We have just noticed, slightly to our own surprise, that it is effectively a year since we launched the first Pilot issue of The Halal Journal at MIHAS 2004. In that issue we coined – for the first time, to our knowledge – the term ‘global Halal market’. Last week we read the same phrase in a newspaper on the other side of the world. When that happens, you know that you are on to something.

Looking Back

In the last twelve months, we have had the sense of watching the Halal market, like a sleeping giant, waking from deep slumber, remembering who and where he is, flexing this muscles and acquiring a dawning sense of self-awareness. This is a market finally becoming conscious of itself and its possibilities.

It has been a year of wide-ranging research, talking to government ministries, NGOs, certification bodies, banks, food manufacturers, farmers, importers, exporters, event organizers, restaurateurs, airlines, cold storage companies, logistics providers, multinationals and one-man shows…and of course that engine of it all, the great general public.

We have travelled to the UK, the UAE, France, Turkey, Thailand, Canada and New Zealand; attended trade shows, workshops and conferences and met thousands of people. Everywhere we went, we spoke and asked about the Halal market and handed out The Halal Journal.

Almost without exception, we have been met with interest, enthusiasm and passion for this subject. Discussion of the Halal market seems to bring out a sense or purpose and commitment; there is the tangible taste of opportunity in the air. And it reaches into every corner of the world.

With The Halal Journal now going out (via newsstands, subscriptions and through Matrade offices) into around 35 countries, and www.halaljournal.com earning a reputation as the de fecto gathering place for Halal market news, we can feel that we are starting to make a mark.

Looking Forward

The future looks interesting, to put it mildly. The issue of Halal is developing both in breadth and depth. As the market strengthens, so the scope of the Halal audit expands, taking in more of the stages ‘from the farm to the fork’. With the European supermarket chains beginning to get into the picture, the long-term view promises an increased focus on the entire Halal supply chain – not just the slaughtering process.

In the not-too-distant future, every step of the supply-chain will need to be visibly Halal, opening up new possibilities within the logistics industry. PTP’s move to create the world’s first Halal Free Zone at their port in Tanjung Pelepas is surely in line with the future of the Halal logistics industry. We hear that one of the smaller Emirates of the UAE is considering a similar move.

However, by far the most common theme –and one of the most hotly debated – is the issue of Global Standards. All sectors of the market, from inter-governmental agencies down to the smallest trader or producer, everyone is recognizing the need for a unified standard for Halal.

This not only  leaves the audit and certification process open to misunderstanding at best and abuse at worse, it causes unwanted and unnecessary disruptions in the market.

Halal over here is suddenly not the same as Halal over there. Supply-chains break, artificial raw material shortages appear, the market loses momentum and tempers fray. It does not need to be this way.

Raising the Standard

There is, fortunately, a ray of light on the horizon. The Malaysian Halal Standard, MS1500:2004, which was launched at MIHAS 2004 in August 2004, is finally making its presence felt. Developed by the Department of Standards Malaysia, this standard has been created according to ISO methodologies, and is, effectively, already a world-class standard. It is now the standard used by the Department of Islamic Development of Malaysia (the body in charge of Halal certification) for all domestic Halal certification auditing, and it has been earmarked by the Government for use internationally.

At the recent OIC Trade Forum in Putrajaya on June 20-21, it was proposed that MS1500 be accepted and endorsed by the OIC for use by all member nations. Both JAKIM and the Department of Standards have confirmed that the next step is for MS1500 to be submitted for scrutiny by the OIC Fiqh Academy, hopefully by July 2005.

If accepted, the Malaysian Halal Standard can be adopted by all OIC countries, making it, in one step, a Halal standard that can be used globally both by Muslim and non-Muslim countries, both producers and consumers.

As the Halal food producers – globally – are predominantly non-Muslim, the onus to set the standard clearly falls to the Muslims.

I have been asked, more than once by sympathetic and interested non-Muslims, how it can be that after 1,400 years, we are still unable to have a standard definition for Halal for everyone to use. From their side, I was assured, they are more than happy to conform to it; they just want to be told how to do it.

So now we stand at the brink of a great opportunity, we have a world-class standard ready for use; it just needs common agreement and some common sense.

We sincerely hope that we will not end up attempting to re-invent the wheel.

**This article was first published in The Halal Journal Jul/Aug 2005 edition, and was written by Hajj Abdalhamid Evans.