Ras Al Khaimah government has entered a joint venture with Canadian-based technology company vLinx, to regulate the Halal food industry.
His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, criticised the absence of a credible system to observe quality standards of Halal food despite demand worldwide.
To combat this, the government has teamed up with vLinx, using the company’s eCatalogue transaction engine, which eliminates unnecessary procedures between buyers and sellers of Halal food, reduces costs, and sets high quality standards for products.
Kombiz Eghdami, CEO of vLinx, said vLinx Halal deals exclusively with food products that adhere to Sharia principles, in order to boost their economic potential in the market.
“Muslim nations need to create a global standard for the Halal food industry, as the economic implications of its potential are being hindered by conflicting rulings on what Halal is. Many producers are forced to repeat certification processes to accommodate different regulations,” Eghdami said.
The vLinx technology — currently used in 10 countries — is said to allow industry professionals to access a virtual global Halal exchange.
HH Sheikh Saud said the UAE is expected to import US $10 billion worth of Halal products within the next five years, and added that Ras Al Khaimah would provide competitively priced storage and logistics facilities at its Free Trade Zone.
“The Halal global market is fragmented, and there are no global standards or formal trade hubs,” Eghdami commented.
“But by creating a global presence in the UAE, local players can use the Halal concept to penetrate new markets by transacting with partners in China, Asia, the UK, and the US. vLinx will help bridge the gap.”
The deal comes after the director of the International Halal Alliance, Haji Abdalhamid Evans, spoke at the recent Halal Food Conference in Dubai, saying that the industry requires ‘one universally agreed certified standard’.
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