On September 15th, 2014, at the meeting hall of Guest House T78, Ho Chi Minh city, the Government Committee for Religious Affairs (GCRA) held a workshop with the theme “Halal certification – situation and solution”
The workshop was chaired by Mr. Bùi Thanh Hà, Vice-Chairman of the GCRA and attended by representatives from Security - Social Affairs Department under Ministry of Public Security; Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Southern Institute of Social Sciences and the provincial Committee for Religious Affairs of provinces and cities and Muslim communities in the locality.
Speaking at the workshop, Mr. Bùi Thanh Hà, Vice-Chairman of the GCRA stressed the importance of the workshop "Halal certification - situation and solution" and regarded it as a progress for the promotion of the economic development of Muslim communities in Vietnam in particular, contributing to the national economy in general.
Currently, there are nearly 300 organizations related to the certification and granting of the Halal certification from 122 countries and territories. These organizations include state management agencies (eg: Malaysia, Thailand); Muslim Organizations (as in Indonesia), Research Institutes (as in Japan), and private companies (accounting for a majority of all Halal related organizations).
According to Mr. Bùi Thanh Hà, Muslim countries do not have any agencies to grant the halal certification because these countries put into law Halal requirements for 100% products manufactured. So there needs to have a scientific organization with clearly provisions and standards, and supervised and intervened by the government in case of need; the Halal seal should be registered with the international community for recognition.
