The Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA®) spoke at the Third Gulf Conference on the Halal Industry and Services in Kuwait that took place from May 13 to 15, 2014. Kuwait’s Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and the Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research (KISR) organised this conference.
The theme of this year’s conference was called “Developments in the Halal Industry” and was designed to allow a wide range of scholars, thinkers and halal industry experts to review recent industry changes. The conference also examined halal-related affairs from an Islamic legal and health perspective, such as the impact of nanotechnology on halal food authentication and innovations in food packaging materials.
Dr. Muhammad Munir Chaudry, IFANCA’s President, joined the Consultants Panel of the Seminar titled “Investment in the Halal Industry as One of the Means of Guaranteeing the Integration of the Halal Process” on May 15. “It is very encouraging to see Kuwait’s Gulf Conference in its third year,” says Dr. Chaudry. Dr. Chaudry talked about the feasibility of appointing international halal certification bodies to manage halal affairs in Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC). “International halal compliance systems are still in the nascent stage of development but I am optimistic that the momentum from this conference and the enthusiasm of the authorities will enable us to synthesize our global halal systems much faster,” added Dr. Chaudry.
One of the main goals of the Third Gulf Conference on the Halal Industry and Services is to work towards an integrated system for halal and overcome the gaps in halal product certification processes. The conference agenda touches on a wide range of industries besides food and beverage; they also feature sessions on cosmetics, medicine, and the feed industry.
