Newsletter Halal Italia March 2012 / Newsletter N° 004

After a thorough inspection of the Halal Italia offices and the halal-certified slaughterhouses, on January 10, 2012, the Ministry of Environment and Water of the United Arab Emirates officially recognized the certification of Halal Italia. This must be counted as a great success achieved through study and the careful implementation of a successful quality system for slaughterhouses in particular, and for worldwide agribusiness in general. In February 2011, another important accreditation was obtained from MUIS (Islamic Religious Council of Singapore), opening up the South-East Asian market to companies with Halal Italia certification.

For the first time, in a government-program agreement between the State of Malaysia and the Italian Republic, a paragraph on halal cooperation is included. Halal Italia and CO.RE.IS. Italiana (Islamic Religious Community) have both been named in this bilateral agreement signed in Milan on September 26, 2011 in order to make institutions and companies from both countries aware of the opportunities offered by halal certification. The first result of this agreement was the visit Halal Italia received from the important governmental entity which issues halal standards in Malaysia: JAKIM (Department of Islamic Development, Malaysia).

The first meetingof the Joint Italy-Malaysia Economic Committeeis held in Milan

Halal Italia is accredited in the two main halal hubsof the world:the UAE and SingaporeUNITED ARAB EMIRATES

MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT & WATER

EMAIL info@halalitalia.org / WEB www.halalitalia.org

From 19 to 22 February 2012, GULFOOD, the largest food & beverage trade show in the Middle East took place: for 25 years it has played host to food companies from all around the world. Among the most important events was the conference which presented Halal Italia-CO.RE.IS. Italiana to the 200 Italian companies exhibiting. The conference was organized by the Italian Embassy in the UAE at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre on Tuesday, February 21 in the presence of the delegation from the Italian Ministry of Economic Development.

During the 1st International Conference on Halal Food Control & Exhibition held in Riyadh (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) from 12 to 15 February 2012, and at the invitation of the Saudi Food & Drug Authority, Imam Abd al-Wadoud Yahya Gouraud spoke about the importance of the Italian experience in halal certification. The imam is a prominent member of the Ethics Committee for Halal Certification of CO.RE.IS. Italiana (Islamic Religious Community) and Honorary Member of the Executive Council of the International Association of graduates of Al-Azhar University of Cairo. His report, Halal Food from Common Islamic Principles to a Global Muslim Community, pointed out how the sources of Islamic doctrine, the Koran and the Sunna (behaviour) of the Prophet Muhammad, constitute the guiding principles for international halal certification standards, and how the efforts of scholars in this field should focus on achieving a successful integration of the sacred principles of the Islamic religious tradition with national and international laws in the context of modern industrial production.

The first international meetingon halal in Saudi Arabia

Italy takes part in GULFOODin Dubai, with 200 Italian companies present

EMAIL info@halalitalia.org / WEB www.halalitalia.org

Among the Halal Italia certified companies present was PREGEL: a leading company in products for ice-cream, cakes and pastries.

Newsletter Halal Italia March 2012 / Newsletter N° 004

Newsletter Halal Italia March 2012 / Newsletter N° 004

In December 2011, in collaboration with technical experts from the cosmetics field, the Ethics Committee for Certification of CO.RE.IS. Italiana (Islamic Religious Community) issued the first Technical specifications for the halal certification of cosmetics and body-care products. This is the result of an interesting study of Islamic doctrine that has allowed Halal Italia to set out guidelines for the certification of production processes and company-staff training. The number of companies that use halal certification in this sector is, in fact, growing, with a worldwide growth trend of over 20% every year in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical fields.

CO.RE.IS. Italiana(Italian Islamic Religious Community)issues the first standardfor halal cosmetics

DISCIPLINARE TECNICOPER LA CERTIFICAZIONEDI CONFORMITÀ HALALDEI PRODOTTI COSMETICIE PER LA CURA DEL CORPO

REGOLAMENTO DI CERTIFICAZIONEE DI USO DEL LOGOE DEL MARCHIO HALAL ITALIA

DTP HLL-C 01

Revisione 01 del 5/12/2011

Even the most important certification bodies are interested in halal certification. An example of this is Bureau Veritas which, during its Open Days, organized an area where it was possible to find out more about Halal Italia certification. On March 5, 2012, the most recent meeting was held in Padua, following those in Turin, Rome and Bologna. While other certification bodies would like to absorb halal certification into their own certification offer, Bureau Veritas has started an interesting training project with Halal Italia, fully respecting their separate roles, that provides companies with Bureau Veritas certification a valuable means of being able to offer a new voluntary quality certification.

Bureau Veritas hosts Halal Italia in Turin, Rome, Bologna and Padua

The Italian Association of Foreign Trade (AICE), with headquarters in Milan, is a new partner of Halal Italia, having recently signed an agreement. AICE is a business association which, for over 60 years, has represented the interests of Italian companies in many different fields of production who do business abroad. The collaboration with Halal Italia and the agreement on behalf of member companies are intended to strengthen and facilitate exportation to Muslim countries which, in this uncertain economic period, represent healthy markets with great potential.

AICE signs an agreementwith Halal Italia

EMAIL info@halalitalia.org / WEB www.halalitalia.org

EMAIL info@halalitalia.org / WEB www.halalitalia.org

Newsletter Halal Italia March 2012 / Newsletter N° 004

Halal Certification in Italy: new opportunities for food made in Italy was the title of the meeting held on 1st February in Bologna from 9.30 to 13 at 4, Via San Domenico. The initiative was organized and hosted by Unindustria Bologna in collaboration with the Law Firm Zunarelli and Halal Italia. The programme of the event can be found on the website www.unindustria.bo.it.

Bologna is also the home of a major company that has recently been certified as halal by Halal Italia: Fabbri 1905 SpA, which has obtained certification for many items: from products for horeca, to syrups, to bases for ice cream, cakes and pastries.

Given the huge increase of activity at Halal Italia in both halal certification and in institutional collaboration with various regional, national and international organizations, we decided to open a new office at the Parco Tecnologico Padano in Lodi. The Park is a centre for Italian quality in the field of laboratory analysis, the coordination and creation of particular scientific research projects and is an interesting hotbed for new company start-ups. The collaboration between the Parco Tecnologico Padano and Halal Italia is sure to provide halal-certified companies with new synergies and innovative development prospects.

Unindustria Bologna sponsorsa seminar on halal certificationon 1st February

Halal Italia opens a new centreof operations at theParco Tecnologico Padano