JAKARTA, Indonesia (July 4 – July 6, 2012) — Dr. Muhammad M. Chaudry, president of IFANCA and chairman of the World Halal Food Council; Mr. Rachid Belbachir, marketing director, MENA Region, IFANCA; and Zeshan Sadek, director, Halal Food Council of Europe (HCFE) represented IFANCA at the World Halal Food Council. Experts from the food science industry and the field of Islamic jurisprudence convened to discuss the potential for the standardization of global halal guidelines.

“Recognizing that Muslim majorities in various nations differ in terms of the four schools of Islamic jurisprudence they follow, the Council concluded that while no one standard can be applied to every nation, the standards espoused by The Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS) would serve as the baseline, as far as possible,” said Mr. Belbachir. For instance, cochineal extract is considered halal in all but one school of Islamic jurisprudence. Nations where the majority population follow that school of jurisprudence would not accept imports with cochineal extract as halal.

Other matters discussed at the meeting included determining criteria for membership to the Council; establishing processes (and qualifications necessary) to issue fatwa’s or rulings about halal; and Istijah, or the transformation of the intrinsic status of materials from non-halal to halal.

 

IFANCA®

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA®) is one of the world’s leading and well-respected not-for-profit halal certification organizations. Featured in various media such as the Wall Street Journal, Prepared Foods, CNBC, and CNN, IFANCA® has been promoting halal since 1982. IFANCA® was recognized in the “Best Halal Related Service Provider Award” by the Halal Journal at World Halal Forum 2007. IFANCA® certified halal products are recognized by Indonesia (MUI), Malaysia (JAKIM), Singapore (MUIS), and the United Arab Emirates (GSM) and are sold in nearly every country of the world. IFANCA’s halal certification expertise covers all food industry categories. For more information about IFANCA®, visit www.ifanca.org.