Islamic chambers of commerce take great interest in matters related to halal products keeping in mind the needs of Muslims, particularly those living outside Islamic countries.
The issue was addressed recently by members who participated in the 38th General Assembly of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture that was held in Muscat.
Given the importance of the issue, a workshop was organised on halal activities with the discussion focusing on many issues of interest to intra-trade among Islamic countries, in addition to commercial partnerships to promote trade exchange and the application of best practices in the business sector among Islamic countries.
This of course will help in promoting economic cooperation and sustaining relations between merchants, private sector institutions and companies in Islamic countries.
Some officials in the Islamic chambers have addressed the issue of “halal” products with the aim of enhancing their role in spreading the concept and culture of “halal” and contributing to the development of trade and marketing in Islamic countries and abroad, at a time when everyone hopes that the Islamic chambers will become the sole representative of the private sector in this regard.
The Islamic chambers are entrusted with taking responsibility for issuing “Halal” documents and certificates in case of import and export.
Muslims today are very interested in eating “halal” foods and staying away as much as possible from what is forbidden to them with regard to meat and processed products.
Today, forbidden fats are used in many industries for female purposes, products, sweets and daily uses. There are many sweets, chocolate products, milk and cheese made from products of animals other than cows, camels and goats, some of which are made from pork meat and pork fat, which Islam forbids eating.
Many Islamic families scrutinise these products when purchasing them, especially families on holiday in Europe, America, some Asian countries and Australia. For Muslims, today hotels and resorts offer chefs from Islamic countries to provide “halal” meals to become the fastest growing in global trade.
Data issued by the Islamic economy for the year 2020 indicate that halal products accounted for 3.7 per cent of the total world trade, and their value globally exceeds $2.2 trillion, of which $1.7 trillion is spent on halal food and beverages, while tourist resorts and international hotels tended to deal with “halal” products, providing them to Muslim families, and refraining from selling or offering pork products of all kinds.
This has resulted in the “halal” food and beverage trade representing 30 per cent of the total food trade worldwide.
Today, there are more than two billion people consuming “halal” food and drinks around the world, while several non-Muslim countries have entered into this trade through the help of Muslims in the process of slaughtering animals according to the Islamic method and not using electric shocks or anaesthesia before slaughter, which are the methods used in most European countries too.
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