GLOBAL HALAL TRADE - FUTURE TREND

Current trend in the food industry requires

high demand for quality food products,

price competitive,

easily available,

safe for consumption,

traceability of raw material/ingredients to ensure quality and

hygienic processing procedure.

This is what actually the Halal food products can offer to the demanding customer.

Customer are more health conscious of the kind of food they consumed. They wanted to know how the food the produce, process, transport and can be trace back from the source. These are the quality of future food products of which the halal global trade can offer to the world.

The current global halal trade is showing positive trend and fits well with the demand for the future.

The awareness of consumer on the halalan thoyyiban factor which will ensure the products are halal, safe, hygienic and quality assurance is a key factor to ensure the global halal trade. Halal products encompass the whole value chain from the production, processing and logistics of the products through its traceability program.

If the procedures for certification are followed accordingly, the halal products will bear the quality assurance of the products and can be traced down the line to the producers.

The spread of "Mad Cow Disease" syndrome is due to the unethical way of producers that process the dead animals and recycle back as animal feed. The virus from the disease animals is then transmitted to other animals that consumed the "animal feeds". The ready animals that consumed the virus will propagate the disease to human and thus providing the syndrome human.

In Halal food production, this will never happen as feeding of animal products back to animal is haram or not allowed under any condition. Furthermore the animals production process could be traced back to the source. This will provide assurance to the kind of products available to the customer.

The growing muslim population in the world is also very encouraging trend for the increase in the demand for Halal products. Current customers are more aware about halal products and the halalan thoyyiban factor. This will provide an opportunity for halal producers to introduce their products in the food industry. Halal Industry also include non food such as health care, pharmaceuticals, herbs, bio tech products,etc. This will provide another product line for the demanding customers.

Halal Industry also include logistics and transportation of halal products through its value chain. Islamic banking will facilitate the halal industry even further to ensure the entire value chain is Halal all the way.