- According to the organizers of the conference, the “Second Gulf Conference on Halal Industry and its Services Towards an Effective Management of The Halal Industry”, to be held on January 22 to 24, 2013 in Kuwait, is aimed at the enhancement of an effective management of Halal control; and with following objectives:

1. To gather specialized human and technical resources to study the current status of the control of Halal.
2. To suggest practical solutions to overcome the obstacles facing the Halal industry.
3. To assess the wrong accreditation practices of Halal certificates.
4. To set a future concept for a Halal model that suits Islamic countries.
5. To increase awareness and necessary training to the Halal products and services.

This initiative will not only provide business opportunities to the investors and manufacturers but will also recover consumer confidence in Halal products traded in the markets of the Islamic communities.

Click here for the details of the the Second Gulf Conference program

- Mark your calendar for IFANCA’s “15th International Halal Food Conference”, to be held on April 6-8 2013, at Hyatt Regency O’Hare, Chicago, IL USA. Click here for the program and registration form.

The First Halal Food Middle East Expo in Sharjah, UAE

The First Halal Food Middle East Expo, held in Sharjah, UAE, on December 10 thru 12, 2012 was well attended, demonstrating the increasing interest in halal food and products throughout the globe. The inaugural ceremony was attended by Haji Abdul Malik Kassim, Minister for Penang State Government, Malaysia, and Chairman, Penang International Halal Hub, Malaysia; Dr. El Hassane Hzaine, Director-General ICDT (Islamic Centre for Development of Trade of OIC); and Saeed Obaid Al Jarwan, Second Vice Chairman, Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry & Expo Centre Sharjah. More and more companies are now evaluating the benefits of the halal-certified products market and realizing the opportunity to enter new markets and develop new customers by becoming halal-certified. This was especially evident by the number of buyers visiting the company booths at the expo.

IFANCA was well represented as a sponsor of the expo, an active participant of the Congress, and having a large booth representing number of its halal certified companies. One of the directors of IFANCA, and professor of Texas A & M University’s Food and Protein R & D Center, Dr. Mian Riaz, as one of the speakers in “Halal Opportunities Session” discussed the spread of halal certified products being produced in the USA and marketed to mainstream consumers as well as exported to halal consumers around the globe.

Four other sessions on: 1. Halal Standards, 2. Halal Foods, 3. Halal Cosmetics & Pharmaceuticals, and 4. Halal Trade Promotions, where speakers discussed the benefits of global standards; wholesomeness of halal food; the challenges of producing halal pharma/nutra-ceuticals and cosmetics, and the halal conformity programs of various countries and the use of halal logos on halal-certified products respectively.

A final Open Session was moderated by Dr. Mohammad Munir Chaudry, President, Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America and Moulana M.S. Navlakhi, Theological Director, South African National Halal Authority. This session was open to questions from the audience and led to a lively discussion of various topics associated with halal products.

The Winter Issue of Halal Consumer – Now Available.

Click to read the Halal Consumer Magazine.

- Editor’s Note
- From the Publisher’s Desk
- When the Price Is Not Always Right
- Does it Have to be Organic?
- Spicy Haute Dining
- The Fit Muslim — Come Rain or Snow
- Whey to Go — The Best Kept Health (& Weight    Management) Secret
- The Buzz on Facebook.com/HalalConsumer
- Halal For Entrepreneurs — Your Key to New Markets
- The Case for Halal Certification if There is no Meat in a    Product
- Food Fraud on US Dining Tables
- The Dietitian is — A Prescription to Aging Gracefully
- Comfort Foods Across Cultures
- Fordson: Faith, Football and the American Dream
- IFANCA Directory of Halal Certified Companies

Islam Forbids Food Waste

By Mohammed A. Khan

F ood waste is a major problem in much of the world. While millions go hungry, millions of tonnes of food is wasted at all levels of the food chain. Farmers, manufacturers, retailers, restaurants and consumers are all complicit in this problem. In the US roughly 30 to 50 per cent of food produced for consumption ends up in landfills each year. The estimated cost of such waste is pegged at more than $1 billion. In Canada an estimated 40 percent of the food, valued at $27 billion by the Value Chain Management Centre, finds its way into landfill and composting every year. Similarly, in the European Union countries around 50% of edible and healthy food is wasted each year. The European parliament recently adopted a resolution calling for urgent measures to halve food waste by 2025 and to improve access to food for needy EU citizens.

In an age of increasing poverty such waste is absolutely intolerable and urgent measures should be taken to address it all levels of the food chain. Islam forbids all forms of waste and explicitly mentions that food waste is an impious act. In Islamic worldview food is considered to be a great and highly valued blessing. Therefore we, find numerous sayings of the holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) warning against any kind of food wastage. There are explicit instructions related to the value of food for the individual, traders, businesses, and the state. The most prevalent narrations of the holy Prophet (PBUH) begin at the individual level. This is logical as every major initiative begins with the individual before it permeates through the society. In a narration the Prophet (PBUH) is reported as saying that if a morsel falls off one’s hand he should pick it up, clean it, and eat it. Just because the food has fallen off one’s hand or plate doesn’t mean we should waste it. Islamic jurists have interpreted this narration to mean that if the morsel falls in a clean place then it is clean and should be eaten.

In the light of these teachings it is imperative that Muslims to be conscious of the value of food and treat it with the respect that it deserves. Just because we have access to abundant food, doesn’t mean we have a license to indulge in waste. We never know when we will be denied of this blessing.

Some Muslim communities and organizations are already taking action to tackle food waste. Chicago's Sabeel Food Pantry (www.sabeelfoodpantry.org) , an IFANCA initiative, collects healthy, safe, and edible food from Panera Bread, J & M Food Products, and other businesses, which would have otherwise been wasted and distributes it among the needy. This service reaches nearly 1600 people each year and is only increasing. More such initiatives need to be taken to tackle waste and hunger at all levels of the food chain.

Gelatin – A Questionable Ingredient in Halal Industry

G elatin is used in many food products, including jellies, ice cream, confectionery, cookies, and cakes. It is also used in nutritional supplements and pharmaceutical products. Gelatin can be from halal or haram sources. Common sources of gelatin are pigskin, cattle hides, cattle bones, and less frequently, fish skins and poultry bones and skins. In general, a product label does not indicate the source of the gelatin, so halal consumers normally avoid products containing gelatin unless they are certified halal. Muslim countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, and several others now require that imported as well as domestic products containing gelatin be produced with halal gelatin. Several gelatin manufacturers in Pakistan, China, India, Japan, and Brazil produce halal gelatin.

Islamic scholars agree that gelatin from pigs is haram. Gelatin from cattle hides and bones, or other permitted animals, is considered halal, only if the animals are slaughtered according to halal procedure. IFANCA frequently receives inquiries about gelatin. Sometimes gelatin is listed on the product labels but oftentimes there is no mention of it on the labels. IFANCA only approves gelatin made from fish and halal animals slaughtered by Muslims according to Islamic law.

IFANCA certified gelatin production involves halal supervision right from the halal slaughtering all the way to gelatin production. Each step is supervised and documented and batch or lot certificate is issued at the end of each step of the production. IFANCA halal certified gelatin is now available from the following sources:

- Sterling Gelatin India
- Nitta Gelatin India
- Raymon Patel Gelatin India
- Nitta Gelatin Japan
- Rousselot Da’an Gelatin China
- Gelita Gelatin Brazil.

For further information contact halal@IFANCA.org