Local business association hosts Halal food seminar

MGTO visits the international showcase of Halal certified food

A seminar was held by the Industrial Association of Macau to familiarize local caterers with requirements in Halal gastronomy

The association has invited the Imam at the Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong to speak at the seminar. The local Muslim Imam Ding Siaojie was also on the panel.

About a year ago, the local Imam underlined in an interview with the Times that it was difficult for Muslims in Macau to access Halal food.

The seminar covered information related to the requirements and application procedures of the Halal accreditation.

Chui Yuk Lum, president of the organizer of the seminar, explained the necessity of the event by citing the 28 million counts of visitors to Macau last year. He added that despite the direction of developing tourism, leisure and gastronomy, there is not much Halal food in Macau.

He also said that the Middle-East will be a major source market to Macau, so the lack of Halal food here should be remedied.

Recently, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) led a Macau delegation to a Hong Kong food fair in the attempts to make contact with the Halal community there.

Despite the effort, unlike most international airports around the world, the local airport still does not have prayer rooms, which are crucial to Muslims who need to say prayers five times per day.

About a decade ago, Grand Coloane Resort was among the first, if not the first, hotel in Macau to run a Halal-accredited restaurant.AL