UAE mandates registration of imported halal products
Business Mirror
August 23, 2016
THE United Arab Emirates (UAE) has issued an advisory covering halal products entering that country. The halal products include food, beverages, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, including production systems and services associated with these products.
The advisory takes effect on January 1, 2017.
Cabinet of Ministers Resolution 10/2014 requires products entering the UAE from abroad to be certified by the country’s Emirates Standardization and Metrology Authority (Esma).
The resolution strongly encouraged exporters to register directly with the UAE-Esma.
In a memorandum, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Export Marketing Bureau Director Senen M. Perlada said the halal secretariat under the DTI is working closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Philippine Accreditation Bureau for the country’s accreditation with the UAE.
Perlada said the process is expected to take some time due to legal and diplomatic procedures plus technical procedures involved in harmonizing halal country standards. He assured exporters the DTI will issue an advisory as soon as the country’s accreditation has been recognized and readily available for Philippine exporters.
On May 24 Republic Act 10817, also known as “The Philippine Halal Export Development and Promotion Act of 2016,” was signed into law to encourage and support the establishment of a single umbrella organization of halal-certification bodies that can be tapped by standard setting and regulatory agencies to assist in the development and in monitoring the application of internationally accepted halal certification standards.□