Dubai is working on establishing a national certification standard as part of plans to regulate and develop the halal food industry in the UAE.
Hussain Nasser Lootah, director general of Dubai Municipality said that the civic body is working with the Emirates Standardisation and Metrology Authority (ESMA) to set the requirements for granting the Halal National Mark to food producers in the country.
The announcement came after the civic body’s participation in the 10th World Islamic Economic Forum, news agency WAM reported.
The UAE Scheme for Halal Products is the first of its kind at an Arab and Gulf level and supports the initiative launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the global capital of the Islamic economy.
Lootah said: “Dubai Municipality has a major role in setting the Sharia compliance requirements and regulating the halal industry, while the ESMA will grant the mark indicating that the product, service and production system was in conformity with the approved requirements.”
He added: “The scheme outlines the properties, descriptions, features, quality, dimensions, sizes or safety requirements of a commodity, material, service or each measurable item, including terminology, symbols, testing methods, sampling, packaging and labeling.”
The halal certificate will certify that the product, service or their respective schemes are Sharia-compliant. This includes Halal slaughtering certificates, certificates of establishments, farms, abattoirs and facilities classified as halal, certificates of raw food materials, food additives, ingredients with meat derivatives, extracts, as well as animal parts, gelatine, fats, oils and their derivatives.
Earlier this year, Dubai’s Economic Zones World (EZW) revealed plans to develop two Halal Zones, specifically designed to cater to the regional and international Halal Product markets.
EZW said it has allocated infrastructure-ready plots of land for Halal Zones in Jafza and TechnoPark. Jafza Halal Zone will be built on an area of over 850,000 sq m while TechnoPark Halal Zone will be spread over a plot of over 700,000 sq m.
The freezone added that it will also engage in a global marketing campaign for the Halal Zones.