It is expected to have over 150 exhibitors from Turkey and other major countries in the global Halal industry such as Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Brazil, France, Germany, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and The United Arab Emirates. About 30,000 participants are expected at the event. A seminar about Halal food will also be held on 14 August at 10.00 hrs. Further information and details may be obtained at:

Tel: (90 212) 273 18 18

Fax: (90 212) 273 18 19

E-mail: info@halalistexpo.com

Website: www.halalistexpo.com

The Royal Thai Embassy in Ankara believes that the exhibition will be a good opportunity for the Thai manufacturers and exporters of Halal food to reach out to new markets, both within Turkey and other countries within the same region, by creating new alliances with the Turkish businessmen that have good relations and wide network with the markets in the Middle East and Central Asia.

The Turkish market is quite large with a population of over 71.5 million where up to 98 percent are Muslim (Sunni). However, Turkey is an open market because it is a secular state that separates religion from the state; this differs from many other Islamic countries. Because of this, Turkey does not have any import constraint on the standard of Halal food. All imported food products (except some categories that have its own specific additional restriction) must comply with the regulations of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, whereby a Control Certificate (same as “Import License”) for imports must be obtained from the General-Directorate of Production and Control which is an organization under the control of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. In addition, the product must also receive a Sanitary Certificate (not “Halal Standard Certificate”) from the Food Standard Organization of the place of origin. The product must also be labeled in Turkish language.

                                                                        Source: http://news.thaieurope.net/