Malaysia as a “Global Halal Hub”

Halal (Arabic:حلال, ḥalāl, Halaal; means lawful or legal) is an Arabic term designating any object or an action which is permissible to use or engage in, according to Islamic law. It is the opposite of haraam. The term is widely used to designate food seen as permissible according to Islamic law (Sharia, الشريعة الإسلامية). It is estimated that 70% of Muslims worldwide follow halal food standards and that the global halal market is currently a $580 (U.S.) billion industry. Establishing Malaysia as a “Global Halal Hub” has been the aim of the Malaysian Government for many years. In this regard, the establishment of the Halal Industry Development Corporation Sdn Bhd (HDC) reflects the seriousness of Malaysia in pursuing this objective. HDC has been tasked to further boost the Halal agenda in terms of standards development, branding enhancement as well as commercial and industry development. In the spirit of co-operation and collaboration, HDC will leverage and utilize existing Malaysian know-how to build partnerships around the world and ultimately enable more people to benefit from the positive attributes associated with Halal.