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.
GIES: International Halal Certification Forum will address the unification of the halal industry
2025-05-15
At this year’s Global Islamic Economy Summit (GIES), the International Halal Forum (IAF) will embark on a unified halal standardization agenda.
IHAF Secretary General, Mr. Mohamed Saleh Badri, said: “The Global Islamic Economy Summit provides an ideal opportunity for IHAF to engage key stakeholders in discussing the importance of unifying the global halal food industry, as standards have been fragmented for a long time. This is now possible, and IHAF is committed to making it happen.”
Badri will be one of the speakers at the Global Islamic Economy Summit, which will be held at the Jumeirah Resort and Spa in Dubai on October 11 and 12. His goal is to highlight the challenges facing the halal industry and how IHAF is making unprecedented progress in creating an integrated halal market. The Global Islamic Economy Summit is the region's premier forum on the Islamic economy, bringing together world-class experts in key industry sectors across geographic regions and cultural boundaries to directly address the greatest challenges and opportunities in the Islamic economy.
Badri added, “Countries have different acceptable standards for certifying halal products, thereby inadvertently creating trade barriers. Standardization is key to the halal value chain. It is crucial for the industry to have a unified plan to ensure the development of appropriate specifications, requirements, and implementation of a suitable verification system.”
Headquartered in Dubai and led by the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC) and the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA), the Global Islamic Economic Summit is a network of independent, non-governmental certification bodies, all of which are authorized to enforce Halal standards in their countries and regions.
“We hope to create a global halal market that consumers can trust. With the establishment and guidance of international humanitarian law, halal standardization can be done systematically. We strive to familiarize the international community with how IHAF can play a role in the global halal industry,” Badri added.
IHAF aims to protect the growing number of halal consumers and promote international trade by building partnerships and multilateral agreements between countries that import and export halal products.
Badri explained that differences in beliefs and culture have often hindered efforts to establish a set of global standards for the industry, but with IHAF’s strategy and commitment, more and more countries are interested in the initiative.
Currently, IHAF has 10 members, including the UAE, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Egypt and the rest of the Gulf Cooperation Council.