'Halal products favorites of all the world, not just Muslims'

Thanks to its unparalleled standards in such areas as cleanliness and healthfulness, halal products are the favorites of people all the world, not just Muslims, said a top official of the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC).

International interest in halal products grows greater each day, Mahmut Sami Şahin, SMIIC vice president and also head of the Turkish Standards Institution (TSE), told Anadolu Agency during the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) Halal Expo and World Halal Summit, hosted in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul.

Halal refers to products and services that conform to Islamic guidelines, but Şahin argued the term should no longer be considered as purely religious, as actually it is an area with a very large trade volume worldwide.

The global halal market, including Islamic finance, food, tourism, cosmetics, medical products and textiles, totals $7 trillion, according to World Halal Summit Council.

Touching on the current expo and summit, he said there is high attendance from all around the world thanks to the rising interest in halal products.

Muslims are sensitive about halal due to religious necessity, he said, adding: "People want to consume halal products, so they need to access halal products."

Within the framework of this need, the SMIIC was established in Türkiye in 2010 with 13 countries, as a significant step, he said.

The standards were prepared within the framework of Islamic rules, he noted.

So far, approximately 50 standards were published by the SMIIC, and Türkiye adopted all of them, he stressed.

Ensuring uniformity in halal concepts among Islamic countries will make a great contribution to boosting trade, especially between Islamic countries, he said, adding that the umbrella group SMIIC is a good platform for this target.

He stressed that with 47 member states, SMIIC is a large intergovernmental institute, and one of the most important for Muslim-majority countries, adding: "The world is following SMIIC's standards very closely right now."

The Turkish Standards Institute aims to share its experience with other countries, especially Turkic republics and North African countries, he said.

"We have undertaken a mission to convey its experiences to countries within a three-hour flight distance, we're working on this," he explained.

He said the institute hopes to remove hurdles to boosting trade ties between Türkiye and countries in its region.

The institute services Türkiye and Islamic countries in a wide geography with its 27 laboratories, he added.