Just like Kosher, Halal Hub has become one of the most successful global business in the world. This is because every major halal certification and religious bodies are working closely with halal manufacturers, suppliers, sellers, buyers, consumers, end users etc.. It becomes the most efficient supply chain I have ever seen myself.
In Malaysia, Halal; like Islamic Banking; has affect almost everyone's life - Muslim and Non-Muslim alike. The Halal Hub construction owned by Perbadanan Industri Halal Berhad stands as a living proof that Malaysia is really serious about Halal.
The only setback is to network more effectively with other Halal authorities to ensure whatever being imported are according to the Halal Standard (for Malaysia, it's MS 1500 (latest version recently issued) - combined with GMP dan where applicable HACCP) Two other issues need to be addressed is export and penetration to the global Islamic Market and the acceptance and recognition of FDA.
I'm aware of the Codex Alimentarius Commission thinks about Malaysia's Halal prospects.
Having Codex is a good thing but it's of not much use if everyone is having their very own standards and codes of practice especially such codes are customized according to the differents sects (Madzhab)
Thus, the Islamic World need to come out with a more comprehensive "Codex" that takes into account the circumstances of hukum based on native Islamic country which may have a certain "leeway and tolerance". If it is to be too stringent, then we may encounter a little bit of a problem of achieving the KPI of increasing the number of halal entrepreneurs. As in many cases, it's not about too many "tolerances or leeways", it is about enforcement.
What is recommended to be done besides giving the Halal certification, the most important is the authorities should have more men, not necessarily paid salary staff but even appointed from the general public. They need to be like "Rakan Cop" and report back to the authorities for further action. But first, they need to be properly trained. (perhaps such module can also be combined into short courses for handling food? - Health Inspectors? Municipal Councils? any takers?)
We shouldn't adopt the attitude wait for report to be lodged, wait for witness, wait for evidence of non-conformity etc, then we'll take action. Halal is not about firefighting, it's about adequate follow-up & surveillance.
I also notice the "Sharie Council" is focussed more on popular fast food chain rather than the slaughtering house. I recommend there should be at least one religious officer to control a certain zone of halal manufacturers from some sort like a kiosk or something like that.
The other challenge is about talking more on OTHER food products rather than focussing "too much on meat and slaughtering issue" I take an example, Artificial White Wine Non-Alchoholic Drink - many Muslims are having "was-was" about the product as well. The attitude need to be changed.
There is also a dire need for the global Halal Authorities to compare within such Codex (perhaps in the Annexure), the difference between Halal and Kosher as well - what can and what cannot be taken.
Despite this "Islamic Codex" may be a bit thicker but I'm sure judging by the success of Islamic Banking with all the thick "codes of practice", I'm confident that Halal can also dominate but playing a harmonic role with Kosher.
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A bit about GMP from SGS
Good Manufacturing Practices Certification or GMP Certification provides independent verification and certification necessary for the implementation of an effective Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) food safety program.
GMP is a sanitary and processing requirement applicable to all food processing establishments. Many food industry companies have implemented the GMP certification scheme for food processing as the foundation upon which they have developed and implemented other food quality assurance systems and food safety management systems, such as HACCP, SQF 2000, ISO 9001 and ISO 22000.
Certifying your food management system against the GMP standard will bring the following benefits:
Enhancement of your food safety management system;
Demonstration of your commitment to producing and trading safe food;
Prepare you for HACCP certification;
Increase in consumer confidence in your products; and
Prepare you for inspection by regulatory authorities and other stakeholders (food processing regulation compliant).
*If you are required to have your management systems certified against a multiple international safety or quality standard, you can combine the parallel requirements with good manufacturing practices and cover them cost effectively with a single food audit.
