CHICAGO, Illinois (April 22, 2014) — The Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA®) will discuss halal dietary guidelines and food service operations at a live webinar called “Exploring Halal Healthy Food Service Operations” on April 24, 2014, from 1:00 PM to 2:30P PM Eastern Time.

The webinar is organized by the Muslims in Dietetics and Nutrition (MIDAN) to educate Registered Dietitians (RDs) and Dietetic Technicians, Registered (DTRs) about halal foods and meal preparation. MIDAN is a Member Interest Group (MIG) under the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the worlds’ largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. The webinar is approved for 1.5 CPEU Units at CPE Level II and is free for all MIDAN members.

“8 to 9 million American Muslim consumers actively search for halal food options in hospitals, colleges, and schools. Muslims living in the USA, Canada, and Europe want to eat the same meals as their peers but are often held back by the fact that most of these foods do not comply with their halal dietary needs,” says Asma Ahad, IFANCA’s Director of Halal Market Development and speaker for MIDAN’s halal food service webinar. Ahad is optimistic the session will act as an informative resource for those working in food service and nutrition operations. “I truly believe that more halal food service education will help food and nutrition professionals set up more successful meal plans that accommodate diverse dietary needs, including halal,” added Ahad.

The webinar will also feature Nadeem Siddiqui, Resident District Manager at Washington University in St. Louis. Siddiqui supervises the university’s halal meal program. The webinar will be moderated by MIDAN’s past Chair, Sarah Amer, MS, RDN, CDN. Previously, MIDAN organized a webinar in 2012 called “A Farm to Fridge Journey into the World of Halal.” In 2013, MIDAN co-organized an education session at the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo called “Mythbusters: The Facts all RDs and DTRs Need to Know About Halal and Kosher Dietary Markets.” IFANCA was part of the speaker panel for both these events. In 2011, IFANCA published a Halal Foodservice Kit, as a free resource to food service professionals.

 

IFANCA®

A not-for-profit headquartered in Chicago, 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 in 2007 and the Islamic Economy Award for Compliance and Standardization by the Global Islamic Economy Summit (GIES®) in 2013. IFANCA is endorsed by many countries and organizations including MUI (Indonesia), JAKIM (Malaysia), MUIS (Singapore), Saudi Arabia (MWL), 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.