(ANSAmed) - BARI, MAY 4 - Discussion on how certifying
products as 'halal' can be good for business was discussed as
part of the Italian and Arab Enterprise Bourse with
participation by the head of the WHAD-World Halal Development
certifying body, Annamaria Aisha Tiozzo.
''Accessible in terms of price and procedure'', halal
certification is not obligatory in all Muslim-majority countries
but having it ''opens up a huge market'' with clients in Europe
as well, she said.
Halal products have been prepared according to Islamic law
and is free from pork products, alcohol and certain other
prohibited ingredients. They include food as well as cosmetics
and pharmaceuticals.
''Having halal certification,'' Tiozzo said, ''helps a great
deal to widen one's market, but we should not forget that while
it is true that Saudi consumers have the laregst pro capita
spending on cosmetics, which can be as much as 40,000 euros per
year with an average of 30,000 per man, it is also true that the
best market for 'halal' certified products is still Europe.''
A company that wants to export cosmetics at the moment does
not need to certify it as 'halal except for in a very small
number of countries.
''However,'' Tiozzo noted, ''it has a big opportunity because
statistics show that halal-certified cosmetics have grown at a
steady +15% for the past ten years and that 30% of those who buy
halal cosmetics are not Muslim.''
Moreover, ''putting a halah certification on a product makes
it possible to increase the price, since the consumer is willing
to accept a slight rise if what they are buying has been
certified.''
Issuing the halal certification, however, must be a body that
complies with the standards of exporting countries for which, in
some cases, specific accreditation is required.
Created from Islamic food regulations, halal certification
covers food but also anything that enters the body including
pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, which does through the skin.
The only case in which the certificaton also pertains to
clothing is for leatehr shoes and for clothing that must not be
made from any byproducts of pigs, which are considered 'haram',
prohibited' and 'nagis', impure.
The standards to be complied with for the certification cover
both the product itself and the entire production chain, with
the need to certify that there is no contamination or human
error in handling the merchandise.
''There are actually two certifications,'' Tiozzo said. ''One
of the process, and thus also the production site, and another
that of the product, which ascertains that all the ingredients
are halal.'' (ANSAmed).
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
