UK: New Modern Halal Certification Scheme Launches

Cert ID Europe, the leading certification business has joined forces with the Hijaz Group to form the Halal Authority Board (HAB) www.haboard.com, which will offer a new worldwide benchmark for Halal certification for the food industry.

The new HAB certification scheme is a realistic and practical programme designed to combine the requirements of the 1500 year old Halal belief with modern food processing requirements. To date there have been a number of different standards available causing confusion among Muslim consumers about the food they purchase. It is hoped that a worldwide uniform standard will make the process more streamlined for food businesses and clearer for consumers.

HAB’s product certification has the backing of 950 of the UK’s 1400 Mosques making it the most representative and influential Halal Certification Body with Muslim consumers in the UK and overseas.  Halal Authority Board has a Shariah Board comprising 13 of the UK’s best known and respected Islamic Scholars who represent a wide cross section of the Muslim Community.
Jerry Houseago, Business Development Director at Cert ID Europe, which has many years’ experience of auditing to Halal Standards said:

“Finding a Halal certification scheme that is a realistic and practical benchmark has proved challenging to auditors, standard owners and food manufacturers alike. We believe that the new HAB Worldwide Halal Standard is a workable Shariah compliant standard which will make it significantly easier for the global food industry to reach Halal certification. Halal Authority Board’s connection with Muslim consumers adds value to the certification scheme too and provides the element that has been missing from other certification programmes”.

Shaykh Siddiqi, Founder of the Hijaz Group said: “It was essential to create a worldwide Halal standard to gain the confidence of the Muslim communities both in the UK and worldwide.

“This new proposition offers businesses the opportunity to capitalise on the Halal market via a consistent quality standard which will allow the highest quality Halal products, which are also competitively priced, to Muslim consumers.”

For more information Contact on HAB www.haboard.com

About HAB

The Halal Authority Board (HAB) is a Halal Standards organisation which regulates the production of Halal products in accordance with Islamic law, from the rearing of livestock and the production of drinks, right through to serving the customer in the retail sector.
The Halal sector has failed to fulfil its maximum potential due to the lack of a uniform standard applicable to Halal production in all countries around the world. This is problematic, particularly for the 1.6 billion Muslim consumers who are becoming increasingly more conscious of their religion in a globalised world.
HAB has produced a transparent all-encompassing Worldwide Halal Standard and a full integrated Certification process with leading experts in Islamic law and Halal meat production industry. It brings together different Halal Standards from around the world, giving full assurance to the Muslim consumer that the products are Halal, wherever he is in the world.
Our auditing is undertaken by a third party organisations, such as Cert ID, to ensure that all inspections are independent, fair and fully transparent. Inspectors receive comprehensive training in all aspects of Halal production, including the principles of Halal, legal and technical aspects and the importance and methods of cleanliness and purification.

The Worldwide Standard

The Halal Authority Board’s Worldwide Standard is a comprehensive set of guidelines for the production of Halal meat, food and drink. The Standard sets out guidelines on all aspects of production to ensure the Halal integrity of products, including  food health and safety regulations, storage, delivery and cleaning and cleansing which takes into account scientific developments to prevent contamination from pork and other unacceptable derivatives.
Currently, there are five modules which cover:

Primary Production of Livestock;
Primary Processing of Livestock, which includes guidelines on cleaning and cleansing; slaughter of livestock and packaging and labelling.
Further Processing;
Logistics;
Food Service, which covers preparation of Halal food for the consumer.
The Standard has been developed in conjunction with other Halal Standards and is therefore applicable to meat production all around the world. Overtime, the Standard will develop and evolve in order to take into account any changes and new advances in technology.

Article 2 – FoodNavigator.com

Global halal certification scheme aims to end ‘confusion’ across market

A new collaborative global halal certification scheme is set to streamline the ‘confusing’ industry area and provide a realistic, clear benchmark for food producers to work and adhere to.

http://www.foodnavigator.com/Financial-Industry/Global-halal-certification-scheme-aims-to-end-confusion-across-market