A Different Kind of Invasion

My husband and I took the time off to visit Paris after we were sure that my daughter, Nikkie was perfectly adjusted in her new school in Switzerland. It would also be a good time to do the usual R & R/ rest and recreation and take time off from my busy schedule.

While in Paris we were invited to dinner by a classmate of mine from the University of the Philippines (UP) who now works in the Sales Department of the plush Four Seasons Hotel in France. Dinner was a get together of former classmates from UP who are now staying in Paris happily married or enjoying a successful management career in the big hotels there. Seeing my classmates in such high management positions was indeed over whelming. Our conversations ranged from where our classmates now and what are they doing; the government of P-Noy and the UP people we knew who are now members of his government team and to Mindanao affairs. One of my friend who works in a food distribution company in Paris said that Halal food is very popular now in Europe. That really caught me off guard!
What Halal? Popular in France? Halal is not even so popular here in Mindanao. How many of us look for halal food in restaurants or in groceries or in the markets?

In my advocacy with our Muslim businessmen especially those in agriculture and food; I would always encourage them to look into the opportunities of halal food and I would cite that our neighbors with big Muslim population is a huge market. Never did I think that halal food would be popular also in France.

Halal foods are foods that are allowed under Islamic dietary guidelines. According to these guidelines gathered from the Qu'ran, Muslim followers cannot consume the following: pork or pork by products animals that were dead prior to slaughtering animals not slaughtered properly or not slaughtered in the name of Allah blood and blood by products alcohol carnivorous animals birds of prey land animals without external ears these prohibited foods and ingredients are called haram, meaning forbidden in Arabic. Halal is One of the Most Humane Methods of Animal Slaughter Muslims are taught through the Qu'ran that all animals should be treated with respect and well cared for. The goal is to slaughter the animal, limiting the amount of pain the animal will endure. When an animal is slaughtered, the jugular vein is cut and the blood is allowed to drain from the animal. Remember, Muslims are prohibited from consuming animal.

France has the largest population of Muslims in Europe, about six million and the market for halal is twice the volume of the market for organic food which is also a hit in Europe. Halal market is growing nearly 10 percent a year and is estimated to reach about $ 5 .7 billion this year.

Halal foods are not only found in the usual small neighborhood stores but are now already found in french food industries, supermarkets and even restaurants. There are a good number of restaurants that serve Halal in traditional French dishes like boeuf carottes and cervelas de volaille; cans of foie gras; and bottles of Night Orient, an alcohol-free champagne made from grape pressings.

This is a far cry from the situation here in Mindanao where we seldom could halal food in our groceries or even halal good in fine restaurants

I visited a major French supermarket and I found an entire aisle devoted to halal food products, including chicken sausage, paella and lasagna. My friend told me that one supermarket chain called Auchan, carries a total of over 100 certified-halal cured meat products, along halal frozen goods and precooked halal meals.

Évian (the bottled water) has even placed a halal stamp on some of its bottles to reassure its Muslim clientele that the bottles had never been in close contact with alcohol, which would render the water haram, or unclean.

Our businessmen in the ARMM should pursue now with greater aggressiveness their capacity to produce Halal products that are internationally accepted . There should also be a move to introduce halal menus in our restaurants all over Mindanao not only as a support to our Muslim brothers but as well as for its health benefits.


(Joji Ilagan Bian is a strong and respected advocate for the development of the region. She is Chair of Joji Ilagan Foundation ( www.jojiilagancareercenter.com) ; President , Phil. Call Centers Alliance and Mindanao Tech Voc Schools Association; Mindanao Rep, Export Development Council. Email comments jojibian2@yahoo.com)