Halal World Expo opens in Abu Dhabi

Dr. Mariam Hareb Sultan Al Yousuf, Executive
Director of Policy and Regulation Sector, the Abu Dhabi Food Control
Authority, officially inaugurated Halal World Expo, the comprehensive
exhibition bringing together major players in the $2.1 trillion Halal
industry.

Organised by IIR Middle East and taking place at the Abu Dhabi National
Exhibition Centre, the three-day event is pertinent to all buyers and
suppliers interested in expanding their businesses in the world’s
fastest growing industry sector, which already reaches 1.8 billion
consumers worldwide.

Halal World Expo features Shari’ah compliant lifestyle products,
including fashion, hospitality management, publishing, cosmetics and
pharmaceuticals.

The exhibition also gives a strong focus to Islamic finance,
currently worth between $200 and $500bn annually and showing notable
resilience in the face of the recent global downturn.

‘We are very pleased to have welcomed so many visitors to the first
day of the event,’ said Christine Weaver, Exhibition Director for Halal
World Expo.

‘We have been able to provide a broadly ranging and diverse Halal
experience for business professionals and consumers who can meet
multinational giants and smaller regional producers under one roof.’

The second edition of Halal World Expo 2008 features over 50
exhibitors from countries across the globe, including Brunei, Kuwait,
Malawi, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Palestine, Philippines, Turkey, UAE,
the UK, the USA and Serbia.

This year’s event has attracted both regional exhibitors and
industry leaders like Nestlé, the food and healthcare multinational.

Added Weaver: ‘It is important to bring together businesses in this
worldwide industry to establish relationships which are relevant both
from a regional and global perspective. That we have major players like
Nestlé at the exhibition demonstrates the importance that industry
leaders see in the production of Halal products.’

Nestlé’s Corporate Regulatory and Scientific Affairs Manager, Dr
Hassan Bayrakdar said: ‘This really is an unmissable opportunity for us
to demonstrate that all Nestlé products existing in the Middle East
market are Halal. Seventy-five Nestlé plants around the world are now
Shari’ah compliant which reflects our commitment to Halal living.’

Running alongside the exhibition is the Halal World Expo Forum,
bringing together experts from a broad spectrum of industries to
address key issues and provide specific practical solutions for
sustainable growth and development across the many fields of this
diverse industry.

The first day of the exhibition provided visitors with an informative session on

UAE
rules and regulations for Halal accreditation abroad, led by Dr.
Abdulla S. Ruwaida, Public Health and Environment Consultant for the

UAE General Secretariat of Municipalities.

Later in the day there was a discussion on Halal control measures in
Bahrain, as well as a crucial platform for discussing possible global
Halal certification led by Darhim Bin Hashim, CEO of the International
Halal Integrity Alliance Ltd. Islamic finance took centre-stage in the
afternoon forum, with well-attended presentations by NBD Capital and
the GISBA Group.

The exhibition is an annual landmark event opening the gateway for the Middle East market to the international Halal industry.