@Halal Nov/Dec 2019 | Page 4

04 @Halal | november-december. 2019 Malaysia On the road to halal leadership IHAB strengthens Malaysia’s position as halal leader World’s first halal pharmacopoeia in 2020 Malaysia is aiming to launch the world’s first halal pharmacopoeia next year, via a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Penang International Halal Hub (PIHH) Development Sdn Bhd (Halal Penang). USM Advanced Medical and Dental Institute director Prof Syed Azhar Syed Sulai- man said USM through its Halal Studies in Services, Research and Training (HASRAT) expected to launch the halal pharmacopoeia module next year. He said the halal pharmacopoeia would list ingredients categorised as halal includ- ing chemicals and non-chemicals to make it easier for consumers to identify the halal products in the market. “Pharmacopoeia will put a list of all chemicals and non-chemicals ingredients used worldwide for various aspects of the pharmaceutical field. People no longer need to refer to (several) reference materials before purchasing a product. Halal pharmacopoeia benefits not only Malaysians but all industry players and consumers worldwide. “According to the plan, we will (publish) the halal pharmacopoeia module both online as well as in hard copy. We will develop a website in the form of a subscription so that we can generate revenue at the same time,” he said at a press conference after the signing of the MoU between USM and Halal Penang, here yesterday. The MoU was signed by USM vice- chancellor Prof Faisal Rafiq Mahamd Adikan and PIHH chairman and state International & Domestic Trade, Consumer Affairs and Entrepreneurship Development Committee chairman Datuk Abdul Halim Hussain, on behalf of Halal Penang. T he establishment of the Inter- national Halal Authority Board (IHAB) confirmed the position of Malaysia as a global halal leader through the recognition of the authorities and halal certification bodies abroad. Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Fuziah Salleh said the body was part of the initiative of the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (JAKIM) to safeguard the interests of Muslims in halal certifications of halal food products and services. “The IHAB, which comprises the authori- ties and halal certification bodies from 45 countries, is able to move the aspiration towards uniformity and harmony in the process of implementing halal certifications in most countries in the world. “As of Dec 3, 2019, JAKIM has recognised 78 halal certification bodies from the countries concerned and the recognitions are given based on the compliance and implementa- tion of the halal standard which adheres to Malaysian characteristics and models,” she said. Strengthening Malaysia’s role in halal certification She was answering to the question asking about the plans of the government in increas- ing JAKIM’s role in halal certification. Fuziah said the recognitions indirectly became a mechanism of co-ordination at international level and these halal certifica- tion bodies must accept Malaysian halal standards. She also announced that Malaysia had been appointed as IHAB chairman and sec- retary general for the 2019-2021 term during the IHAB general meeting on April 1. Commenting on BMF Touching about the recent Buy Muslim First (BMF) movement, she said the government, HDC to create bigger halal market space in Japan M alaysia’s Halal Industry Develop- ment Corp (HDC) is capitalising on Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group’s (MUFG) huge customer base to create a bigger halal market space in Japan. HDC Commercial Division Senior Manager Suryati Mohd Hayani said by tapping into the bank’s strong 4,000 business partners worldwide, HDC will be collaborating with 40 MUFG’s clients in Japan through HDC’s Halal Industry Expert Development Programme. “It would be able to facilitate the onboard- ing of more potential Japanese companies onto the halal economy. “The move will not only help Malaysia seize more halal investments and trade in the future, but also create high-income employment opportunities for HDC’s trained Malaysian halal industry talents in Japan’s growing halal industry,” she told Bernama on the sidelines of the 16th Business Link Shobai-Hanjo business-matching event in Japan yesterday. The Tokyo-based MUFG is the largest bank in Japan and the fourth-largest in the world. Suryati said to date, of 60,000 individuals trained worldwide, 10,000 of them were certified as Halal Knowledge P ersonnel by HDC, a solid achievement which proved that the corporation is the biggest producer of competent halal industry talents in the world. Through the one-day business matching event, MUFG has linked 40 Japanese compa- nies to participate in HDC’s halal ecosystem development platform next year, she said, adding that it is a strong move to further strengthen the Malaysia-Japan cooperation in the halal economic development agenda. “Japan’s halal potential is huge, but the problem is the companies do not know how to get on board the halal space. And we are the right channel and trusted business partner for them to approach,” she said. Suryati said five business-matching ses- Trained for the halal industry The Global Haltech team together with IAIN Kendari after the halal training and MoU have completed. Global Haltech Sdn Bhd in collaboration with Global Halal Teknologi Serpong (Global Haltech Serpong), Indonesia has recently conducted a Halal Testing Training Program. The main objective of the program is to intro- duce the awareness and significance of Halal Science Practice for the halal industry. The participants consisted of four lectur- ers from Institut Agama Islam Kendari (IAIN Kendari), Indonesia. Trainers from Halvec Laboratories (the subsidiaries of Global Haltech Sdn Bhd) have been appointed to introduce, train and provide practical hands- on based on the modules for the participants. Halvec Laboratories is one of the panel lab of Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM). Better understanding of halal science The participants were first introduced with the Understanding of Halal Science. After that, the participants were trained with specific theoretical understanding on the Technical of Halal Scientific Analysis; (1) Por- cine Detection via Nucleic Acid Profiling, (2)