The global Halal industry has been confined to Muslim countries, but non-Muslim countries are also preparing to join this multi-trillion-dollar industry. The main purpose of the 2nd Global Halal Forum in 2018 was to raise awareness of the untapped potential of Halal business and explore ways to benefit from this potential. Attending the forum were major Halal producers, exporters, logistics suppliers, researchers and a large number of academics. Dr. Ashfaq, CEO of the Amanah Halal Research Centre, said at the forum that global Halal food spending is estimated to exceed US$1.93 trillion by the end of 2022. The Halal industry is important to Italy in two ways: first, Italy has about 3 million Muslims (4% of the total population), and Italy also exports a large amount of Halal cosmetics and fashion goods to OIC countries.
Some industry leaders and organizations pledged to attend such forums in the future. Dr. Danilo Scalone of the Italian EDA Consortium said: 'Awareness of Halal product certification and services in European countries, including Italy, is rapidly increasing. This forum will also enable Italian producers to benefit from the global Halal economy. We thank the Amanah HRC team for providing cooperation for this forum.'
Professor Cinzia Caggia of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the University of Catania, Italy, said: 'We are delighted to host the 2nd Global Halal Forum 2018 in Catania, and we believe our region can broaden its horizons and play a role in the Mediterranean basin. This event provides students, manufacturing and the food industry with the necessary cognitive and technical knowledge. In addition, this forum provides an interesting platform for our researchers to present their research work and discuss it with industry-leading experts.'
Carmelo Tumino is the Chairman of Gruppo Ibleo, one of Europe's largest logistics suppliers and a sponsor of the Global Halal Forum. 'Halal is not just food; it also includes many other parts, and logistics is one of the important parts. Our customers require Halal logistics solutions, and we are honored to sponsor this forum and become a Halal-certified logistics supplier.'
Ms. Giada Lupo is the CEO of the ELIGO srls association and the president of the Frumen Sicily association. 'The 2nd Global Halal Forum marks a new success. It showcased the high level of speakers from around the world and witnessed all the segments of the Halal brand. This is the first time that Sicily's most representative universities and the industry have wanted to participate in scientific research and business opportunities.'
About the Amanah Halal Research Centre:
The Amanah Halal Research Centre (Amanah HRC) is an international organization headquartered in Germany with an office in Pakistan. Amanah HRC is dedicated to promoting the development of the Halal industry and offers an unmatched range of services, including advice and consultation, Halal certification, market research and development, education and capacity building, strategy design and implementation, publications and conferences. Amanah HRC is a pioneering organization that has developed a Muslim-friendly tourism training program and a 3-month online learning program.