Turkish "Halal" organization is close to presenting certificates of approval for the first time
Zafar Soylu, head of the Turkish Halal Products Accreditation Authority, said that the authority has started receiving requests for accreditation by institutions in several countries, including Germany and Russia, for approval, promotion and training.
Zafar Soylu, head of the Turkish Halal Products Accreditation Authority, said that the authority has started receiving accreditation requests from institutions in several countries, including Germany and Russia, for approval, promotion and training.
This came in an interview made by Soylu, to Anatolia, during which he highlighted the point that the commission reached, noting that the authority's board of directors was established last April.
This body is the only authority competent to certify and approve Halal products and services in Turkey.
And Sweilo pointed out that they had previously completed the infrastructure for employee training, stressing that employees who will be certified should receive very good training and education.
He explained that the credibility of the accreditation body depends on accepting the certificates it granted abroad, noting that many entities such as the International Organization for Standardization and the Institute of Standards and Metrology of Islamic Countries (SMIIC) have developed standards related to accreditation bodies.
Soelo stressed the importance and necessity of the effectiveness and efficiency of workers in accreditation bodies, noting that they have provided the capabilities necessary for workers to receive the necessary training in this field.
He explained that the workers who received the necessary training received a certificate after a 7-month training period, and now they can take the necessary accreditation procedures.
** Requests from different countries
Soilo noted that among the accreditation body team are academics and professors at universities, as well as food engineers, chemists and experts in jurisprudence, adding, "We have completed our online program, as it is possible to apply for accreditation through the electronic space."
"And since our infrastructure is already ready, we have started collecting applications for accreditation in the field of halal. So far we have received applications from Germany, Azerbaijan, Russia and Thailand. This indicates the importance of the work we are doing."
Soilo noted that they have received more than 10 requests so far, adding, "There are institutions with a large size in their fields that applied for obtaining accreditation certificates from the Turkish Halal Accreditation Authority.
** Halal certificate to be reliable
In a related context, Sweilo explained that the accreditation that they grant will be sufficient to show the credibility of the various evaluation institutions, adding, "Therefore, the institutions and bodies that claim that their certificates give them reliable and truly benefit the meaning of halal, must be certified by us."
He continued, "This procedure is not compulsory, but if these institutions want their granted certificates to be reliable and valid, they must take credit from us."
Commenting on what is being raised from time to time that Halal certificates have recently been granted with ease without taking the necessary measures as required, Soylu said, "All these allegations are unfortunately true, as there are serious problems with regard to granting Halal certificates for products in the entire world, not Turkey alone, Sometimes all the required standards are not applied, and without the necessary inspection and supervision.
"And this is because the number of institutions that grant Halal certificates exceed one thousand around the world, but in Turkey it is close to 40 institutions. But are all these institutions granting certificates after taking all the required procedures, and according to the recognized international standards? Unfortunately no that happens".
Soilo also pointed out that because of this, consumers are now unable to trust the necessary form in the Halal certificates and their slogans, adding, "Therefore, the need necessitated the establishment of a strict monitoring system."
** Various standards reduce reliability
In a related context, Sweilo pointed out that there is currently no joint application in the entire world regarding halal standards, there are different standards and practices.
He added, "This matter will raise doubts among the consumer about the reliability of the Halal certificates that are granted from more than one party according to different standards. But we, as the Turkish Halal Accreditation Authority, are adopting standards, the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries."
Soilo also stated that after the start of the granting of credits, the institutions that have been accredited will be announced through the International Information Network (Internet).
It is noteworthy that the size of the market for halal products in the world is about 4 trillion dollars, in which about 400 institutions operate around the world, granting "halal" certificates, without the presence of a body that monitors these institutions.
On November 28, the Halal Products Exhibition for the OIC Member Countries was opened at the Eurasia Arts and Exhibitions Center in Istanbul.
This was the fifth edition of the World Halal Summit and the seventh for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and it carried the slogan "Halal for generations: the importance of family and youth".
The exhibition activities continued until December 1, with the participation of more than 250 local and foreign companies from fifty different countries, specialized in the fields of food, finance, tourism, cosmetics, health, packaging, chemistry and fashion.
Besides Malaysia, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iran, Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Afghanistan and Indonesia participated in the exhibition, in addition to Turkey, which has become a pioneer in the field of global halal products.
** Halal products market in numbers
According to a report on the global halal market for the year 2018, the number of Muslims in the world reached 1.8 billion people in 2017, representing 24% of the world's population.
This number is expected to increase by 70% in the year 2060, i.e. the total will be three billion Muslims worldwide.
This significant growth in the number of Muslims is driving the global halal market to grow further, as it is expected to reach $ 9.71 trillion by 2025, after reaching about $ 3.7 trillion in 2012, according to the same report.
Many countries are competing to acquire the largest percentage of the halal products market, especially since the growth rates of this market are large and yearning
Future expectations enhance the idea of appetite for them.
However, Turkey is strongly seeking to differentiate from other countries in this sector. Far from the largest international exhibition of its kind, the country recently established what is called the "Halal Accreditation Authority" (HAK).
According to previous statements by the President of the World Summit on Halal Products Yunus Etti, Turkey is able to acquire $ 400 billion worth of the market for halal products.
In the banking sector, the country owns 5% of banks that comply with Islamic law, and it has $ 55 billion worth of Islamic financing market, in addition to the tourism sector, which is the most promising sector that is currently growing strongly in Turkey.
But Turkey is seeking to occupy an advanced position in the halal products sector, as the ten most exporting countries in the halal market - according to a recent statistic in 2017 - were: India, Brazil, Austria, the United States, Argentina, New Zealand, France, Thailand, the Philippines, and Singapore.
While the share of those countries in the halal products market reaches 85%, and the share of Muslim countries is 15%, led by Malaysia and Indonesia.
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