LifeSciences Insight no 2 - 2010

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If it has to be sold, it has to be halal certified The demand for halal-certified goods is increasing rapidly on the global market. Novozymes is among one of the companies that for some time now has adapted its products so that they can be certified. By Birgitte Aabo

”Is it halal?” This question is being asked by a steadily growing group of conscious Muslim consumers, and they require a clear answer. No only when doing their shopping, but also when they are vaccinated, when they study the bottle with vitamin pills or choose toothpaste in the supermarket. The requirement for religious certification comprises a growing number of product groups in addition to food and has developed into a phenomenon which the major export companies in the Western world try to adapt to the various trades and industries all over the world. Such companies include Novozymes headquartered in Bagsværd in Denmark and supplying, among others, enzymes for food products and animal food. The comJes Knudsen, Global Halal Coordinator, Novozymes

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pany was already awarded the first halal certifications in 2000: Jes Knudsen, who is global kosher and halal coordinator at Novozymes, says: “Earlier on, it was sufficient if we could guarantee a vendor with Muslim customers that our enzymes did not contain any alcohol or animal food. However, requirements have become stricter within the past year, particularly in South East Asia, and this has caused Novozymes to react and have almost all our food product enzymes halal-certified”. There are many large Islamic organisations that have specialised in visiting companies all over the world and awarding production halal certification, and Novozymes uses one of the largest organisations known as IFANCA. This means that inspection visits are regularly paid to the production unit and also that sometimes, it is necessary to select other natural product vendors,


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