Tehran to Host 1st Int’l Halal Confab in December

The First International Halal Conference is scheduled to be held from December 4 to 7 in Tehran under the theme of “Halal Orientation: The New Global Trend”, the international affairs deputy with Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture said.

Mohammad Reza Karbasian added that increasing Iran’s share in the global halal market is the main goal pursued by the conference, which is organized by ICCIMA in collaboration with the Trade Promotion organization of Iran, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Iran Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, ICCIMA’s news portal reported.

According to former secretary-general of the Federation of Iranian Food Industry Associations, Abolhassan Khalili, it is estimated that Iran’s share of the $2 trillion global market currently stands at $250-300 million.

Abdolhossein Fakhari, secretary-general of Global Halal Institute, puts the share at $5-6 million, way below Khalili’s estimate.

The difference can be explained by the fact that although 100% of Iran’s food exports are halal, not all exports are made under the official halal brand.

Halal is an Arabic word meaning “permissible” or “lawful”, the opposite being “haram”, which means “forbidden” or “unlawful”. The two terms govern almost every aspect of Muslims’ lives, including food, clothing, banking and traveling.

In recent years, halal has evolved in meaning to encompass a range of hygienic and high-quality food products, cosmetics, personal care products, leather goods and food ingredients.

Under the definition proposed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in 1997, halal food incorporates not only production and processing procedures, but also the manpower, transport, storage and equipment used in different stages.

Technavio’s market research analysts expect the global halal food market to multiply at a speedy rate, with a compound annual growth rate of more than 14% during 2015-19.

Initially, halal food was consumed only by Muslims, but now they are favored globally by people of all religions and ethnic backgrounds, as they are known for being safe, hygienic and of high quality.

With the rise in demand for halal food products, producers from non-Muslim countries such as the US, Brazil and Australia are keen to tap this opportunity.

According to the Islamic Chamber of Research and Information Center, 1,500 food companies have obtained halal brand licenses in Iran.