Ensuring 100% Halal: The Brunei Halal Approach

The nascent Halal industry is still a long way from being perfect and ample cases of abuse and fake certificates bear testament to the challenges facing the industry. Foremost is the issue of Halal integrity itself.

For the uninitiated, Malaysia Halal and now Brunei Halal are the only government-backed Halal standards and logos in the world, while the rest are managed by local imams or religious councils, whose integrity is at times questionable.

Between these two Shafie-professed nations, there exist a distinct approach and methodology to protecting the rights of its local population for Halal food. If Malaysia takes the voluntary-consumer approach, Brunei is taking the compulsory-commercial approach, or the own brand approach more commonly associated with products by hypermarkets and retail giants.

Depending on which side of the economy one represents, each has its own merit and justification, as explained by Noel Shield, CEO of Ghanim International Food Corporation Sdn Bhd, a locally registered company tasked to developing the Brunei Halal brand.

“Brunei Halal is an initiative by the Bruneian government under the wishes of His Majesty to diversify their economy from over dependence on oil and gas,” said Noel. “It is a global commercial brand that acts as an umbrella for key sectors within Halal, including food, pharmaceuticals, health and beauty, cosmetics and tourism.”

Instead of certifying existing products as Halal and subjecting it against a set of religious parameters, Bruneians take total control of the product. Through numerous measures, they had designed a Halal integrity programme that makes sure every factor involved in the production of the Halal product and beyond, is in accordance to their strict Halal requirements.

“Brunei Halal products can be manufactured anywhere in the world, and sold anywhere in the world,” said Noel. “Companies have to adhere not only to Halal requirements but also other encompassing standards including HACCP and GMP as well as other environmental, health and safety and management certifications.”

Under Brunei’s Halal accreditation system, emphasis is not only given to certification but also to production, packaging, logistics, as well as commercial aspects. To determine what type of Halal products are to be produced, extensive studies and market research would be conducted. The product is then tailor-made according to exact consumer specifications, in accordance to Brunei’s Halal requirements.

According to Noel, his company Ghanim International – the 50:50 joint venture between Ireland-based Kerry Group and the Brunei government – has access to years’ worth of market research and experience that simply eliminate any uncertainties in launching a new Brunei Halal product.

To protect integrity, two full time representatives trained by the Bruneian Religious Council will be present on site during the entire production of the products. In addition, scheduled or surprise audit and inspection exercises will be carried out throughout the entire contract duration, with no involvements from any other third party.

For Brunei Halal, Ghanim’s main mission is to accelerate growth not just organically but also by brand acquisitions and partnerships. With the huge backings and resources available from the government as well as from their parent company, Brunei Halal products looks set to occupy prime retail space on the international supermarket shelves within the coming years.

“We are targeting the best sector, which is the high end product range. We have so far appointed five manufacturers in several countries and we’re expecting to have about 10 to 11 manufacturers by year end,” said Noel. His key target markets include the UK, Middle East, Europe, USA, as well as several regional opportunities.

He is also convinced that this consumer-driven approach is the best way, if not the only way to totally control Halal’s integrity throughout the entire supply chain, from farm to fork. “Take anything out of the equation and we will lose control, and hence we lose all Halal integrity.”

Whether or not Brunei Halal is a better approach than Malaysia Halal Standard, he said, “The pie is big enough. The problem with Halal is that there are too many bodies out there with small or very limited resources, with huge technical resources.”

He added that representatives of both countries have already begun talks to harmonise their respected Halal standards, but he for one, does not see other Islamic countries following any time soon. “A harmonised the global Halal standard will never happen. There are too many different interpretations. We need uniformity to have a single standard.”

Regardless of who is “more Halal” than whom, the fact that 75% of the Kosher buyers in the US are Muslims simply points to a huge and unsatisfied market that demands for quality Halal products. If Halal is accepted as a fardhu kifayah, working to fill this demand is actually incumbent on all Muslims in their respective capacities. Halal should also be the economic mainstay of every OIC country. Or it is because we just don’t care?

By Kamarul Aznam Kamaruzaman, Editor, Halal Media. Email him at kamarul@hmedia.my.
Cover Pic from Metallichick.