Halal industry and standardization

Abstract

The multiplicity of standardization in halal industry poses social and economic challenges. Shariah scholars are the major stakeholders in Halal Assurance System (HAS), aspiring towards uniform standardization by educating all stakeholders on the concept of halal (lawful). The halal standard is surrounded by confusion, as there are different governments, cultures, halal policies, schools of thought, laws and regulations, public interests and logos. International Halal Accreditation Forum (IHAF), based in UAE is acting as the apex body of current HAS and is focused on empowering and coordinating halal accreditation and certification bodies around the globe to unify its standardization process by establishing common protocols and achieving a robust zero tolerance HAS. The purpose of this research is to review and compare the differences in halal standards of IHAF with JAKIM-Malaysia, MUI-Indonesia, MUIS-Singapore and SMIIC-Organization of Islamic Cooperation and some certification bodies in European countries such as Croatia. Halal industry must ensure participation from the shariah scholars well versed in modern science to achieve universal standardized HAS. Shariah scholars, halal trainers and few HAS bodies in UAE were interviewed and the feedback indicate the influence of the global standardization on halal consumer psychology and on sustenance of HAS as a prospective global hub in UAE.