MANILA, 25 October 2006 — Having Philippine-processed food certified as halal will be one of the foremost concerns of Ambassador Antonio Villamor when he assumes his post in Riyadh.
“Our halal process has not yet been fully accepted by Saudi Arabia. I’d like to pursue that,” said Villamor, who noted that the expansion of the Kingdom’s food market to Philippine products would mean more opportunities also for Muslims in the country.
He noted that the creation of the Mindanao Halal Certification Board last week was a step to facilitate the entry of the Philippines into the food retailing business in Saudi Arabia, where there are an estimated 930,000 Filipino workers.
“The Philippines failed to cash in on the international halal market. It is high time that a local certifying body, although privately led, be formed,” Ustadz Ismael Ebrahim, vice chairman of the Mindanao Halal Certification Board was quoted as saying in a local newspaper report.
The new 15-member board, comprised of muftis and scientists, earlier crafted guidelines on what comprises halal based on Islamic injunctions.
Halal certificates usually state that a certain food product is free from haram and has been prepared according to Islamic religious standards.
The global halal market is estimated at $80 billion.
“The guidelines were collated from other countries (such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and Thailand) practicing halal certification,” Ebrahim said.
He pointed out that even large food companies in the Philippines (such as San Miguel Foods, Swift Foods and Bounty Fresh) have been asking for halal certification to take advantage of the 240-metric-ton order from Brunei for halal chicken.
