NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (June 10, 2011) — The Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA®) is exhibiting its halal certification and technical services from June 12 – 14, 2011, at the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting and Food Expo 2011. IFANCA’s display booth #7516 will offer free consultations about all halal matters including new recipe development to IFT Expo attendees for its entire duration.

This year the IFT Expo takes place on the heels of one of the world’s longest and largest religious celebrations – Ramadan. Ramadan is known as the month of fasting in the Islamic calendar, when Muslims all over the world are obligated to fast from dawn to sun down. Ramadan is a festive occasion when volume and variety of food consumed by the observant halal consumers actually may increase, contrary to the common belief and perception attached to the word fasting.

The meal at the start of the fast is called Sahoor, while the meal ending the fast is called Iftaar. Both of these are significant meal occasions. In Ramadan, Sahoor and Iftaar will be observed at least 29 consecutive festive meal occasions each, in which food plays a significant role. This year, Ramadan will take place around the month of August. Already, June’s global food market is seeing intense demand for sugar, palm oil, and cardamoms.

When it comes to halal food certification, Ramadan has proven to be a strategic time for new food innovations, product launches, and culinary trends. From 2009 to 2010, IFANCA has seen a growth of 20 percent in global halal product certification. Dr. Muhammad Munir Chaudry, president of IFANCA, says, “In major halal target markets, food is center-stage during Ramadan. This is the time when halal consumers experiment and seek out new food products and brands.”

The trend seems to hold true for both key halal consumer regions such as Asia and Middle East, as well as upcoming niche market areas like North America and Europe. Last year, Nestle expanded its halal product offerings during Ramadan in both Asia and Europe. This move was undertaken in view of the growing global halal food market. Halal food is currently assessed at US$ 634 billion per annum, forming 16 percent of the entire global food industry. Similarly, Saffron Road Foods launched its first American halal food line in USA last Ramadan in Whole Foods. Saffron Road Foods went on to be named one of the top 10 specialty food products in 2011.

To address this growing interest in halal product innovations, IFANCA will be exhibiting its halal certification services and giving out halal informational materials during the IFT Expo 2011. Its food technology team at booth #7516 will share specific, halal technical information and free halal consumer information for both food technology as well as marketing professionals,

 

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.