THE BOOMING HALAL INDUSTRY

One might think of ‘halal’ as just being a set of Islamic rules about food and drink, but the global halal industry is an ecosystem by itself which incorporates everything from medicines, cosmetics, fashion and many other industries.

Malaysia is currently one of the key players in the global halal market with the country’s halal exports is projected to hit USD12 billion by 2020 (The Malaysian Reserve, 2019). For Malaysia’s halal industry to accelerate this growth and become a global halal hub, STI must be leveraged upon. Advancement STI has driven the proliferation of halal ingredients in products in processed food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, personal care and more. This is reflected in the standards practised by companies that produce halal products and services which require employees to have a background in Halal Sciences.

The ASM Task Force on the Science of Halal Initiative is led by Academician Tan Sri Dato’ Ir Ts Ahmad Zaidee Laidin FASc. This Task Force has developed a position paper which highlights the need to establish an enabling ecosystem supported by national policies and strategies that address the opportunities and challenges of the global halal industry and how to leverage on STI to support the industry. The key recommendations are:

• To empower the Majlis Halal Malaysia to oversee the development of the nation’s overall Halal agenda, including research for Halal Sciences. The Majlis Halal Malaysia should be supported by a think tank for Halal Sciences comprising policymakers, scientists and industry representatives to identify the niche and priority areas of halal-related research.

• The Halal Sciences think tank should create and manage a dedicated fund to support Halal Sciences research, from basic research to experimental development. It is proposed that the Halal Science think tank work closely with the Majlis Halal Malaysia to secure funding sources from both local and international bodies (for example Organisation of Islamic Cooperation- OIC and Islamic Development Bank- IDB) for research projects.

• Halal Sciences research consortiums should be supported to encourage local scientists to work together and coordinate the talents, resources and facilities. A database of Halal Scientists, their expertise and research publications should be developed to facilitate networking and collaborative efforts, improve visibility to both the scientific community as well as the relevant stakeholders and act as a reference point for all Halal Science researchers.

• Platforms such as the Malaysian Collaborative Network for Disruptive Innovation (i-Connect), should be supporting local halal small and medium sized entreprises (SMEs) to digitalise their operations and encourage collaborative R&D with local universities on Halal Sciences.