The Global Islamic economy adapts to the new normal in the global market, which involves Halal food, modest fashion, media & recreation, Muslim-friendly travel, Halal pharmaceuticals, Halal cosmetics, and Islamic finance.

The Halal food industry continues to grow even if the meat supply chain has been disrupted by the pandemic. Consumers were exposed to the consumption of alternatives to animal protein (e.g., plant-based burgers). Halal cosmetics were also affected, but the industry remains resilient and adapted to the trend in the new normal, which created the opportunity for new product lines such as hand and face creams and sanitizers.

According to Atty. Saidamen Pangarungan, Secretary of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos “any substance that will effectively and safely protect people is considered halal.”  This includes the Covid-19 vaccines.

Muslim leaders in the United Kingdom (UK) have issued a favorable ruling on the matter. The legislation states that the UK government confirmed that the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine does not contain any components of animal origin.  The brand also claimed that all vaccine components are either plant-based or synthetic. Likewise, AstraZeneca and Moderna also stated that their vaccines do not use gelatin or pork products. Muslim leaders in Indonesia, which consists majority of the Muslim community, recently certified the Chinese vaccine, CoronaVac, as Halal.

This information was presented by the Halal Section of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) – Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) during the Philippine Export Competitiveness Program. To know more on upcoming EMB events/ webinar visit their website at http://www.tradelinephilippines.dti.gov.ph. – PKC