Australian halal meat brand goes global

Weekly Times Now:A HALAL brand developed last year by Meat & Livestock Australia for use in the Middle East red meat market will now be sold around the world.

MLA said the brand is set to appear with Australian red meat sold in Islamic countries around the world.

MLA’s Middle East regional manager, Ian Ross, said 28 percent of the world’s population is Muslim and most lived in countries with growing economies.

"It’s vital the Australian red meat industry positions itself in the best possible way to supply these important markets," Mr Ross said.

"The Halal brand shows that the Australian red meat industry is culturally aware and that we respect the laws of Islam.

"Australia is the only country in the world with a globally-endorsed and certified Halal brand underpinned by government legislation."

MLA said under Islamic law, for meat to be permissible for consumption, it must be Halal, or lawful, and animals must be slaughtered by a Muslim in accordance with the Islamic 'Shariah', or law.

The MLA-developed Halal brand appears on retail meat packs and point of sale and guarantees that the meat has come from an animal that has been slaughtered according to the strict Islamic Shariah. Under the new arrangement, Halal meat sent from Australia to Islamic countries is accompanied by an official government certificate and stamp which is further endorsed with an authorised Islamic Organisation stamp.

In Australia the Halal process is regulated through the Australian Government Authorised Halal Program (AGAHP) by AQIS and is supervised by independent Islamic organisations.

All Australian Halal meat is labelled as having passed through the AGAH program and this certification is only allowed to be placed on meat that has been processed at a registered Halal certified abattoir.

MLA said Australia exports beef, sheepmeat and goatmeat to over 40 Islamic countries, including Indonesia, which is Australia’s fifth largest beef export market. It is estimated that there are over 2 billion Muslims around the world and that the market for Halal products globally is worth $570 billion annually.

Halal Logo Hopes To Generate Trust

Bandar Seri Begawan - Brunei's Halal logo is hoped to generate trust on Brunei's halal products in Southeast Asian and international markets. This was stated by the Director of Agriculture from the Ministry of Industries and Primary Resources, Hjh Normah Suria Hayati PJDSM Dato Seri Utama (Dr) Hj Jamil Al-Sufri during an interview in Radio Televisyen Brunei's (RTB) talkshow, 'Dialogue' last night.

She said the introduction of the Brunei Halal logo was designed to help not only in developing the local economy but also in creating a sense of "identiti jenama", (brand identity) the director said.
She also pointed out that the halal logo which was unveiled recently, would be original in design and different as well as easily identifiable from the logos of neighbouring countries.

Hjh Normah Suria Hayati expressed her hope to expand the logo to other non-food items in accordance with the Halal Standard Guidelines, such as cosmetics with the aim of generating a quality driven product that can be trusted.

Talking about the Brunei 3rd International Halal

Expo scheduled for August 14, the director said the expo will, among others, feature the achievements within the past year on exhibitions on local halal brand products and the introduction of the halal processing laboratory and the agro technology.
The director also said that the halal expo could be a good opportunity for local businesses to learn more regarding other halal brands and also how the relevant agencies could properly accredit the Halal brand to them.


Hjh Normah Suria Hayati also disclosed that over 145 companies comprising local and international companies will take part in the upcoming expo.

She said that the high number of participation from local companies showed that they were keen to take part without the need to spend a great deal of money on international expos.

And as for regional companies, she said, their participation in the expo could provide them with some insights on the various local products which are available in the market. "The main importance of the expo is to expose local businesses participation with other countries in the international arena," the director said.

She also emphasised that "local businesses participating will be able to learn and compare their products with international brands and find ways on how to improve them further".

The four-day expo will be held at the International Convention Centre in Berakas.

Brunei Gets Halal Logo

Bandar Seri Begawan - His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam has consented for the enforcement of the Halal Certificate and Label Order 2005 starting August 1, 2008.

This was announced yesterday by Hj Kassim bin Hj Mohamed, Acting Assistant Director of Syariah Affairs, Halal Food Control Section of the Ministry of Religious Affairs

The enforcement of the Order will be implemented in stages and applications will be open for local halal food producers who wish to use the Brunei Halal logo during the Brunei 3rd International Halal Expo scheduled for August 14, 2008. So far 12 companies have already applied for the use of the logo.

Shortly after the Expo, applications will be open for entrepreneurs wishing to use the Halal logo on their products at a fee of B$50 a permit for each product.

Applicants who wish to use the logo can obtain their application forms at the Halal Food Control Section during office hours. A completed form must be returned together with a list of products that is applied for and also a list of ingredients used in the process.
Hj Kassim stated that the Inspection Officers will conduct an inspection on production premises to ensure that the ingredients used are halal and that the preparation area or machines are used to process halal products only, before issuing a Halal permit. If needed, these inspection personnel will ask for laboratory testing of products considered suspicious.

Besides this, the inspecting officers will also hold oral and written test for Halal Food Supervisors of any company as required in the order.

In the second stage, applications will be opened for food outlets or restaurants in t the country wishing to get the Halal certification at their premises. This will hopefully start by December this year.

The owners of the food outlet and restaurants will be able to obtain applications in December. They must abide by the requirements of the Halal Certificate and Label Order or else their applications will not be considered.

Among the requirements include having at least two Halal Food Supervisors at each premises and strictly only Halal food can be sold or brought into the said premises.