(May 18, 2011 – Chicago, IL…) The Chicago-based Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA®) will introduce the world’s first Halal Foodservice Kit at the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show, from May 21st to 24th in Chicago, Illinois.
The Halal Foodservice Kit is designed to assist foodservice professionals better serve consumers following halal dietary guidelines – whether hospital patients or college students. American-Muslims, 8 to 9 million, make up the majority of American halal consumers. With an estimated consumer spending power of US $170 billion, they spend approximately US $20 billion on food alone. Increasingly, many hospitals and colleges are recognizing the need to diversify their menus.
“Hospitals, college campus dining services, and restaurants are actively seeking to meet the halal dietary needs for American Muslims,” says Dr. Muhammad Munir Chaudry, President of IFANCA. “IFANCA recognizes that a free Halal Foodservice Kit is an absolute essential for foodservice professionals looking to tap into this rapidly food market.”
The Kit is a collaboration between IFANCA, Med-Diet, and other food and nutrition professional groups. “Halal has grown into an essential part of the foodservice industry – you need it everywhere,” says Don Tymchuck, President of Med-Diet/Foodservice Express. Recognizing this need earlier, Med-Diet launched a new division called Halal Healthy, to help American-Muslim college students receive halal care packages from home.
The Kit is targeted to the needs of food directors of hospitals and college cafeterias, chefs, dietitians, food buyers, and restaurant and hotel foodservice professionals. It contains five documents:
Halal Nutrition Guide
What kinds of foods can you include in halal meal plans? What types of foods should you avoid? The Halal Nutrition Guide will inform you of correct food types and preparation information. It also provides substitution ideas if those foods are not in easy reach.
Halal Kitchen In-Service Guide
Do you want to create halal meals in your mainstream kitchens but are afraid of making mistakes? The Halal Kitchen In-Service Guide is the answer to your dilemma. The guide comes in the form of an in-depth presentation that can be used to learn, as well as teach others working in kitchen foodservice. Kitchen guidelines include easy changes which are both practical and cost-effective.
Halal Ready-To-Eat (RTEs) Foodservice Distributor Guide
Today, nearly all major foodservice distribution systems have halal ready-to-eat meals present in their supply chain. Targeted for the busy hospital foodservice director searching for meals for the overnight halal patient, the Halal Ready-To-Eat Foodservice Distributor Guide provides instant contact information on these foodservice distribution systems carrying halal RTEs. Website links to web pages listing the distributors’ wide ranging variety of halal meals is also included.
Halal Food Buyer Guide
IFANCA currently certifies more than 2,500 companies that make halal products. Due to the large demand of global halal products, there is halal-certified version of every ingredient, flavor, and food product in the food industry. To help food buyers looking for these halal products, IFANCA has listed companies that actively sell halal food products useful to the restaurant and hospitality industry. Food categories range from cheeses to beverage syrups.
Halal Food Options in US Higher Education Campus Cafeterias – An IFANCA White Paper
Don’t have an immediate halal customer to serve but looking to serve new profit avenues? IFANCA conducted a nation-wide study over 135 major US colleges and universities to evaluate campus halal food options. Nearly 77% of campus cafeterias still do not provide halal meal options for students, even though 85% of all educational institutes surveyed had at least 50 students with halal dietary needs. More than 56% survey takers estimated having more than 100 students on campus.
IFANCA designed the Kit’s content based on the foodservice industry’s feedback from the 2010 NRA Show at IFANCA’s booth. Valuable insight was also gained during the NRA Show’s first halal education session, Reach Over 9 Million Muslim-Americans Searching for Halal Meals. The session was designed to raise awareness in the American hospitality industry as to how it can better serve halal consumers.
The National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry. Every year the association organizes a tradeshow for 960,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of nearly 13 million employees.
IFANCA is exhibiting the Halal Foodservice Kit, along with its other halal educational services, during the NRA Show. Its Food Technology team, at Booth #1077, will be present to give free consultations on halal certification, halal ingredients, and how-to-manuals for creating halal foodservice in mainstream kitchens. The Kit is free of charge; and can also be downloaded from IFANCA and Med-Diet websites.
IFANCA:
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA®) is one of the world’s leading and well-respected not-for-profit halal certification organizations. Featured in various media such as The Wall Street Journal, Prepared Foods, CNBC and CNN, IFANCA has been promoting halal since 1982. IFANCA was recognized in the “Best Halal Related Service Provider Award” by the Halal Journal at World Halal Forum 2007. IFANCA certified halal products are recognized by Indonesia (MUI), Malaysia (JAKIM), Singapore (MUIS), United Arab Emirates (GSM), and are sold in nearly every country of the world. IFANCA’s halal certification expertise covers all food industry categories.
For more information about IFANCA, visit www.ifanca.org.
Contact: Maria Omar
+1-773-283-3708
m.omar@ifanca.org
