Assalamu Alaikum

While most of our readers know that Halal Consumer© magazine is a publication of the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America, also known as IFANCA®, some of you may not know much about IFANCA’s activities. So let me tell you a little more about us. We are more than a publication and some halal certification!

Actually, we are certifying over 5,000 manufacturing plants in 75 countries around the world and producing over 8,600 halal consumer products, 1,000 direct marketed products, 4,850 food service items, and over 75,000 halal industrial products. Products certified by IFANCA display the Crescent-M logo ( ) on the product label. Related to halal certification, we also offer consulting services and product development, quality management, and export marketing support to companies interested in halal production and marketing. Our technical support has helped develop halal MREs (meals ready to eat) for military and humanitarian rations and halal gelatin manufactured from halal slaughtered cattle.

We offer halal education, training, and awareness to both consumers and the industry. This includes our website www.ifanca.org, social media engagement, publications, workshops, seminars, and conferences.

The website hosts a wealth of information on halal related topics including Halal Digest© newsletter and a digital version of Halal Consumer© magazine. This fall, as in 2012, we will again offer the Halal and Healthy Workshops around the Chicago area to demonstrate healthy recipes made with halal-certified products. For government and private institutions, we have developed halal kitchen guidelines to enable food service organizations to provide halal meals to their clients. We are often called upon by the media to contribute articles on halal and halal certification. Globally, we have been engaged in initiatives like globalization of halal standards and animal welfare.

We just returned from the annual ISNA convention where we conducted surveys, had our food scientists answer consumer questions, distributed samples of halal-certified products, and introduced our Crescent-M costume character. The latter was a hit with the kids! Next April, IFANCA will organize the 17th International Halal Food Conference, bringing the industry together for three days to discuss issues and opportunities related to providing halal products.

This is a quick snapshot of IFANCA activities. As our paths cross, please do give us your feedback, comments, and encouragement.

Sincerely,

Muhammad Munir Chaudry, president