The Halal Times

Global Halal, Islamic Finance News At Your Fingertips

Main navigation

Food

Mintel: 13% of Asia-Pacific Product Launches Carry Halal Claim

By Leave a Comment

With food accounting for nearly two-thirds of business in the global halal economy, there has been a flurry of new product activity in Asia-Pacific.

According to market intelligence agency Mintel, 13% of all product launches in the region have carried the “halal” claim since 2012, with Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand the top destinations in this arena.

Among the most prominent recent Islam-observant product launches tracked by Mintel has been Nissin’s Masuya-brand spicy seafood-flavoured Gekikara Ramen instant noodle, which has gone on sale in Indonesia. The extra-hot instant noodle is halal-certified and retails in a large portion 120g pack.

Also launched in Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country which seen a quarter of all Asia-Pacific new-product activity over the last five years, has been Family Rice’s Nasi Liwet fragrance rice. The halal certified product retails in a 500g pack that serves six portions.
In India, which is home to 172m Muslims according to the last census, Global Gourmet’s Bombay Bites jalapeño and cheese samosa was a notable halal launch. The vegetarian pastry triangles feature a green pepper and cheese filling, are halal certified, and retail in a 240g pack.
 Thailand, where 15% of new product launches have been halal in the last five years, has seen the introduction of Kang Goong by Okusno, a Japanese curry-flavoured shrimp chins snack. This claims to be high in calcium and low in sodium and chitosan. The halal certified product retails in a 17g pack.
Also a notable arrival, Jin Lv Cheng Ai De Lai Si’s ice cream-flavoured yogurt’s arrival in China claims to be made using milk sourced from its own pasture, and is halal certified. This natural product retails in a 120g pack. Though only 1.6% of its population is Muslim, China now accounts for 9% of all Asia-Pacific halal launches, according to Mintel.
Originally published on www.foodnavigator-asia.com

UAE Free Trade Zones Boost Competitiveness

By Leave a Comment

DUBAI —  The UAE’s free trade zones are using advanced information management tools to drive the doubling of the global free trade zone GDP, experts announced Monday.

Globally, the contribution of free trade zones to the Islamic Economy is set to double to $117 billion by 2021, according to a recent report by researchers Salaam Gateway. The UAE hosts 4 of the world’s top 10 free trade zone cities for the Islamic Economy.

Industry-watchers agree the new Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone is showing global best practices in using digital transformation to support its more than 13,000 companies.

“Digital transformation is vital for UAE free trade zones to drive the country’s economic growth. Using the latest information management solutions, trade zones can deliver digital services to boost the business competitiveness of small businesses,” said Andrew Calthorpe, CEO at the free trade zone consultancy Condo Protego.

In the UAE, Condo Protego has seen strong success on driving digital transformation for one of the region’s largest free trade zones. By replacing legacy infrastructure with automated software-defined and scale-out infrastructure, the free trade zone can publish its own business applications and move closer to cloud and mobile app delivery.

“Using cloud and mobility information management solutions, free trade zone businesses can gain a level playing field with large enterprises.
Businesses can incorporate faster and more easily, better manage sales and supply chain, and enhance their ability to better meet customer needs,” added Calthorpe.

Among UAE free trade zones, Condo Protego is seeing strong demand for solutions such as Dell EMC hyper-converged infrastructure, and Dell EMC software-defined storage such as ScaleIO, ECS scale-out storage, and Isilon network attached storage.

Originally published on www.saudigazette.com.sa

AMAF Calls the Public to Support Food Aid for Refugees

By Leave a Comment

The campaign, lined up to run until after Eid Al Fitr, will set up a podium, featuring the replica of a refugee camp and an interactive screen projecting a tent city with a line of children waiting for food, at The Dubai Mall.

 The Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation (AMAF) has urged the public to contribute toward its annual Ramadan campaign for the Salma humanitarian relief programme which provides halal food to victims of wars and natural disasters worldwide.

The campaign, lined up to run until after Eid Al Fitr, will set up a podium, featuring the replica of a refugee camp and an interactive screen projecting a tent city with a line of children waiting for food, at The Dubai Mall.

The Salma team will circulate donation boxes and flyers among visitors and professionals working in TECOM Group’s communities including Dubai Media City, Dubai Internet City, Dubai Sports City, Dubai Design District, Dubai Knowledge Park and Dubai Science Park.

Tayyeb Al Rais, secretary-general of AMAF, said the campaign will help promote the Salma programme and collect donations. “The Salma programme closely monitors the impact of wars and disasters worldwide.”

Unfortunately, the number of refugees globally continues to surge, with children constituting 51 per cent of the total, he said. “From 2015 to 2016, more than 73,000 people have become victims of conflicts and natural disasters in the Islamic world.”

The UN’s latest data shows that more than 700 million people currently live in areas prone to disasters, with the number expected to reach one billion by 2030. These statistics drive us to expand our aid coverage to new countries, he disclosed.

“Supporting the displaced people across the globe through providing food aid, the Salma programme clearly testifies that the endowment model is a viable solution to the world’s humanitarian relief needs.

“In the past three years, the programme helped save thousands of lives through supplying more than 455,000 halal meals and distributing 50 tons of meat to people in Palestine, Yemen, Jordan, Sudan, Tajikistan, the Philippines, and countries of West Africa.”

According to latest UN reports, 65.3 million people across the globe are currently displaced due to wars and natural disasters, including 21.3 million who are classified as refugees. The conflicts are forcing 34,000 people to flee their homes every day, Al Rais elaborated.

“The initiative is executed in collaboration with Emirates Red Crescent, UN’s World Food Programme, Dubai Charity Association, Dar Al Ber and Dubai International Humanitarian City.”

The government and private sector entities, as well as individual donors, help ensure the continuation and expansion of the programme through securing sustainable financial resources, he said. “Donations to the Salma Humanitarian Relief Programme can be made through the website www.salmaaid.com or via text message.”

Originally published on www.khaleejtimes.com

Halal Sector Key Topic at International Economic Summit

By Leave a Comment

The ninth International Economic Summit between Russia and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries started on Friday in Kazan, Tatarstan, with the UAE represented by a senior delegation chaired by Dr Rashid bin Ahmed bin Fahad, Minister of State.

The summit, which concludes today, began with a session entitled ‘Halal Industry’, which addressed the growing international demand for halal products and services. In his speech, Dr Bin Fahad stated that the Islamic economic sector is among the fastest-developing sectors in the world and has become an integral part of the international economy, especially after the world financial crisis and the desire for safe investments and economic activities with the added value of social development, which are the foundations of the Islamic economic structure.

He clarified that the halal industry is one of the most important parts of this vital sector, as the international demand for halal products has witnessed rapid growth after reaching a value of more than $2.3 trillion in 2015, according to OIC reports. He added that the food and beverage industry has the largest share of this industry, dominating with 67 per cent of total trade in halal products with a value of $1.4 trillion. This number is expected to rise to around $1.6 trillion at the beginning of 2020.

He then highlighted the UAE’s leading experience in the field of the Islamic economy and the halal industry, while clarifying that the country has succeeded, under directives of its wise leadership, in establishing a healthy and integrated system for the Islamic economy.

He stated that the UAE has taken the lead by launching initiatives to promote qualitative developments in the Islamic economy, including the ‘Dubai: Capital of Islamic Economy’ initiative and establishing the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre and many other major projects and programmes, which represent an engine for achieving international prosperity in this field.

He added that with regards to the halal industry, the country is proud of its initiatives, which are unique internationally, represented in the International Halal Accreditation Forum, which was launched last year as an independent non-government network that provides an international umbrella for the consistent application of unified mechanisms for standardising the specifications of halal products from the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries, a subsidiary of the OIC.

Despite being recently formed, the forum included the participation of accreditation authorities from over 21 countries, which is expected to expand to more than 40 countries during the coming years, who contributed to facilitating international trade in halal products, elevating its industries, protecting its consumers from around the world and supporting and encouraging developing countries to establish developed systems of halal accreditation.

Dr Bin Fahad stressed that the increasing interest in the halal sector in the country comes from its strong connection with the field of industry and the trading of food products, considered the most attractive investments with a share of 31 per cent of overall industrial investments in the country, adding that the value of the UAE’s trade in food products in 2015 reached around $25.3 billion, and $18 billion in the first nine months of 2016.

He further added that the country has led the Arab world in the export of food products in 2015, with a percentage of close to 30 per cent of the total exports of Arab countries, and second place in imports with a percentage of 18 per cent. This gives a clear indication that the UAE is one of the most important regional destinations in the trading and investments in the halal food sector, opening wider fields of co-operation with various trading partners, especially in this important international event.

Originally published on http://www.khaleejtimes.com

Malaysian Incubator Signs Deal to Boost China’s Halal Exports

By Leave a Comment

A Malaysian technology and energy incubator has agreed to collaborate with companies in Hong Kong and China to produce and market halal-certified foods internationally.

In a stock market filing, Asia Bioenergy Technologies said its Asiabio Capital subsidiary had signed a memorandum of understanding with YRZC International, Shan Xi Hong Hui Food (SXHHF) and Shan Dong Wang Jia Yuan Zi Halal Food Brewing (SDWJYXHFB) last week to “establish collaboration and explore opportunities to develop, produce and export halal-certified food products to the global marketplace.”

The agreement slots into China’s “One Road One Belt” economic policy, which aims to see 65 countries across Asia, Africa and Europe linked commercially by land and sea—albeit with a halal spin.

“This signifies our intention [to build] physical support and infrastructure for a halal food and product hub in China,” said AsiaBio Capital’s David Chen Kon Fook.

“We have identified YRZC as our exclusive business development agent for such a purpose, and aim to tap into the expansive network via our diverse incubatees,” he added.

One of these, NetX Holdings, recently announced its intention to build a similar e-commerce halal marketplace in Hangzhou, having acquired a controlling stake in China-based Flavours of Malaysia, which markets speciality Malaysian products in the Far East.

Flavours of Malaysia will establish new fulfilment centres in Hangzhou which will “conduct research and development on Chinese national acceptance of Malaysian products and to use the research findings to acclimatise the product to suit the local taste buds,” NetX said in a statement.

 Under the terms of the latest agreement, Asiabio Capital will act as a halal-certified “channeling centre” and regulatory liaison body for product development and quality, while YRZC of Hong Kong, which is involved in a number of diversified fields from television production to brand marketing and promotion, has been appointed as an exclusive business development agent in China.

Together, these companies will take SDWJYXHFB and SXHHF products and apply for Halal-certified licences from the Malaysian halal regulator, Jakim.

SDWJYZHFB, located in Shandong, China, is mainly a halal food brewing company with jujube vinegar as its main product.

Shaanxi Weinan City-based SXHHF, meanwhile, operates in baked goods, sesame seeds, bakery flours and sugar production.

“All parties will carry out research and development on the new product lines which will be integrated with both Chinese Culture and Islamic religious doctrine in order to create a brand which is ‘trusted’ and halal-certified,” he filing said.

  • Originally published on Ewww.foodnavigator-asia.com
%d bloggers like this:
Skip to toolbar