São Paulo – The Halal Slaughtering Group (GAH), which certifies the application of Islamic rules in the production and processing of livestock in Brazil, has just signed a partnership with the National Independent Halaal Trust (NIHT), of South Africa.
"We are the first Brazilian organisation to get the approval of this certifier, which is the most important in the country. Our sales (Brazilian exports to South Africa) were punctual, and now we may have greater flexibility to export to the region," said Ali Ahmad Saif, president of the Halal Certification and Inspection Department.
According to him, NIHT controls halal slaughter for around 500 companies in the African country, among them large distributors, supermarket chains and fast food chains like Nando’s.
According to Saif, despite South Africa not being an Islamic country, approximately 25% of the buying power in the country is in the hands of Muslims. "So it is practically impossible to supply meat that is not halal," he said.
In early February, the person responsible for the South African certifier, Moulana Abdo Wahab Wookay, travelled to Brazil to visit slaughterhouses and to learn about the certification standards of the country. The meeting was sponsored by BPI, a Danish trading company that has a branch in Rio de Janeiro.
According to Saif, the agreement contemplates the sending of Brazilian technicians to South Africa to test and show Brazilian certification of halal products. "We are going to promote exchange of employees with the objective of aligning our form of slaughter and control of exported products," he explained. "Halal slaughter in South Africa is among the most respected in the world. And exporting there we should have access to other markets, like the Arab countries in North Africa," he added.
In South Africa, around 90% of the halal products are turned to the domestic market. Brazil, in turn, ships most of its halal products abroad. "This space won by Brazil on the South African market is very important. In the 112 countries in which there are Muslims, a population estimated at two billion people worldwide, the movement of halal products is around US$ 150 billion in the food sector alone," he pointed out.
According to Saif, amidst the international economic crisis, when there was a significant reduction in Brazilian exports of beef, products of halal origin won new markets, mainly in the Middle East.
Halal food
Halal food is cultivated and processed according to Islamic religious and hygienic rules. This requires that no food contain impurities. One example of this is the part of animals that is in touch with faeces and urine, immediately discarded at the slaughterhouse.
At the time of slaughter of cattle, for example, they must be turned to Mecca, but before entering the site of slaughter, a prayer is said for the animal, which must be slaughtered fast and painlessly, in the first cut.
Contact
GAH
Site: www.gah.com.br
E-mail: halal@ gah.com.br
Telephone: (+55 11) 4338-7776
*Translated by Mark Ament
