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MALAYSIA: F&N to explore opportunities in Halal industry
Fraser & Neave Holdings Bhd (F&N) will explore more opportunities in the Halal industry in order to expand its business, says chief executive officer Datuk Ng Jui Sia. "We will feel the impact of the Coca-Cola company stepping out, but it doesn't mean that we must stay at our current level. "We must transform ourselves, we should explore other opportunities by using our Halal status," he told reporters at the company's annual general meeting here Friday. The beverages group's contract with Coca-Cola expired in September last year.
MALAYSIA: Malaysia ranked top Halal-friendly holiday destination amongst 10 OIC countries
Malaysia is ranked as the top Halal Friendly Holiday Destination for 2012 among 10 member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Crescentrating.com, a travel portal for Halal-conscious Muslim travellers, said that Malaysia was placed on the top spot because it has much to offer to Muslim travellers. Second was Egypt, followed by Turkey, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, Brunei and Qatar, according to the survey conducted by the portal. Crescentrating.com said that the rankings were compiled based on the facilities and services provided by those countries to Muslim visitors, such as Halal food, Halal-certified restaurants, availability of mosques and family-friendly attractions. The portal also conducted a survey of Halal Friendly Holiday Destinations in non-OIC countries for 2012.
BRUNEI: Use of RFID to track Halal food products
The Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) in collaboration with the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) will soon implement a pilot project on tracking Halal food products through the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology following the signing of an agreement on 11 January 2012. The agreement was signed by AITI with a local IT company, John Harith Technology Sdn Bhd for the supply, development, delivery, installation, commissioning and to provide training and maintenance for Brunei-made RFID Halal Food Traceability System where the use of the technology will be piloted to the Religious Affairs ministry, an AITI press release stated. Under this pilot project, the RFID traceability system will be developed by John Harith Technology Sdn Bhd to authenticate and track the Halal status for food products where the initial focus will be on detection of chicken and raw meat produced by the local abattoir. The authentic Halal logo issued by the relevant authority will be validated using RFID tag embedded into the meat packages, the statement added.
THAILAND: Southern businesses push for Halal industrial estate
Business entrepreneurs and the Thai Chamber of Commerce in the South are looking to establish a Halal industrial estate in Pattani province in hopes of turning the region into a hub of Halal food. Local entrepreneurs from the five southern border provinces have discussed the preparations to establish the Halal industrial estate with representatives from the Thai Chamber of Commerce as well as the National Economic and Social Development Board. They concluded that business owners should be given support in terms of investment loan acquisition, especially under the Islamic system, as well as land development and utilisation, logistics and various business aspects.
PHILIPPINES: Guidelines for Halal certification issued
In a bid to further develop the Halal industry in the country, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) yesterday published the criteria and guidelines for the accreditation of Halal certification entities. NCMF Resolution No. 46, signed on 19 December and published Tuesday, lists the finalised qualification criteria for accreditation of Halal certification entities/bodies. The criteria was formulated by the Philippine Halal Development and Accreditation Board after various consultations with concerned stakeholders and submitted for approval to the NCMF for its imprimatur. It covers both local and foreign bodies/entities that seek to certify Philippine food and non-food products as Halal for commercial purposes.
MALAYSIA: Fahim to develop Halal Integrity Management System in Ningxia Muslim Region
Fahim Technologies Sdn Bhd, a Malaysian company, is expanding its Halal integrity management solution service to Ningxia, north-west China's Muslim autonomous region. Executive Chairman Datuk Ibrahim Ahmad Badawi, of Ibrahim Holdings Bhd, the parent company of Fahim Technologies, said Fahim worked together with the Ningxia provincial government to develop Ningxia as the first hub for its Halal integrity management solution in China via a joint-venture company, Ningxia Fahim International Halal Industry Co Ltd. He said the Chinese authorities need to address the people's misperception about food products safety in China, while China's central government thinks that Ningxia should take the lead in the Halal industry. The Halal integrity management solution could help build up credibility and confidence in safety and quality of food products in China, he said.
INDIA: Kashmir ideally suited for Saudi tourists
A high-level delegation of tourism and culture ministers, government officials, bureaucrats, airline operators and tourism experts from different states of India is currently visiting the Kingdom to familiarise Saudis with all that “Incredible India” has to offer. Among the biggest contingents is from Jammu and Kashmir, a state that is rated as one of the best tourism destinations in India. The state delegation is being headed by Tourism and Culture Minister Nawang Rigzin Jora, and it includes Minister of State for Home, Tourism and Housing Nasir Aslam Wani, Tourism Commissioner Atal Dulloo, J&K Tourism Development Corp. Managing Director Satish Nehru and Kashmir Tourism Director Farooq Shah. “Kashmir is without a doubt a paradise on earth and we believe that it is the natural crown of Incredible India,” said Shah. “Like a multifaceted diamond, Kashmir changes its hues with the seasons, and its honey-dewed orchards, rippling lakes and blue skies have a magical impact on tourists.” For the average Saudi tourist, Kashmir has a lot to offer...
INDONESIA: The Halal beauty debate is more than skin deep
Heggy Kearens was totally determined when she posted a status update on her Facebook wall questioning the motivations of some of her more pious friends. They had recently joined a multi-level marketing scheme to sell a popular Swedish cosmetics brand distributed here. According to Heggy, two issues bothered her: First, there is the fact that the brand has no Halal label on its products; second, she believes the whole concept of multi-level marketing is still a “grey zone” in terms of Islam because it allows one to profit from the labour of others. So, the 25-year-old graduate student steamed ahead with her Facebook campaign. She wrote on her status message: “I am questioning the Halal status of [the brand]. I know many of my friends are selling these products but according to twitter account @Halalcorner, these products are not Halal. My dear friends, please be careful, for the Halal status, we can check them through Halalmui.org.” After that, she was barraged with comments from her friends, some of whom supported her concerns, while others disagreed. Some of the blowback came in the form of what she called “unpleasant” e-mails...
INDONESIA: Jakarta to be world’s Halal food centre
Jakarta will be a centre of the world’s Halal food as headquarter of the World Halal Food Council (WHFC) will be officially opened on 16 January 2012. "The office, located in the MUI (Indonesian Ulema Council) Building, Central Jakarta, will be inaugurated concurrently with the opening ceremony of the WHFC annual meeting,” said the Director of MUI Food and Drug Analysis Agency (LPPOM), Lukmanul Hakim. Indonesia as a world`s Halal food centre is supported by some international Halal certification agencies such as those in United States of America, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Australia, Taiwan and Singapore. Last year, Coordinating Minister of Economy, Hatta Rajasa, has signed the declaration that established Jakarta as the head office of the World Halal Food Council.