UNITED ARAB EMIRATES-HALAL MEAT.
A growing worldwide demand for Halal products, combined with a lack of worldwide standards, is causing the Muslim world to take a serious look at the need for standardization.
Halal, like Kosher, is the principles of Islamic law governing goods from production through consumption.
The Halal industry is now worth an estimated $2.1 trillion, with more than $20 billion of that in the Middle East.
Ram Menen, divisional senior vice president cargo for Emirates, notes that Halal products account for the majority of meat transported through Emirates’ hub in Dubai, and "are a very important segment for Emirates SkyCargo."
As a result of a lack of uniformity in how Halal products should be handled in the logistics supply chain, the International Halal Integrity Alliance (IHI Alliance) has been tasked to harmonize these standards worldwide, according to Marco Tieman, CEO of LBB Teams, a Kuala Lumpur-based company created to assist companies in organizing networks of suppliers and manufacturers.
"Halal logistics is the process of managing the procurement, movement, storage and handling materials, parts, livestock and semi-finished inventory, both food and non-food, through the organization and the supply chain in compliance with the general principles of Shariah (Islamic) law," he said.
According to IHI Alliance, the global Halal market "is devoid of a significant non-governmental organization presence or position that can provide accreditation to certification bodies…due to the absence of a constructive platform for the industries to communicate and network."
As a result, industries and consumers are "being bombarded with various interpretations of the meaning and application of Halal which often contradict each other."
Tieman said that Halal authorities in different countries have been developing their own Halal standards in certifying transportation and warehousing facilities. Those standards vary with some non-Muslim countries using private sector initiatives while in Muslim countries the government has a Halal Authority which has its own standard.
The key to compliance with Halal is the segregation of Halal products from non-Halal products, Tieman said. This is to avoid cross contamination, shipping mistakes and " ensure consistency with expectations and perceptions of Muslims," he said.
"If there is not such a (segregation) standard in a country, Halal and non-Halal products are mixed together on a pallet or put together in an ISO container. Furthermore, things can go wrong in value adding areas, where Halal and non-Halal product flows are combined. The Halal performance of a supply chain is only as good as its weakest link."
While Halal perishables are required to be separate from non-Halal goods, "containerization through smaller air cargo boxes would simplify segregation, so that both can still be put on one air cargo pallet," Tieman said.
Areas specifically being considered for standardization include storage where Halal and non-Halal goods are segregated. This will require at least a different racking or floor area where "the issue of pork meat is very sensitive;" assurances that the two are not mixed on a pallet, or in documentation and labeling; and "with the Halal Supply Chain mark to say that this is a Halal certified cargo," he added.
Halal perishables come from areas as diverse as Brazil and Australia, with the latter exporting 43,071 tonnes of mutton, 17,685 tonnes of lamb and 3,312 tonnes of beef in 2006, according to the IHI Alliance.
Halal accounts for 80 percent of imported foods into the UAE. In 2007 the Emirates consumed 7.8 percent of the world’s lamb and beef imports and 15 percent of all poultry imports.
