OIC Halal Middle East is about to host 125 firms specialised in the halal trade at the Expo Centre Sharjah in the UAE.
The second edition of the OIC Halal Middle East Exhibition & Congress on 16-18 December is gathering leading players in a global trade estimated to value nearly $3bn.
In the UAE, the Emirates Standardisation and Metrology Authority (Esma) is now formulating halal standards covering not only food but cosmetics, personal care products, textiles and leather.
Due in place by the end of 2014, the UAE Halal Scheme will cover packaging along with the entire supply chain, Farah Al Zarouni, Esma’s director of standardisation, told a recent symposium.
“We are taking the halal certification to a whole new level that will give consumers more confidence in consuming various products without any doubt about its status,” he said.
The Turkey-based Standardisation and Metrology Institute of Islamic Countries (SMIIC) is also pushing for a similar certification process covering all of the 57 members of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC).
Salih Yuksel, SMIIC’s assistant chair, told symposium at Dubai International Food Safety Conference last month that that 27 OIC members are already “on board”, according to media reports.
OIC Halal Middle East features the Halal Middle East Exhibition and the Halal Cogress Middle East, combining a trade fair with workshops on topics such as certification and import procedures.
Asad Sajjad, CEO of Halal Development Council of Pakistan and co-organiser of Halal Congress Middle East, said the event will help producers adjust to new standards in areas such as packaging.
“With new regulations, every food brand & food outlet that claims to sell halal food will come under the scanner that includes details of ingredients used, processing method, plantation, chemicals used, packaging and animal slaughtering,” he said.