DAVAO CITY, 1 November — Food manufacturers in this southern city have all agreed to comply with the halal standard to make their processed food products acceptable to local and foreign Muslim consumers. Dorothy Du, president of the Food Processors Association of Davao (FPAD), said all food processing firms in the city are willing to invest in getting a halal certification for their products. Next month, FPAD members will join a seminar on halal certification program. The seminar, which will be spearheaded by the Department of Trade and Industry, is aimed to enlighten food processors on halal spiritual requirements and other internationally accredited food safety and quality managements systems. The seminar will deal on how to ensure that the products are free from pork and alcohol, safety in sourcing of ingredients, raw materials, processing, storage, handling, slaughtering techniques and distribution. Halal foods are now supplied by large corporations like Magnolia and Purefoods in Mindanao.
