The year 2007 has seen a lot of activity worldwide as conferences and trade shows were held all around the globe from Brunei to Dubai to America and as far as South Africa. Malaysia, the pulse of halal, continues to make strides towards becoming the halal hub of the world. Now the Malaysian government is putting financial muscle behind those “halal hub” slogans by creating “business parks” for producers interested in starting halal manufacturing facilities. Halal is certainly becoming a buzzword not just in the food and nutritional supplement business but chants can be heard in the hospitality industry too. Excitement in the Middle East is evident when ideas of ‘halal tourism’, ‘halal airline’ and even ‘women-only hotels’ are being tossed around. Some of the ideas may seem and sound a bit too stretched, but one thing is certain, “halal is a Muslim’s identity” and we must preserve it proudly in every walk of life. Halal is wholesome, halal is pure, halal is quality and halal is healthy. Tens of media reports and news stories appearing in the USA this year offer testimonials to these facts, highlighting the growth of halal food trade.

Just ten years ago we were so excited to certify bagels produced for the American market that we wanted to buy them and give them away just to show our logo. Ten years later we have hundreds if not thousands of products displaying the Crescent-M halal logo in North America, ranging from frozen meat entrees to flat breads, gyros, desserts, pizzas, condiments, cheese cakes, snacks, juice drinks, bottled water, canned vegetables, fruit bars, cheese, to personal care products, nutritional supplements and cosmetics. The next ten years will, God willing, see the exponential growth in products with halal markings. IFANCA’s trade marked logo Crescent-M will, God willing, become as common a sight in USA as it is in countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

There are many small to mid-size North American companies that are realizing the purchasing power of 10 million Muslims who call North America ‘home’. Our Crescent-M logo appears on products manufactured by Al Safa Halal, Carole’s Cheese Cake, Cabot Cheese, Super-Pufft snacks, Kontos bread and many others, and will expand to national brands. We will see those numbers swell in the next few years. As the number of certified products increase and more products appear with halal logos, general awareness about halal, too, will increase. Indeed, the Crescent-M logo is a stamp of authenticity when it comes to claims of being halal. It is our design to “Take the Doubt Out”.

Wishing you a very successful, blessed and happy new year!

Sincerely,

Muhammad Munir Chaudry
President, IFANCA