_2608.JPG)
KUALA LUMPUR, April 4 — The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia’s (Jakim) halal certification continues to be highly demanded and recognised internationally.
Jakim Halal Hub Director, Datuk Sirajuddin Suhaimee, said the demand for Malaysia’s halal products certified by body was very high and was on an increasing trend of at least 5 per cent year-on-year.
“This reflects global recognition and acceptance towards Malaysian Halal Standard.
“Besides, we also see increasing demand from other halal certification bodies seeking Jakim certification and recognition,” he told Bernama on the sidelines of a panel session titled “Securing Your Business in China” in conjunction with the Malaysia International Halal Showcase 2018 (MIHAS 2018)
Sirajuddin said to-date Jakim had recognised 69 different halal certification bodies across 42 countries and noted the applications for such certification continued to increase and awaiting audit and compliance requirements.
He said one of the reasons for the high demand for Malaysia’s halal certification was due to its recognition to access the Middle East market particularly, citing the case of Australian beef which would only be allowed into these counties only if it has the Malaysian halal certification.
Alongside Middle East countries, Jakim’s halal certification was also well recognised by most Muslim countries, as well as Japan, Europe and the US, he said.
Jakim was the first halal certification body in the world, he said, adding to date the country has 15 standards related to halal and seven standards for certification per se.
The standards included those related to food and beverages (F&B), cosmetics, pharmaceutical, logistics and consumer goods, and by June this year, Jakim was expected to introduce a new standard for medical devices and with some fast consumer goods standards in the pipeline, Sirajuddin said.
“The most popular and highly used were for F&B, comprising about 74 per cent of the total for the reason that normally when people talk about halal, it always refers to F&B. This is followed by cosmetics and pharmaceuticals,” he added.
On the China market, he said China had huge supply of F&B products which could support global needs.
There has been increasing awareness on the need for halal certification by manufacturers, therefore, Jakim has taken the approach to benefit from the existing Chinese food industries to help other countries, particularly Malaysia, to get supply of halal-certified products from the republic.
China had a high potential to be a strategic partner to help Malaysia get a continuous supply of food products, he said.
In the past two years, Jakim had taken various initiatives to heighten the awareness of halal concept in China by making roadshows and setting up training centres in many provinces to disseminate information and develop understanding of the halal industry, he added. — Bernama
