The Islamic Food Council of Europe (IFCE) organized its first International Halal Food Conference at Brussels, Belgium on April 23, 2004. The one-day conference was very well attended. Speakers from government Halal programmes from Malaysia and Singapore as well as speakers from the food industry in Europe, the USA, West Africa and Asia were invited to present papers. The conference was officially declared open by H.E. The Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Belgium who also spoke about Halal and its importance to the Muslim Ummah. The Chairman of the IFCE, Prof. Dr. Mohamed Sadek, gave a welcome address and thanked several food industries in USA and Europe for their strong support of Halal by sending attendees and contributing funds towards organization of the conference. Prof. Dr. Aisjah Girindra, President of the World Halal Council, who was unable to attend in person had her keynote address read by Prof. Dr. Mohamed Sadek. She spoke of the need for Halal certifiers to work together to develop common Halal certifying and auditing procedures. She stressed the importance of unity amongst Halal certifiers and gave credit to the IFCE and its Chairman for putting together the conference. She commended Prof. Dr. Mohamed Sadek for his commitment and vision towards moving the IFCE in the right direction. Dr. Girindra expressed her strong support to the IFCE and wished it all the success.

Papers were presented by government speakers from Malaysia and Singapore. They highlighted the Halal certification and enforcement programmes in their countries and discussed their Halal Guidelines and import requirements. Speakers from Nestlé West Africa spoke about Nestlé's Halal programme and the benefits of its relationship with IFANCA. Modus operandi of their Halal Programme was elaborated and the benefits derived from this experience. Several other speakers from the food industry in Europe made presentations. Francois Fleischmann from Rousselot, gave an excellent presentation on Halal gelatin manufacture and the problems which must be addressed. Edee Innis from Firmenich gave an excellent presentation on Halal Certification and how beneficial it has been for their corporation in Europe and the USA. She also discussed why IFANCA and IFCE were selected to assist them in Halal Certification of their products. Professionalism and responsiveness were among the major reasons for working with IFANCA and the IFCE.

Prof. Dr. Jinap Selamat from the University of Putra Malaysia spoke on Halal and HACCP. The speech was very informative and useful to the food industry personnel in attendance. Bonnie Bell from the giant, Nutrlite/Amway, spoke on the importance of Halal to their corporation, especially with the very large market in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. She commended the IFCE for organizing such a conference and described the benefits they had derived from their relationship with the IFCE. Richard Skinner from Danisco spoke about their organization's relationship with the IFCE and the benefits derived from this relationship. He spoke eloquently about the IFCE's global commitment and support to their global Halal Certification programme. Several other speakers also spoke and stressed the need to stay the course and help improve the Halal Certification programme.

The IFCE Chairman presented awards to the governments of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore for their commitment and dedication to the Halal Certification Programme in their respective countries.

The Islamic Food And Nutrition Council Of America (IFANCA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Ehsan Sairally as Regional Director, Canada. Before his promotion, Mr. Sairally was IFANCA's Regional Representative in eastern Canada. Mr. Sairally has 25 years experience in the food industry. He holds a bachelors degree in Nutrition and Food Management and a diploma in Hospitality Management from Ryerson University. He is a member of the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology.

Mr. Sairally has a strong record of community service and has organized several nutrition and health seminars in the Toronto area. He also serves as President of the Muslim Soccer League of Toronto.

In his position, Mr. Sairally will have responsibility for continuing to strengthen and promote Halal Certification in the Canadian food industry. On behalf of IFANCA's Board of Directors, Dr. Ahmad Sakr, IFANCA board member, congratulated Mr. Sairally on his promotion.

IFANCA is a Chicago based, not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting Halal food and the institute of Halal. IFANCA is also registered in Ontario as a not-for-profit organization. IFANCA works with the food industry to help it meet the needs of Muslim and Halal consumers. IFANCA currently certifies more than 500 companies in twenty countries.

For further information, contact Dr. Muhammad M. Chaudry, 773-283-3708 or IFANCA Email.