After the opening ceremony, the forum started with a session that provided participants with an overview of the global and the European Halal industry. This session began with a presentation on the concept of Halal and its growing importance in today’s economy by the Grand Mufti of Bosnia-Herzegovina, H.E. Dr. Mustafa Ceric.

Hajjah Jumaatun followed suit to present the latest figures on the potential of the Halal market, deliberate on current issues as well as provide suggestions on how to tackle possible repercussions in the global Halal market.

Following Hajjah Jumaatun was Dr. Cédomir Nestorovic, a Professor in the Management Department of the ESSEC Business School in Paris. He focused specifically on the European Halal food industry covering its current potential, trends and issues.

Next up on the rostrum is industry expert, Mr. Frits Van Dijk, who is the Nestle Suisse S.A.’s zone director for Oceania, Africa and the Middle East. In his presentation, he deliberated on the growing significance of Halal in global market expansion.

The session closed with an interactive panel discussion chaired by Mr. Darhim Hashim, CEO of the International Halal Integrity (IHI) Alliance, with Drs. Irfan Sungkar (WHF/ KasehDia industry advisor) and Hajj AbdalHamid Evans (Imarat Consultants senior analyst) as panellists.

After lunch, the forum resumed with a session that saw four presentations and a panel discussion covering the topic ‘Halal as a preferred choice and industry challenges’.

The session started with a presentation by the president of Intertek Food Services, Dr. Jochen P. Zoller on bridging the gap between international food safety standards and Halal standards.

The next presentation was by Mr. Bahri Ouzariah (vice CEO – Halal food group, Oriental Viandes Group, France) who presented the growth of Halal products in the retail market. Following that was a presentation by a member of the World Fair Trade Organisation Europe talking about Fair Trade focusing on upholding product integrity for consumer interest.

YBhg. Dato’ Dr. Mohd. Hashim Ahmad Tajudin, group managing director of the Chemical Company of Malaysia Berhad, followed suit to talk about the pharmaceutical industry as an emerging Halal growth sector.

An interactive panel discussion chaired by logistics expert, Ir. Marco Tieman (CEO of LBB International) with Mr. Darhim as panellist ended the session and the first day of the forum, with participants looking forward to more informative sessions that will take place tomorrow.

The first session of the second day of the World Halal Forum (WHF) Europe in The Hague kicked off with deliberations on major issues and concerns in the Halal industry with regards to supply chain management, animal welfare and ritual slaughter.

The session started with a presentation by Ir. Marco Tieman, CEO of LBB International, who spoke on preserving Halal integrity in the whole supply chain, followed by a joint presentation on animal welfare and Halal animal production according to Shariah by Dr. Michael Appleby and Dr. S. Abdul Rahman, both council members of the Farm Animal Welfare Council, UK.

The next presentation was by Dr. Joe Regenstein (Professor – Head of Cornell Kosher and Halal Food Initiative, Department of Food Science, Cornell University, US) who discussed the challenges and advantages of ritual slaughter.

This first session was closed with a panel discussion chaired by Dr. Irfan Sungkar (WHF/ KasehDia industry advisor). The panellist was Mr. Syed Rasheeduddin Ahmed, founder and president of the Muslim Consumer Group for Food Products USA.

After a short coffee break and networking opportunity, the second session began with the main title: ‘Halal Certification and Regulatory Framework’. The first to take the rostrum was Mr. Darhim Hashim, CEO of IHI Alliance, who explained the Halal certification and regulatory issues to the participants. Mr. Darhim’s presentation was followed by a deliberation on the importance of comprehensive and modern Halal standards in production process by Mr. Rafaiq Bakri Zakaria, director of strategic management of the Department of Standards Malaysia.

A panel discussion chaired by Imarat Consultants senior analyst, Hajj AbdalHamid Evans, closed the second session with an interactive discussion with the participants.

The final session of WHF Europe was the resolution formation panel, which was made up of key speakers and panellists, including Mr. Darhim; Drs. Irfan; Hajj Abdalhamid Evans; and Prof. Dr. Joe Regenstein.

Updates on the resolution and the developments of the resolution will be posted on the WHF website, www.worldhalalforum.org.