On July 22, Dr. Ismail Abdelhamid, Adviser on Research and Technology, the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) was represented as a Panelist in webinar on the ICCIA Leadership Talks: “Quantity vs. Quality” Enhancing the Halal Food Value Chain.
The webinar was attended by the Secretary General of the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC) - Mr. Ihsan Ovut, Director General of the Islamic Chamber Halal Certification Services (ICHCS) – Mr. Ashraf El Tanbouly, Secretary General Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) – Mr. Tamer Mansour, Vice Chairman Permanent Committee for Middle East & OIC, Indonesia Chamber of Commerce & Industry – Mufti Hamka. And chaired by Ms. Aalia Jafar, Director of International Relation, ICCIA.
Dr. Ismail Abdelhamid detailed the key challenges that are being faced the world to ensure sufficient availability of food. He explained the environmental and climate changes that affecting the food supply chain with focusing specially amid the effect of COVID-19 and Locust outbreak. Both the pandemic and the outbreak of the transboundary locust has brought unprecedented uncertainties in global food supply chains, with potential bottlenecks in labor markets, input industries, agriculture production, food processing, transport and logistics, as well as shifts in demand for food and food services. These mentioned factors and others remain the world with food insecurity and proof the need for more strong, resilient, and more environmentally friendly food system.
Dr. Abdelhamid explained the priorities areas that IOFS its focusing to overcome the challenges of food security. He detailed on the Workshop on Development of National Gene Banks Proposes Innovative Methods of Increasing Biodiversity in OIC Member States as a Two-day Virtual Workshop on Gene Banks. He mentioned other IOFS running strategic programs such as Centers of Excellence for the basic agricultural commodities and the Islamic Food Processing Association (IFPA).
Supplying Safe, Nutritional and Halal food production, process and trade playing pivotal role of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Science and Technology Innovation Framework. IOFS as specialized institution of OIC understands that food security always goes hand in hand with the safety of Halal food. Food safety and Halal goes in tandemly as the companies that obtained Halal certified likewise required to have global food safety certification.
The panelist agreed that Halal is not just end product certification or only restricted to the raw materials and ingredients per se but also involves the entire food safety processes of handling the halal products before being consumed by Muslims.
