President's Message

2011 proved that the halal industry is not in its infancy any more, when one of the major bank corporations, HSBC put the statement in its advertisements at the airports, stating "halal trade is worth 3 trillion dollars globally". It is not an empty slogan to get attention. Every major food manufacturer in the world produces halal products; be it for export, for domestic consumption; for humanitarian rations; for the military; for school and university cafeterias and even for the airlines. The word halal was also very visible in the media, sometimes in an Islamophobic connotation but mostly in a positive reporting manner.

The IFANCA name appeared almost every week in the print and soft media. We also saw many conferences, expos, forums and workshops throughout the world addressing the halal stakeholders. Controversies erupted and biases came to the surface in many countries in the name of religion or animal welfare. None the less, the word "halal" spread. The year 2011 was also a year of expansion for IFANCA both in staff and number of certified companies and products. For three decades IFANCA has been the leader in halal education and technology. This year our leadership has taken us to new heights. Over the years we have had the opportunity to work closely with small businesses, large businesses, governmental organizations, animal rights groups, educational institutions and the list goes on and on. This year we have noted a growth in the depth and breadth of our work. This can be linked to the growth in the global economy and the increased reliance of this economy on the global Halal Consumer.

 These trends are projected to continue into 2012 with opportunities in every walk of life; halal foods, halal meat; halal pharmaceuticals; halal cosmetics; halal vaccines; halal nutritional supplements; halal processing aids; halal packaging materials; halal dinnerware and halal financing. The businesses, even in the worst economy will try to match and meet the requirements of halal life style. We look forward to working in the global environment to meet the needs of industry, retailers, consumers, government and educators. We hope to accomplish this while continuing to build IFANCA into a world class organization.

Muhammad M. Chaudry, PhD
President