IFANCA News
 IFANCA Delegation at 1st International Conference On Halal Food Control In Saudi Arabia

February 12-15, 2012: An IFANCA delegation, including Dr. Muhammad M. Chaudry, Dr. Mian Nadeem Riaz, Mr. Rachid Belbachir and Mr. Adil Khan, was present at the 1st International Conference on Halal Food Control in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Hosted by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), the conference brought together both the scientific community and religious scholars from across the globe to explore ways to make halal standards an international benchmark. The conference served as a platform to encourage the cross-pollination of ideas and experiences between countries on halal food.

Dr. Chaudry, President, IFANCA, reviewed the current status of literature about halal. Despite living in an age of information overload, when it comes to halal, we still have a dearth of accurate information, he said. Intended for a wide audience comprising consumers, researchers, regulators and the food industry, his talk covered the availability of literature on critical halal issues such as manufacturing technologies in creating unique ingredients and products; use of novel ingredients in re-designing conventional products and producing imitation products. He also discussed interventions to enhance nutritional characteristics; marketing and international trade aspects of halal foods; and the use of alcohol in food processing, non-alcoholic drinks and non-alcoholic beverages that still contain alcohol.

 Dr. Riaz, Director, Food Protein R&D Center at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA, spoke on the Halal Status of Food Additives. He introduced his talk with a definition of food additives and acknowledged that producing some products would not be possible without them. However, there are additives that are questionable with respect to their halal status, he said. "Some common additives are derived from sources that are not halal, for example, pigs, and animals slaughtered contrary to Islamic requirements. Even when the food additive is listed in the ingredients statement, the source of the additive is not. For the food industry to serve the halal market properly, it is very important that they know the halal status of additives," he said. He also shed light on current additives that are not required to be listed on the ingredients label, for example, processing aids and anti-caking agents. Because of how they are processed, some foods may unintentionally be contaminated with non-food additives that are not halal such as food grade equipment lubricants, he said.

In attendance were industry representatives from a wide range of institutions including attendees from diary and non diary, red meat, halal food franchise, bread, chocolate, biscuits, beverages, organic produce, supermarkets, and much more. Others in attendance were representatives from hotels, restaurants, as well as halal certification agencies.