2nd International Halal and Healthy Food Congress, in coordination with SMIIC, Halal and Healthy Food Platform and Konya Necmettin Erbakan University was held on 07-10 November 2013, in Konya, Republic of Turkey.
The congress where SMIIC was one of the co-organizers was an annual continuation activity of the SMIIC Forum 2012 which was held on 08-09 November 2012, in Antalya, Republic of Turkey. During Congress, SMIIC CBs Programme Working Group Meeting, TC2 and TC5 Meetings were concurrently held.
The Congress aimed to increase the awareness of Halal and Healthy food amongst consumers and producers. The selection of halal and healthy food at all levels of the food chain, from the farm right up until the fork was considered. More than 52 national and international Guest speakers presented their papers in various areas of Halal and Healthy Food including:
- Halal Standards and Accreditation,
- Halal Slaughtering; Istehalah (Transformation or Conversion of Najis to pure),
- The spiritual importance of Halal and Healthy Food in our lives,
- The principals of healthy nutrition,
- Nutrition in special periods and diseases,
- Important points to take into consideration whilst buying food,
- Principles of a healthy kitchen,
- Relationship between environment and healthy nutrition,
- Vitamin and mineral supplements,
- Usage of herbal supplements as medicine,
- Food poisoning and its affective factors,
- Veterinary drug residues in animal foods,
- New food production techniques,
- The use of hormones in animal production and its probable hazards,
- GMO plant products today,
- Genetically modified animal products,
- Organic agricultural production, product market and pricing,
- Potential risk factors in seafood,
- Soft Drinks: production and ingredients used,
- Cereal and cereal products from a Halal perspective,
- Milk and milk products,
- Meat and meat products for Halal meat production,
- Sugar, confectionary and sugar used products for which sugar is used,
- Fruit juice, beverages and their products,
- Edible oils and margarines,
- Food additives and illnesses,
- Natural Foods and Recipes,
- Implementation of TS OIC/SMIIC 1 Halal Food general guidelines,
- Russia-Turkey: on the way to Halal consolidation,
- Halal on the GSM: Halal product verification mobile application,
- Attitudes of Modern Scholars against drugs and relationship between historical reality,
- Food and scholars, their bases for safety,
- The problems of food security and their treatment in the Holy Quran and Sunnah,
- Halal Food and Metrology,
- Istehalah and Istihlak in perspective,
- Istihlak (Theoretical results of physical changing in terms of Halal food),
- Istihlak and examples in Islamic Law.
The Congress also included a poster session for which 64 posters in the area of Halal and Healthy food were presented and evaluated.
The Congress attracted a huge audience of national and international guests also from SMIIC Members Bodies, academics, students, producers and consumers over four (4) days.
The Congress brought people interested in the area of Halal and healthy food together, where academics had a chance to present information and the participants could ask questions to academics from Turkey and different countries during the four days. Many academics are working in this field and this congres was an opportunity for them to present their findings.
SMIIC Technical Committee 1 and 2 Chairpersons and Members also gave speeches in various fields during the Congress as well as the director of the Fatwa Department from International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA).
