Tokyo, Apr 5, 2010 - (JCN Newswire) - Tanaka Precious Metals is pleased to annunce it will be supplying companies in Japan and overseas centered on the Islamic world with two "Easy to use Pork Detection Kits" for the detection of pork in either raw or cooked food materials. The kits are produced to a high level of sensitivity.

These detection kits are Immunochromatographic assays(2) using nano-sized colloidal gold particles to reveal the result. The assays allows a rapid detection of pork in food samples in a short time and at a low cost without using any special equipment or requiring skillful techniques. In addition to food regulatory agencies and meat processors in Japan, these kits can also be widely used by manufacturers seeking to obtain widespread trust in the quality of their food products globally. The detection kits will also be of interest to trading companies that are considering new business opportunities in the Islamic world where pork is a taboo for religious reasons. The main features of these detection kits are as follows.

- Assays can be performed on spot in 10 to 15 minutes.
- Assays can easily be performed anywhere as no special equipment is required.
- The assay can detect pork levels as low as 0.1% in cooked food and 0.005% in raw food.
- The cost per assay is much cheaper than any existing methods.

In many regions in Japan, there have been growing concerns about food among consumers due to problems concerning meat processing. The mislabeling of ground beef in 2007 by the meat processing company, Meat Hope, and another company being found to include other undeclared species of meat in 8 of its 15 ground beef samples revealed by the government conducted survey using DNA techniques, has brought public attention to this species adulteration issue. The Islamic population, which accounts for a quarter of the world's total population, is expected to grow rapidly and the food market for this group is also rapidly expanding. It is anticipated that there is an increased interest and need in pork testing by Muslims for whom pork is prohibited from their diet.

Differences Compared to Existing Methods

Existing testing methods (PCR(3) and ELISA(4)) require special techniques and equipment, because of laborious procedures involved in sample preparation, extraction, analysis and obtaining results, many food processors and dealers have been unable to conduct sufficient testing for their meat products. These pork detection kits make it possible to increase the number of sample inspection and testing because each of the test kit can be rapidly performed on site with no special equipment or trained personnel required. In addition, the cost is only one third of the cost of existing tests or less. Therefore, it is suitable for conducting preliminary screening of large number of routine samples before using an existing method for confirmation, enabling an enhanced surveillance program of the food supply.

Easy to Use Pork Detection Kit
Time (to results): 15 minutes
Detection Limit: 0.1% (processed meat)
0.005% (raw meat)

Existing Methods: PCR
Time (to results): 6 hours
Detection Limit: 0.001-0.1%*

Existing Methods: ELISA
Time (to results): 5 hours
Detection Limit: 1%

* Varies with the types of the materials and sample
processing conditions recommended by each manufacturer.

Business Scenarios

Easy to use Pork Detection Kits will not only enable the testing of intentional adulteration of pork but also allows the detection of low levels of unintentional or accidental contaminations in various meat products. Potential applications of the detection kits include:

- Sample inspection of imported processed meat products.
- Monitoring the proper cleaning procedure of the equipment used by meat processing industry.
- Quality assurance and quality control of meat products at the retail level.
- Field inspection by national and municipal government organizations for food labeling law enforcement.

Countries such as Malaysia and Brunei are aiming at the centralized certification, management and distribution of halal food(5) for Islamic food markets that are expected to grow rapidly. By using these detection kits, it will facilitate the establishment of a more effective meat testing system and a reliable brand certification program. The government of Brunei has expressed strong interest in these kits and a demonstration was recently conducted in Brunei.

Tanaka Precious Metals will extend this similar technology to develop a variety of assay kits for diverse applications. Since pork fat has been commonly used as an ingredient in a wide range of meat and non-meat products due to its functional properties, we are currently working with Prof. Y-H. Peggy Hsieh, of Florida State University in the United States, to jointly develop a rapid immunochromatographic kit for detection of porcine fat, which is also prohibited under Islamic dietary law,. We are also engaged in the development of a kit which is able to detect pig-derived gelatin used in pharmaceuticals or food. We believe that we will make substantial contribution to the Islamic community by providing these convenient testing kits.

Tanaka Precious Metals will provide a demonstration of these pork testing kits at the Japan Meat Industry Fair 2010 to be held at Tokyo Big Sight from April 7 (Wed) to April 9 (Fri). The company is also aiming at selling 30,000 test kits per month in the first year and expect to increase the sell to 100,000 kits per month once potential marketing partners for the products have been identified.

For more information, please see http://www.japancorp.net/pdf/tanakametals/040210.pdf.


(1) Nano-colloidal gold: Colloidally dispersed particles of nano-sized gold as a means to generate visualized color of the assay signal.

(2) Immunochromatography: An analytical method enabling visual determination of the concentration of a target molecule is above or below a specified threshold of concentration by reacting colored- particle labeled antibodies immobilized on the test strip with a liquid sample which is drawn into the test strip by capillary action. (Please see the attached file.)

(3) PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction): An analytical technique involves the amplification of a single or few copies of a piece of DNA to generate thousands to millions copies of a particular DNA sequence through an enzymatic assembling of the nucleotides.

(4) ELISA (Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay): Analytical methods involve the binding of a soluble antigen or antibody to a solid support (immunosorbent) with an enzyme label being used to the detecting antigen or antibody to convert a colorless substrate to a colored soluble product in the solution, thus generating a detectable signal for the assay.

(5) Halal food: Food that has been prepared and processed according to Islamic dietary laws.

About Tanaka Precious Metals

Tanaka Holdings Co., Ltd (Tanaka Precious Metals) is involved in the manufacture, sales, import and export of precious metals (platinum, gold, silver, and others) and various types of industrial precious metals products, and the recycling and refining of precious metals. Founded in 1885 and incorporated in 1918, the group employs 1,653 worldwide. Sales for the year through March 2009 were 829 billion yen (US$8.8 billion). For more information, please visit www.tanaka.co.jp .



Source: Tanaka Precious Metals

Sumber

HONJO, Saitama -- The first facility in Japan capable of producing meats to Islamic "halal" standards has begun operation.

Situated in Honjo, Saitama Prefecture, the Honjo Shoku-niku Center can butcher meat to halal standards quickly and safely thanks to special halal butchering machinery. The center is the only facility in Japan to have installed such specialized machinery. The center hopes to increase exports of Japanese beef to Islamic countries.

Honjo Shoku-niku learned of halal preparation methods about 16 years ago when it granted a request from Muslim residents in neighboring Gunma Prefecture to use its facilities.

In 2008, the United Arab Emirates certified the Shoku-niku Center as a location where halal foods could be produced -- the first such meat-processing facility in Japan. The specialized machinery, which is widely used in Europe, was introduced as a condition for receiving the authorization.

In Islam, there are many strict guidelines about how to process beef, including particular prayers that should be recited during slaughter. Only meat that has been prepared this way is "halal" and suitable to eat by Muslims.

(Mainichi Japan) April 17, 2010

source

Wednesday, Sep. 02, 2009
Halal Ads Hit French TV
By Bruce Crumley / Paris



A pack of shoppers swarm supermarket shelves, cheerfully snapping up packages of prepared lasagna, ravioli and paella as they sing the products' praises. Sounds just like a normal evening TV ad. And it is, only this one features ethnic-Arab actors in a commercial for halal food in France. A first in its own right, the ad is already a remarkable sight on French TV. But even more surprising is the reaction it's gotten — or, rather, hasn't gotten. In a country that's usually quick to burst into outrage over the spread of Islam into secular society, these halal-food ads have been playing without a peep from the public.

The ad campaign by Panzani-owned, Lyon-based food brand Zakia Halal is the first ever mass-market promotion of halal food to France's estimated 5 million Muslims. The TV spots kicked off on Aug. 17 to coincide with the start of the holy month of Ramadan and have been running on most of France's largest television channels since. The $430,000 campaign will be put on pause Sept. 2, then resumed as Ramadan comes to an end later this month and the feast of Eid el-Fitr approaches. Thus far, the spots have gotten a mostly supportive reaction from Muslim shoppers and the French media, with the daily Le Parisien trumpeting "Halal Takes a Spot on TV." (See pictures marking the end of Ramadan.)

What's astounding is how long it took for any of France's numerous makers of halal food products to embrace this kind of mass marketing. Studies done by ethnic-marketing consultancy Solis Conseil in Paris estimate that French Muslims currently purchase about $5.7 billion worth of specialized foodstuffs and related products — a market that's been increasing nearly 15% annually for almost a decade. Solis has also found that nearly 94% of all Muslims in France with North African roots — by far the largest group of Muslims in the country — buy exclusively halal food. A recent poll by the Ifop agency found that 70% of Muslims in France are observing Ramadan this year — leaving little doubt as to the thinking behind the timing of Zakia Halal's groundbreaking ad campaign. (Read "Soccer Star Benched for Fasting During Ramadan.")

"Even though people have to fast during the day, Muslims tend to eat more — and better — when they can eat during Ramadan, which is why it is traditionally a period of peak consumer activity," explains Abbas Bendali, director of Solis Conseil. "Zakia's timing makes good sense because people tend to be short on time during Ramadan and will use prepared dishes along with fresh food for meals. And when you consider the size and value of this demographic, using mass-market methods to promote halal products becomes logical too."

But it's also potentially inflammatory, given the tendency of the French to view overt manifestations of Islamic faith as a threat to the nation's tradition of secularity. After all, France is the nation that felt obliged to protect itself against the supposed spread of Islam by passing a 2004 law prohibiting students from wearing religious symbols in public schools — a measure primarily aimed at Islamic headscarves. Earlier this year, legislators demanded a legal ban on burqas, a form of apparel that President Nicolas Sarkozy damned as "not welcome on French territory." That legal prohibition was regarded as overkill, however, when a police intelligence study estimated that fewer than 370 women in the nation of 65 million people actually wear the complete head, face and body covering.

Even so, the French media worked themselves into a lather in July when one woman demanded the right to swim in a burqini — a one-piece that resembles a wet suit — in a public pool that denied her entrance. Given that, it's little wonder that the approval — or disinterest — that the French public has shown the Zakia Halal ads has been a source of contentment and relief to many French Muslims. (Read "Halal: Buying Muslim.")

"So much negativity has recently been attached to so-called Muslim topics that there's a certain satisfaction that ads for halal products are being greeted as normal," Bendali says. "After so many years of being ordered to integrate into French society and culture, Muslims are interpreting the reaction to these ads as a sign that integration may finally be working in both directions. It appears the rest of France is starting to regard things like halal food as part of the new mix."

In fact, it has been for quite a while — though marketers and distributors have tended to keep quiet about it. For most of the past decade, France's main supermarket chains have carried halal food to keep up with demand from consumers. That has increased so much that those supermarkets have recently launched their own halal brands to rival those of food groups — and are beginning to display them in dedicated halal sections as they have kosher food for years. (See pictures of a personal view of Muslim modernity.)

Still, don't expect to see the shelves stocked with Western versions of traditional North African fare, like microwaveable couscous or ready-made tagine. Those are things French Muslims still prefer to make themselves. Instead, what they're snapping up are more exotic dishes like lasagna, beef Bourguignonne and hachis Parmentier — à la halal bien sûr.


Find this article at:
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1919816,00.html

Kyodo News

Kyoto University will start providing food permissible under Islamic law at the school's cafeteria to meet the needs of the increasing number of Muslim students on campus.

The cafeteria will introduce a halal food corner from Tuesday, avoiding pork and seasonings of pork origin, which Muslims are banned from eating. The new menus include chicken and croquettes made of broad beans, it said.

More than 1,000 Muslims live in the city of Kyoto, and many are Kyoto University students and their families.

The rare introduction is aimed at supporting such Muslim students, whose population is expected to rise under the university's plans to accept more foreign students.

While the co-op said it had problems in arranging a cooking environment to avoid mixing pork and related seasonings with halal food, it solved the issue by preparing the food at different hours.

[Source]

By Mallick Mnela, IOL Correspondent




Many non-Muslims have developed trust in halal food-stuffs for safety guarantees. (IOL photo)


BLANTYRE — Non-Muslims in the Southern African country of Malawi have developed trust in halal food-stuffs as meat products that are certified by the national halal body comply with strict veterinary requirements.
"It’s much safer eating halal certified meat products. At least you are assured that they can not just grab a sick animal for slaughter," Clement Chinoko, a Protestant based in Malawi’s commercial capital Blantyre, told IslamOnline.net.

Chinoko has trust in halal-certified butchery outlets because, he said, they abide by veterinary requirements.

In most localities across the country, committees are being established at mosques to oversee the proper slaughtering of animals.

These committees work in collaboration with local leaders to ensure that compliance is observed by business persons engaged in the food business.

"The good thing is that even non-Muslim consumers are now aware of the need to buy from halal outlets," said Maulana Lehman.

"Most of them agree that meat products purchased from halal certified outlets are safer because most of them also comply with the Veterinary requirements."

The concept of halal, -- meaning permissible in Arabic -- has traditionally been applied to food.

Muslims should only eat meat from livestock slaughtered by a sharp knife from their necks, and the name of Allah, the Arabic word for God, must be mentioned.

Now other goods and services can also be certified as halal, including cosmetics, clothing, pharmaceuticals and financial services.

Community Ties

Cornelius Kachenjera, a non-Muslim who was born and raised in the Muslim predominant area of Chiradzulu, a few kilometers away from Blantyre, also prefers consuming halal meat products.

"Besides being assured of maximum safety from diseases, I’ve resorted to consuming halal meat products because most of my relatives are Muslims," he said.

"I don’t want to jeopardize their beliefs by giving them unacceptable foods in their faith."

Kachenjera is not the only Christian sensitive to the needs of Muslims.

"Some non-Muslims feel guilty when Muslim friends refuse to eat at their homes, so they have to buy halal foods from the right shops or have the animals slaughtered the right way," said Lehman.

Government figures suggest Muslims make up 12 percent of Malawi's 12 million people while the umbrella Muslim Association of Malawi (MAM) puts the percentage at 36 of the population.

Islam is the second largest religion in Malawi after Christianity.

Close Monitoring




In most localities across the country, committees are being established at mosques to oversee the proper slaughtering of animals. (IOL photo)

MAM's Halal Department is keeping an open eye to ensure that Muslims are not consuming food stuffs from restaurants, butcheries and retail outlets that are not halal certified.
"We are taking drastic measures possible to ensure that Muslims are not eating non-halal food stuffs because of some unscrupulous tendencies among business people," Sheikh Saleem Chikwatu, Halal Department National Coordinator, told IOL.

"While some sincere businesspersons have taken up the task of providing halal consumables, others see the high demand of these food-stuffs as an opportunity to increase their cash-flow and profits.

"They just source cheap non-halal stuff elsewhere and sell it off to unsuspecting Muslims providing them with false assurance that it's halal," Sheikh Chikwatu said.

The Halal Department operations include certification, supervision, inspection and public sensitization.

Sheikh Chikwatu said they have certified numerous poultry and beef abattoirs and more than 50 outlets, among them meat processors and restaurants.

"We've also employed some Muslim supervisors to work in abattoirs, meat processors and restaurants. They are supposed to monitor from the slaughtering stage to the point of sell. We do this to ensure that Islamic standards are met."

Trademark

The Halal Department has registered the terms "Halaal" and "Halal" as their registered trademarks to deter abuse by business people.

"These two words are Islamic religious words which are used to describe food items as permissible for Muslim consumption.

"We therefore decided to register them as trademark and ensure that they are only used under the strictest conformity of the Islamic law," it said in a statement published in Malawi's newspapers.

The Halal regulating body is mandated by the Ulama Council of Malawi and other Islamic organizations in the country to regulate the use of these words in line with Shari`ah.

Yet, some business people have illegally used the registered trademarks to attract customers.

"We've always advised our Muslim congregations to watch out for regulators' logo and a Halal certificate that's supposed to be displayed on the wall," Sheikh Chikwatu said.

The Halal Department has intensified its campaign in blacklisting non-halal items, outlets and manufacturers.

Islamonline.net