06
Foreign News
@Halal | may-june. 2020
Imaan
at a price
One cannot ignore the reality of unscrupulous operators
HIA participates
in Gulfood 2020
in Dubai
The Halal International Authority (HIA)
has participated in the largest annual food,
beverage and hospitality industry Fair in the
Middle East, GULFOOD, in Dubai on Feb 16-20.
HIA president, Dr Mohamed Elkafrawy,
met with representatives of the Emirates
Standard and Metrology Authority (ESMA),
who gave president the certificate of renewal
of HIA’s registration as a Halal Certification
Body accredited by the Gulf Accreditation
Centres (GAC) and recognised by ESMA for the
Halal certification of products and services to
be exported to United Arab Emirates (UAE).
At the big fair, among the primary
exhibitors in the Pavilion Italia were leading
companies certified Halal by HIA such
as Ambrosi, Laped, CaseificioAlbiero, IGOR,
Acetificio M. De Nigris, Sorì Italia and Menz
& Gasser.
It was an important meeting between
the world players in the sector that favoured
unrivalled opportunities for the development
of international Halal business to Italian
brands.
Halal certifications
for healthy eating
Have you ever wondered why most Muslim and
non-Muslim countries are constantly seeking Halal
certification on food products?
The consumer nowadays tries to follow a regular and
correct diet for physical and moral well-being.
In response to this need, the goal of the Halal certification
body Halal International Authority (HIA) is
to bring healthy, ethical and sustainable food to the
consumer's table.
The products we consume every day condition our
physical health and our mind as the title of Feuerbach’s
famous work “Man is what he eats" says, so the consumer
is constantly looking for Halal certified products
that guarantee and protect food from pollution that
December is the world’s great vacation and
travel time, the season of the “thirteenth
cheque“, bonuses and exchanging of gifts.
From local short hops to holiday resorts
through intercontinental travel, pilgrimages
or exploring exotic destinations, people are
on the move fuelling rampant consumer spending. The
airline, hospitality, retail, restaurant and food service
industries along with others vie for this lucrative
market.
It is during these heady times when travellers far
from their creature comforts of home encounter difficulties.
Thirsty, hungry and fatigued, travellers can
inadvertently succumb by allowing their guard to
slip with compromises of faith which they ordinarily
would not accept. This is the time when we would eat
a margherita/vegetable pizza at a non Halal pizzeria,
eat grilled prawns/seafood at a non Halal restaurant
which may even be using wine in fish marinade or glibly
accepting the assurance of the waiter who claims that
our chickens are Halal although pork is prepared in the
same kitchen etc.
Into this medley, one cannot ignore the reality of
the unscrupulous operators who wish to capitalise
on the season’s bounties through any means possible,
questionable or fraudulent. In the last two weeks we
have witnessed two establishments misrepresenting
themselves as being certified Halaal by SANHA.
Different standards apply in different countries.
While locals in some places may find it acceptable
to partake of meals in restaurants that serve alcohol
and some of these restaurants could even hold a Halal
certificate of some unscrupulous local body, remember
that this is taboo in terms of the Shari’ah. Do not take
anything for granted and never compromise on the
important aspect of Imaan.
The golden rule is ask, and ask again, but if in doubt,
leave it out.
As an analogy one would never make the important
purchase of a home or motor vehicle without seeking
advice, undertaking proper research and securing guarantees
to minimise your risks since you will be investing
a large chunk of your hard-earned wealth and savings
for the acquisition.
Extras at the vendors’ premises such as provision
of ablution and salaah facilities, a purdah section,
adorning of the walls with Islamic calligraphy and the
salesperson adorning Islamic attire while commendable
are not the sole factors in influencing your decision
to undertake the purchase. They are complementary
factors that are subservient to the value and assurance
propositions.
When such vigilance is exercised on a material item
of this temporal abode, then how much more caution
needs to be maintained in upholding our Imaan for
salvation into the eternal Hereafter that one spends a
lifetime striving for?
No Compromise – Imaan Is Priceless.
often leads to a diet that is harmful to our health.”
Halal-certified products are controlled according to
the standards in accordance with the dictates of the
Islamic Shariah doctrine according to international
Halal standards.
Shortfall in income due to Olympics postponement
Countries exporting halal could suffer a shortfall
of around $3 billion due to the postponement of the
Tokyo Olympics due to the COVID-19, with Malaysia
taking a $200 million hit.
The July-to-August spectacle had taken centrestage
amid efforts to promote halal certification
in Japan and encourage Malaysian exporters to
open up a market of over 125 million, mostly
non-Muslims.
Malaysia had organised roadshows and seminars
to tempt halal food, cosmetics and fashion manufacturers
to start opening up export channels to Japan.
At the same time, the country has seen a surge of halal
certification bodies. Malaysian certifier JAKIM currently
recognises seven of these, while a number of
others are accredited by other bodies.
According to rudimentary calculations based on
visitor numbers and average spend, the global halal
industry will see an overall loss in expected income
of $3 billion from Japan this year, mainly on the back
of tourists now not attending the Games.
Relative to an anticipated 25 per cent growth in
halal exports to Japan this year, to $800 million,
Malaysia stands to be forced to put this $200 million
in additional trade on ice until next year.
Though the figures at this stage are just estimates,
they tend to ring true, according to one of the leading
figures in the effort to open up Japan to Malaysian
halal exporters.
“That could be a reasonable number, as long as
these companies would have been using the right
strategy,” Yokoyama Shinya, co-founder of Tokyobased
Food Diversity, told Salaam Gateway.
For the last two years ahead of the Olympics,
Yokoyama has been advising Malaysian companies
that have shown an interest in the Japanese market
how to do business there. He has worked alongside
HDC to promote halal in Japan across a number of
workshops and seminars in Malaysia.
“The whole halal community was disappointed
to hear that the Olympic and Paralympic Games are
not going to be held. But luckily, they are only being
postponed,” he added.
Companies should take this time in lockdown to
build robust strategies in time for the coronavirus
pandemic to die down and export markets to reemerge,
if only they can stay liquid for that time.
The delay will also give more time to companies
that had planned to start exporting to Japan ahead of
the Olympics but were still not ready to do so by the
time the Games announcement was made.