Trends
EU & USA forms partnership on organic farming
EU Commissioner of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dacian Cioloş, and Agriculture Deputy Secretary, Kathleen Merrigan, announced at the BioFach World Organic Fair in Nuremberg, Germany that the United States and the European Union formed a partnership that will recognize the two organic programmes as equivalent and allow access to each other's markets.
USA: Is there an optimal degree of sustainability?
In a recent paper – The Impact of a Corporate Culture of Sustainability on Corporate Behaviour and Performance – Harvard Business School reported on a study of a matched sample, two virtually identical sets of firms in terms of size, financial performance and growth prospects, of 180 US companies over the period from the beginning of 1993 to the end of 2010. 90 of these companies were classified as High Sustainability firms because long ago they adopted corporate policies regarding commitments to enhance environmental and social performance, while the other 90 were classified as Low Sustainability firms because they had not. The Low Sustainability firms correspond to the traditional model of profit maximisation in which social and environmental issues are predominantly regarded as “externalities” created by the firm’s actions.
TAIWAN: Tourism Bureau seeks to attract more Muslim tourists
The Tourism Bureau yesterday said it aimed to have 50 restaurants certified as Muslim-friendly as it looks at options to further tap into the Muslim tourist market. Eric Lin (林坤源), director of the bureau’s international travel division, said Muslim tourists visiting Taiwan mainly come from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and northwest China. The bureau hopes to see 10 percent growth in tourist arrivals from each of those countries this year, Lin said. The frequency of broadcasts of television commercials on traveling in Taiwan in Malaysia has increased, he said, adding that the bureau has also worked with travel agencies to organise tours. “The nation drew about 6 million tourists last year,” Lin said. “The population of Muslim countries is approximately 1.7 billion, which presents a high potential for international visitors.”
Membership in Co-operative Businesses Reaches 1 Billion
The United Nations has designated 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives, providing a great opportunity to raise the profile of an important organizational tool for spreading human rights and equality worldwide. Membership in co-operative businesses has grown to 1 billion people across 96 countries, according to new research published by the Worldwatch Institute for its Vital Signs Online publication. Co-operatives, or co-ops, are a type of business characterized by democratic ownership and governance. They offer an alternative to the shareholder model of business ownership. Co-ops are governed by their members, who typically invest in the co-operative and have an ownership stake in it, as well as a voice in how the firm is run. Decisions are often made on a one-member, one-vote basis, so in many societies, co-ops provide a much-needed example of democratic governance amid otherwise inequitable conditions.
UAE: Gulfood Awards 2012 recognise excellence in the food and beverage industry
The winners of the third Gulfood Awards, the Middle East’s most highly regarded food and beverage accolades, were crowned last night (Sunday) at a spectacular gala dinner held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre on the opening day of Gulfood. Organised by The Dubai World Trade Centre, the awards were judged by an international panel of independent industry experts and attracted more than 120 entries from 30 countries in 20 different categories including: best health education initiative, best new halal food, best environmental sustainability initiative, and best packaging innovation. Helal Almarri, CEO of Dubai World Trade Centre, said: “The exceptional calibre of entries received this year highlights the talent and innovation that is emerging from the region’s food and beverage industry professionals. As the largest and most influential annual trade exhibition in the world, Gulfood has consistently attracted industry leaders from across the globe, and to see this excellence carried through to the Awards only adds to the exhibition’s growing influence.”
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi fast food market to hit USD4.5bn by 2015
Saudi Arabia’s fast food market is expected reach a value of USD4.5bn in the next three years, driven by high demand among young, affluent citizens, according to a report by Euromonitor. Restaurant chains providing hamburgers and popular deserts will see the biggest surge in sales, accounting for nearly 20 per cent of food service transactions in the Kingdom by 2015, the market research firm said. “Fast food outlets have become important social spaces for a growing cohort of Saudi young people,” said Michael Schaefer, head of consumer foodservice research at Euromonitor. “Future expansion will be driven by those operators which offer a combination of indulgence and inviting, comfortable outlets; with hamburgers, ice cream, and sweet baked goods all in high demand.”
MALAYSIA: Understanding Islam, Building Civilisation
"When we are discussing Islam, we must do it in the context of human beings. The concept of religion must be carefully understood. Religion, for many, is a scary term, which is seen as rules and obstacles that prevent freedom. Islam is a religion that impresses upon the organisation of human life in all aspects, whether personally or societally. It is from good personal development and social structure that civilisation comes. Civilisation is a testament of societal progress in various fields with excellent values promoted in the Qur’an, such as truth, justice and compassion. In building civilisation, we uphold the values of truth while nurturing that of justice in dealing with a person's life and social structure. It is more important at the national level. There should be justice in the political system, such as when choosing a leader. The same applies in fulfilling human needs," says Datuk Nik Mustapha Nik Hassan, Director-General for the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM) in an interview with BERNAMA.
EGYPT: Nawaya teaches sustainable agriculture to local farmers and Cairenes
An Egyptian group on Friday (17 February 2012) hosted the first of a series of workshops intended to demonstrate to farmers and other participants how to implement sustainable agricultural systems and eco-buildings. Nawaya (“intention” in Arabic) is an initiative launched by a team of young “green” Egyptians — Sarah al-Sayed, Adam Molyneux-Berry and Laura Tabet — who hope to develop sustainable, economically prosperous and agriculturally productive eco-buildings through enabling citizens to participate in creating their own such projects. Permaculture “guru” Dominique De Bruin is now also part of the team. He preaches the creation of self-sustaining environmental and agricultural systems that mimic nature’s cycles, with the goal of ultimately minimizing the need for external interference.
TURKEY: ‘Halal Facebook’ introduced to global audiences in İstanbul
Monday evening saw prominent Muslim figures from all over the world gather at İstanbul’s stunning Çırağan Palace for the first official insight into a new social networking phenomenon set to hit the Muslim worldwide – SalamWorld. Described as a “Halal Facebook”, SalamWorld will be a Muslim exclusive social networking platform for Muslims of all ages, and the headquarters of the company is set to be located in İstanbul.There are currently 800 million Facebook users across the world, 300 of whom are Muslim. The president of the SalamWorld company, Abdülvahit Niyazov, said that the platform has been developed with the aim of providing a more “Halal” (Islamically permissible) group for Muslims to interact with each other online.
DUBAI: Population growth spurs demand for food
High population growth and a rise in tourism in the UAE are boosting demand for international food exporters, said organisers of Gulfood, the food and beverages (F&B) trade event. The GCC is expecting to cross the 50 million population mark by 2020, up from the current 40.6 million, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Tourism figures are also on the rise. The number of UAE-bound tourists is expected to approach 9 million, according to recent figures released by international industry consultant Business Monitor International (BMI). This is a 9 per cent increase over last year. Meeting the increasing demand for food represents an opportunity for leading international players. "The growth and outlook of the food sector is a very important issue for the Middle East market as global trends present new opportunities for the food and beverage industry. With food consumption in the region growing exponentially, there is a pressing need to establish valuable trade relations with the food producing nations. Similarly, the region represents huge potential for companies with home markets that are currently delivering minimal growth," said Hilal Saeed Khalfan Al Merri, CEO of the Dubai World Trade Centre.