Archive
International News Services archives articles supplied to clients one year or more after initial publication. These articles are protected by a password and not made available to readers without permission from clients. They are used as a background resource by agency journalists. Upon client requests, International News Services will remove such articles from the archive or not upload them in the first place. They are included to demonstrate the breadth of topics undertaken by the agency and also to help promote clients’ coverage.
INDONESIA’S HALAL PHARMA SECTOR GROWS, BUT RELIANCE ON IMPORTED UNCERTIFIED INGREDIENTS IMPEDES DEVELOPMENT
Indonesia’s drive to require pharmaceutical products to be halal-certified is gathering pace, but the country’s pharma industry’s reliance on imported raw materials for medicines is impeding progress, officials and industry players say.
In October, Indonesia issued a government regulation requiring pharmaceutical products to be certified halal by 2029 for over-the-counter drugs and 2034 for prescription medicines.…
KENYA’S HALAL FOOD MARKET AND INDUSTRY IS GROWING, BUT EXPANSION COULD BE MADE MORE SUSTAINABLE
The halal food market and industry in Kenya, east Africa’s economic hub, is growing, say experts, although reforms in regulation and certification are needed to underpin the sustainability of this growth.
As elsewhere, said Eugene Jernigan, director of International Trade Policy and Development at the Action Green for Trade and Sustainable Development (AGTSD) organisation, that serves small businesses in Kenya, Covid-19 hit food service sales in Kenya, and that included halal outlets.…
HALAL FOOD EXPORTS GROW FAST FROM INDIA, WHICH HAS MAJOR DOMESTIC HALAL MARKET
Halal food exports from India are growing fast, according to a key Indian certification organisation, with domestic consumers among India’s 200 million Muslims also being increasingly demanding about halal standards.
According to Faiyaz Khan, the master technologist in food technology, of certification body the Jamait-Ulama-I-Hind Halal Trust, the volume of halal certified exported food products sold from India have grown by more than 50% over the past two years.…
INDONESIA ULEMA COUNCIL BOARD’S RULING ON HARAM CRYPTO MAY BE CHALLENGED BY OTHER SCHOLARS
On November 11 (2021), Indonesia’s National Ulema Council (MUI), the country’s top Muslim clerical body, ruled that “using” cryptocurrency is haram, due to its “uncertainty” and “potential for wagering and harm”.
The ruling, which was not accompanied by any public clarification of MUI’s position on what constitutes “using” cryptocurrency, sent ripples through the Islamic world and reignited discussions about the role of the rapidly expanding digital assets sector in Sharia-compliant finance. …
GREECE COURT CASE UPSETS MUSLIM COMMUNITY BY BANNING NO-STUN SLAUGHTER
A recent verdict (judgement 1751/2021) by Greece’s top court, the Council of State, regarding the ritual slaughter of animals has raised significant concerns to the Muslim and the Jewish communities of Greece, potentially impeding growth in Greek halal exports. The ruling effectively withdraws a permit that has allowed the slaughter of animals without stunning them first, as (usually) required to produce halal and kosher meat.…
UK HALAL FOOD INDUSTRY BEING DISRUPTED BY BREXIT
BRITAIN’S halal food market maybe growing, but the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union (EU) in January 2020 has been impeding the sale, production and export of such products, and the regulatory headaches may get worse in future.
Speaking to Salaam Gateway, Rizvan Khalid, managing director, of Euro Quality Lambs, a major England-based producer and exporter of halal sheepmeat, said trade red tape imposed since the UK quit the EU has imposed GBP500,000 of annual regulatory costs on his business.…
HALAL AND NON-HALAL EXPERTS WORK TO TREAT ANIMALS HUMANELY – BUT LIVESTOCK CONSCIOUSNESS AT KILLING REMAINS A CONCERN
Halal experts and animal welfare activists around the world are seeking common ground on how to keep and slaughter animals in the most humane ways possible. Halal certification systems that forbid pre-slaughter stunning as haram is becoming an increasingly acute issue for countries with strong animal welfare culture traditions and growing Muslim populations.…
JACKFRUIT MEAT-SUBSTITUTE MAKER NANKA TO EXPAND ITS HALAL-CERTIFIED PLANT-BASED RANGE BY EARLY 2022
Malaysian food tech startup Nanka plans to expand its plant-based meat range following the success of its jackfruit and mushroom burger patties, securing halal certification for its 100% plant products.
The company – based in Petaling, near Kuala Lumpur – is looking to introduce plant-based meat cubes, sausages, and nuggets, as well as mini plant-based patties for children by the first quarter of 2022, Ahmad Syafik, co-founder of Ira Noah, Nanka’s parent company, told Salaam Gateway.…
BANGLADESH PUSHING HALAL FOOD EXPORTS BY EXPANDING CERTIFICATION AND GOVERNMENT MARKET RESEARCH
The Bangladesh food industry is increasing its efforts to export halal foods to Muslim majority population countries. A senior government delegation is planning to visit Turkey and Indonesia this year to gather facts and advice on improving Bangladesh sales in these countries of halal food.…
USA ISSUES MAJOR AML REFORMS
THE USA is this year steadily installing new AML/CFT controls under a new ‘Anti-Money Laundering Act’ (AMLA) passed by Congress in January, the dying days of the administration of former President Donald Trump, overriding his veto of this long-debated reform.
This legislation is substantial.…