Over the past two years, plant-based food consumption has grown by 49% across the EU, reaching a total sales volume of €3.6 billion.
2009 Halal Seminar
2025-05-15
The Food Innovation and Resource Centre (FIRC) participated in a Halal seminar held by MUIS Singapore at its new office at 273 Braddell Road, Singapore Complex. This year’s Halal seminar was themed “Strengthening Assurance, Expanding the Halal Market” and invited distinguished guests including the Minister of Environment and Water Resources and the Director of Muslim Affairs.Jacob IbrahimDr. Ibrahim said in his keynote speech that “local businesses see Halal certification as a key enabler for entering and expanding into overseas markets, particularly in the Middle East. Singapore’s food service exports to the UAE, our largest food trading partner, increased by 67% in 2007 to US$170 million.
Afterwards, Dr. Ibrahim, MUIS CEO Alamy Musa Haji and Singapore’s Shariah Explanation OfficerSaid Isa bin MohammedThe newly revised MUIS certificate was launched on stage. The new certificate features different color schemes and incorporates security measures such as anti-copying and anti-piracy watermarks to prevent misuse and abuse.
Dewi Hartaty Suratty, Director of Halal Certification at MUIS, briefly outlined the latest developments in MUIS's Halal certification. MUIS's current strategic priority is to become one of the world's leading halal certification authorities. To better implement halal standards, MUIS has recently introduced HalMQ, a halal quality management system. HalMQ, which has the same status as two other global certifications, ISO and HACCP, is already well-known to many companies. By January 2010, the HalMQQ standard will be fully implemented. MUIS Halal certification is now officially recognized in key markets including Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait. Furthermore, the use of natural ethanol and the natural colorant E120 in the production of halal spices has been approved after legal review.
Another exciting development is the upcoming "whole-factory" halal certification program, targeting companies whose entire product portfolio meets halal standards. They want to have their entire factory certified so that all their products can use the halal logo. This approach offers numerous benefits, including lowering costs, increasing competitiveness, and building credibility.
Several food manufacturers and food service chains that have successfully introduced and implemented the HalMQ standard were invited to share their experiences implementing HalMQ initiatives and leveraging the influence of Halal certification to expand their market share. These companies included Abbott Singapore, Old Chang Kee, T&T Food City Pte Ltd, Jumain Sataysfaction, Carousel Restaurant, and Pastamania. Each company shared their perspective on the challenges they encountered in implementing HalMQ and the benefits they experienced.
The seminar concluded successfully after two rounds of discussion. Most of the questions were directed at Devi. A concerned audience member pointed out that Carousel Restaurant still serves alcoholic beverages, questioning the validity of its Halal certificate. Devi pointed out that Carousel Restaurant only chooses to guarantee Halal dining for certain rooms rather than the entire restaurant, so it is allowed to sell alcohol.Ibrahim TanThe restaurant added that the dining area is well separated so Muslim customers are not bothered by the presence of alcohol. There has also been significant interest in the whole-factory certification program. Devi stated that further details will be announced before the program's implementation in October.