment Development Authority and Malaysia External Trade Development Corp.

Later in the day, the Malaysian delegation engaged in a roundtable meeting with participants from over 30 French companies. Mustapa presented his case on the benefits of investing in Malaysia.