OIC TO HOLD FORUM ON GLOBAL UNIFIED HALAL FOOD STANDARDS

Jeddah, 26 Safar 1437/8 December 2015 (MINA) –The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will host here on December 9-10 a conference on harmonizing halal standards and creating a mutually-accepted accreditation and certification system for halal, with a view of promoting culturally acceptable, safe and high quality halal food products.

The event, titled “OIC Stakeholders Forum on Unified Halal Food Standards and Procedures”, will be an opportunity for stakeholders in the domain of halal standards, accreditation and certification and various OIC institutions to work together, expand intra-OIC trade and promote research, development and best practices.

Various governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental experts as well as institutions and stakeholders in halal are expected to attend the event, International Islamic News Agency (IINA) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

These include national standardization, accreditation and certification institutions of OIC member states, OIC institutions such as Statistical, Economic, Social Research and Training Center for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), the Islamic Center for Development of Trade (ICDT), the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA), the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group, the Islamic Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (ICCIA), and the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC), private sector establishments dealing with halal development,  regional institutions such as the GCC Standardization Organization, and eminent personalities and experts in the domain of halal food standards, accreditation and certification.

The global halal market is estimated at $2.3 trillion with 67 percent of this market, amounting to $1.4 trillion, consisting of food and beverages. Pharmaceutical products make up 22 percent or $506 billion, while cosmetics and personal care products are estimated at $230 billion.

At present, there are 122 active halal certifying bodies around the world consisting of government or semi-government bodies, non-governmental organizations and local mosques. (T/Imt/R04)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)