Halal slaughtering

The Gulf’s Halal governing body is failing to standardise the production of Halal meat despite a unified set of regulations, a leading Malaysian Halal standards expert has told Arabian Business. Halal certifiers are also unlikely to ever agree on a global Halal standard, Darhim Dali Hashim, CEO of the International Halal Integrity Alliance (IHIA), said. Hashim said: “The GSO (GCC Standardization Organization) covers all six [Gulf States] but that’s only in theory. In practice they do vary even within the emirates. Even from Dubai to Sharjah there may be some issues.” The global Halal food sector is worth an estimated $560bn and Halal food now accounts for 16 percent of the world food trade market. The GCC consumed $43.8bn worth of Halal products in 2009, according to the Halal Journal. Despite the sector’s rapid growth there still remains a huge disconnect between certifiers. The biggest differences involve the stunning of animals prior to slaughter, mechanical slaughter and the use of gelatine. The IHIA is working on behalf of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce & Industry to create a framework for an international Halal standard. Turkey is also working on a similar set of regulations. Hashim said a global Halal standard is unlikely. “There are a lot of things going on parallel. There’s some at regional level,” he said. He added: “I would say the Gulf has achieved it to some extent but again there are hiccups in terms of the implementation.” He continued: “The initiatives are there to try and harmonise it. There may be a stage where there will be three standards based on the trading blocs. We may have a MENA standard, ASEAN (South East Asian Nations Standard) and maybe Central Asia, Turkey."