HOUSTON, Texas (October 17, 2013) — The Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA®) Director of Halal Development Asma Ahad will discuss halal dietary needs at the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE®) on October 20, 2013.

This is the first time an education session on halal dietary information will take place at FNCE. The session is titled “Mythbusters: The Facts All RDs and DTRs Need to Know About Halal and Kosher Dietary Markets.”

“Eight to nine million American Muslims form the majority of halal consumers in the United States,” says Ahad. She hopes the session will help RDs develop cross-cultural competency skills needed to understand the halal dietary market, both regionally and globally. “Our hope is to be able to convey the ease with which dietitians can provide halal nutrition in either clinical, foodservice or community-based settings,” she adds.

Recently, requests for halal meals in schools, colleges, and hospitals have increased, reflecting the needs of American Muslim consumers. IFANCA is committed to increasing halal education for registered dietitians and foodservice professionals. Last year, IFANCA participated in a dietetics webinar called “A Farm to Fridge Journey into the World of Halal.” In 2011, IFANCA published the world’s first comprehensive Halal Foodservice Kit, which has a separate guidelines section for food and nutrition professionals. The kit is available for free on IFANCA’s website (www.ifanca.org).

 

IFANCA®

A not-for-profit headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA®) is one of the world’s leading 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 awarded the “Best Halal Related Service Provider Award” by the Halal Journal at the World Halal Forum 2007. IFANCA® has been endorsed by many countries and organizations including MUI (Indonesia), JAKIM (Malaysia), MUIS (Singapore), and GSM (United Arab Emirates), and IFANCA® halal-certified products 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.