The 11th Malaysia International Halal Showcase was held in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur from April 9 to 12. It was the largest Halal product exhibition in the world with approximately 500 exhibitors and 20,000 attendees, and attracted even greater attention from around the world this year given the changes in the environment surrounding Halal.
A large booth showcasing Japanese Halal-certified products was established at this year’s exhibition. With a lineup consisting of Japanese Halal-certified products recognized by Malaysian JAKIM such as Japanese tea from Fukuoka Prefecture, milk from Hokkaido, health food from well-established Kyoto stores, and popular vegetable skin care products, etc., the keyword was the “nature of Japan”.
Tea is especially familiar to Muslims, and the sight of buyers as well as consumers engaging in tea-related business discussions one after another was impressive. In a future column, we plan to have exhibitors talk about obtaining Halal certification despite the fact that tea is considered Halal to begin with. Muslims who tasted the tea said “they are extremely happy that Made in Japan tea is now Halal-certified and can be enjoyed in Malaysia.”
The challenge facing Japanese companies in the future is local sales channel development. Large companies have been producing locally in Asia and obtaining local Halal certification for a long time. However, many of the companies that have just acquired Halal certification and will try to offer Made in Japan Halal products are small and medium-sized enterprises with unique character and little export experience. If companies that are able to develop local sales channels emerge, Made in Japan Halal will become much more familiar.
