Obama's pick for food safety chief surprises consumer advocates

Posted in: USA
Is it time for America to reassess its meat and poultry industry and consider a bit of wholesome and pure? The number of recalls, illnesses and deaths associated with contaminated meats and poultry has remained steady since 2004, despite government and industry pledges to make food safer. This month, Russia banned U.S. imports of chicken out of concern about a chlorine wash American producers are using to disinfect poultry.

Jan 29, 2010 - 6:37:49 AM Read more

Walmart unveils new global sourcing strategy

Posted in: USA, Retail
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. said Thursday it is reorganizing its global sourcing structure to reduce costs, accelerate speed to market and improve the quality of products. The initiative is part of parent company Walmart's new global sourcing strategy, which includes creating global merchandising centers, changing leadership and structure, and forming a strategic alliance with global sourcing company Li & Fung.

Jan 29, 2010 - 6:32:15 AM Read more

Fundamentals of Halal Foods and Certification

Posted in: USA, Halal Integrity, The Americas
PF-Jan-10-Cover.jpg
Formulating products for the growing, massive halal market requires knowledge of processes and ingredient characteristics. The following article which features in the current Prepared Foods magazine in the US, clearly outlines this for people new to the concept of Halal, and how or why you might want to get Halal certified.

Jan 26, 2010 - 5:14:01 AM Read more

MarketTrend: Kosher- and Halal-Certified Foods in the U.S.

Posted in: USA, Research
food_drink.png
'MarketTrend: Kosher- and Halal-Certified Foods in the U.S.' is a new report from Packaged facts. It delivers an in-depth analysis of the market for kosher and halal foods in the United States, with an emphasis on opportunities in the mainstream market.A summary of the content is included here.

Jan 26, 2010 - 4:44:26 AM Read more

Marketing to Muslims poses a challenge for retailers

Posted in: USA, Retail

Eidmubarak.jpg
The issues surrounding marketing to the American Muslim consumer are clearly not simple for retailers and marketers. While the collective spending power of the Muslim community is impressive, there are obvious risks associated with reaching out directly. The L A Times article reckons that "Happy Eid" wont be joining "Merry Xmas"  - or even "Happy Hanukkah" any time soon.


Jan 25, 2010 - 10:44:04 PM Read more

Anchorage's first halal grocery opens

Posted in: USA, The Americas, Retail
istockphoto_2888803-old-map-of-alaska.jpg
Anchorage is now home to nearly 4,000 Muslims, up from a hundred or so when Lamin Jobarteh, who hails from the West African nation of Gambia arrived in Alaska to attend graduate school in the 1990s. After watching the growing community order bulk shipments of Halal meat and speciality groceries from Seattle and Vancouver for years, Jobarteh left his career as a business banker and has now opened 'Alaska's First Halal Grocery'.

Jan 19, 2010 - 7:00:34 AM Read more

For Some, ‘Kosher’ Equals Pure

Posted in: USA, Meat & Poultry, The Americas
istockphoto_5732452-halal.jpg
There are many similarities between Kosher and Halal. The way that Kosher is perceived in the market has a lot of significant parallels to Halal. At this stage, as is shown in the article, Kosher is more of a mainstream product than a religious one. It is very likely that Halal will follow suit in this respect.

Jan 13, 2010 - 8:20:22 PM Read more

US Green Mosques

Posted in: USA, The Americas
1098037_masjid_in_madinah.jpg
WASHINGTON DC -- A growing awareness of everything environmentally friendly is taking place in mosques across the United States, which are joining hands with grassroots faith-based groups to encourage the mainstream society to work towards better environmental stewardship.

Jan 10, 2010 - 10:25:53 PM Read more

Global Standards Needed To Promote Halal Industry, Says US Envoy

Posted in: USA, Halal Integrity
Malaysia and other Asean members need to come up with universal standards in their effort to promote the halal industry, according to US ambassador to Malaysia, James R. Keith.

Jan 8, 2010 - 12:56:10 AM Read more

Halal-Certified Cosmetics – At A Website Near You

Posted in: USA, Asia, Halal Integrity, Personal care
Award-winning company, Sunrider International, manufactures over 415 products including a line of health and beauty products that are certified as halal by IFANCA. Twenty-year-old CNI Enterprise, a multi-level marketing company based in Malaysia, also offers its own range of halal-certified cosmetics.

Jan 7, 2010 - 11:41:54 PM Read more