Halal Industry In China

Malaysian companies that sell halal products and services can benefit from the lucrative market offered by China’s Belt and Road trade route, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Companies should seize this opportunity as they can profit from the high growth potential of the halal market in the area, he added.

“We are seeking to tap the growth opportunities arising from the Belt and Road trade routes with China which has some 30 million Muslims with an annual halal market growth of 10%,” he said in his speech at the launch of the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (Mihas) trade fair here yesterday.

Mihas is billed by Matrade, its organiser, as the world’s largest halal trade show.

The event, first held in 2004, generated RM1.14bil in sales last year.

Last year, Malaysia exported RM39.3bil worth of halal goods and services globally, with China, Singapore, the United States and Japan the four biggest importers.

Dr Ahmad Zahid said the halal market was still under-served as the supply of halal products was not matching the growing demand.

“Only a few countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Australia are exporting halal goods. Demand has overwhelmed supply. There is an urgent need to create more halal suppliers in these areas,” he added.

He said a challenge facing the industry was the lack of a single unified halal standard.

“There are now more than 200 bodies issuing their own halal certificates and logos.

“The countries involved should foster mutual recognition of each others’ certification to overcome the problem,” he added.

He also called on Asean member countries to develop the halal industry by creating structured programmes, and an efficient and seamless global supply chain in order to move halal from a niche to a mainstream industry.

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Halal Certificate In China

There is no national Halal certification authoring organization in China. Therefore, when you travel around China from provinces to provinces, you may find that Halal Certificate are various in different areas of China. The current practice in China is that each province or autonomous region has its own policy concerning Halal food regulations. For instance, here in Beijing, we have Beijing Halal Food Management & Regulations which specify the details of how to start Halal food business and how to get Halal Food Certificate.

How to apply for a Halal Certificate in China? Here is a general plan for applying Halal Certificate in China. Of course, each province and autonomous region has its own, more specific requirements based on their regional Halal Food Management & Regulations. You need to provide required documents such as the photo copy of the Muslim who will be in charge of the Halal establishment, a certain percentage of Muslims hired by your Halal establishment (25% is the minimum requirement in Beijing) to the Ethnic Affair’s Office of the city or county where your Halal establishment will be located. Halal Food Management & Regulations of some provinces and autonomous regions stipulate that Halal Certificate can also be applied at Local Islamic Associations. Therefore, when you travel in China, you may find Halal Certificate issued by Ethnic Affair’s Office and Islamic Associations of the local city. Let’s take Beijing as an example. Beijing Halal Food Regulations When purchasing Halal food or raw materials for cooking Halal food, Halal Certificates or Halal Slaughter Certificates issued by county, or city level Government Ethnic Affairs Office or Islamic Associations must be presented. The Chinese character “Qingzhen (Halal)” in Chinese must be clearly seen on the packaging. The tools, containers and other processing facilities of Halal food processing, transportation, storage must be guaranteed to be used only for Halal food and there must be a person responsible for this. The label of “Specially for Halal” has to be clearly marked on Halal food processing facilities and storage facilities. There must be a Muslim who knows exactly Halal food traditions in the managing team. Muslims hired by the establishment have to reach a certain percentage of the total employees (25% is the minimum requirement). Non-Muslims hired by the establishment have to be trained in the field of Ethnic Policy, Ethnic Tradition and Religion. The establishment must have Business License, Hygiene License and Tax Registration Certificates. Halal food establishment must be inspected and approved by the Ethnic Affair's Office of County or District level government and Halal Certificate issued by related government offices must be hanged on your establishment. This means that if your Halal establishment is located in Beijing’s Chaoyang District, you need to bring necessary documents to the Ethnic Affair's Office of Chaoyang District and your Halal Certificate will be issued by Chaoyang District Ethnic Affair’s Office.