Introduction

All Things Halal (U.K.) was established in 2002; with the knowledge and understanding that there are over two Million Muslims in the UK and over a Billion world-wide. The commonality between all Muslims is that they must only consume Halal food.

Due to the fact that it is virtually impossible to establish whether a product is Halal or not, simply by reading the ingredients, Muslims in the UK have found it and are still finding it very difficult to buy only Halal food products.

The investigation and certification of food establishments and food products can be a complex task and it was evident that a formal organisation to tackle such tasks was needed. All Things Halal was established to formalise the investigation and certification of firstly food establishments but now also food products.

ATH (All Things Halal) is an established online Halal promotion, certification, research and consultancy company based in the UK, aiming to authenticate the process at every stage that a Halal product goes through, from the initial source to the consumer; currently holding the largest up to date Halal food company information online. ATH primarily started the company using a top down approach, concentrating on building up a customer base of food establishments such as Restaurants, Takeaways, Bakeries, Butchers, Supermarkets, etc.

Using a unique and extremely thorough Halal authentication process, consisting of regular inspections, audits, lab tests and legally signed documents by the ATH team; ATH has helped to overcome the many doubtful issues arising with regards to a Muslims daily diet and given the community full confidence and assurance in their choice of buying ATH Certified and Recommended products. In addition to this, ATH has also a consumer membership base which is growing rapidly every day, enabling suppliers to capitalise on an existing market, thus creating a dynamic relationship between consumers & suppliers. The primary means in helping facilitate this relationship is by encouraging consumers/suppliers to go online and only purchase products which are associated with the site, whether that is from a restaurant or Takeaway or a particular consumer product.

Aims & Objectives

• To promote the consumption and use of Halal products and outlets
• To rigorously, test, research, legally document and audit those products which require Halal Certification by us to seek its authenticity
• To lab test, research and legally document those products which require Halal Recommendation by us to see its authenticity
• To give those Muslim owned Halal outlets which feel they are Halal but are being isolated due to them not having Certification a means of advertising themselves
• Helping those consumers and businesses who have questions or queries with regards to Halal authenticity and suitability of certain products and outlets by providing them with detailed information
• Creating a site which helps overcome a huge number of issues and doubts that arise in relation to a Muslims daily diet; by providing them with information on genuinely Halal products and outlets which assist in eradicating fears of authenticity using the most up to date system around.

Benefits for a Manufacturer, Wholesaler & Retailer

What will it mean for me as a manufacturer, retailer or wholesaler? The benefits your company will receive when becoming a part of ATH will hopefully be immediate with the key benefits listed below:

1. Visibility: The site shall incorporate your product(s) or establishments which will be placed on a dedicated page for certified Halal products or establishments, thus increasing your visibility both to other retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers & consumers.
2. Businesses: Our current clients and consumers will be automatically encouraged to use your certified or recommended products as part of their lists of ingredients or products which are on sale in their shops, giving you the edge over your competitors.
3. Reach: Global awareness of your certified or recommended product will be promoted through the site, allowing the over 1 billion Muslims worldwide who have access to the site including the 2.5million Muslims in the UK to buy your product ahead of your competitors.
4. Information Technology: We have big plans for ATH. We hope shortly to be sending you your unique username & password enabling you to access your products online and make any changes dynamically. In the fourth quarter of 2009 we also hope to bring new technology products which complement our site by making use of technologies such as mobile phones to bring information directly to the consumer. We have already commenced working upon the technology architecture and will keep you updated on the progress.

Just from the few points mentioned above, certification with ATH shall bring huge benefits to your company not just in the UK but abroad as well. We are currently going through a promotional campaign to gain worldwide recognition of All Things Halal by liaising with the Malaysian, Indonesian, South African, and Arabian governments on Halal certification. We hope that the relationship between ATH and your company if you chose to work with us will grow and create new markets for your products in the UK and worldwide.

Benefits for the consumer

The All Things Halal website consists of five parts which make up the site; Halal* Establishments purely there for promotional purposes, All Things Halal Certified Establishments, ATHalal Discount Card, All Things Halal Certified products and All Things Halal Recommended products.

The two establishment sections and the discount card all work in unison and incorporate a vast array of Muslim owned Halal* food establishments, including restaurants, takeaways, bakeries, butchers, cafes, super markets, sea food outlets, frozen food outlets and wholesalers. These sections of the site directory has primarily been created for fellow Muslim brothers and sisters who wish to spend and encourage others to spend their money in Muslim owned Halal food establishments, alongside gaining discounts in the establishments and putting their mind at rest when it comes to reassurance of the food being Halal. On top of this, the site gives Muslims the latest information on prices, menu's, offers, discounts, images, parking, access, etc. allowing the community to gain as much information about the business before they go there.

The Certified and Recommended products section are there for the Muslim community and businesses both based in the UK and abroad to have access to all the latest and up to date information on thoroughly checked and certified products done by All Things Halal. This helps to promote the purchase and consumption of All Things Halal certified and recommended products by all Muslims based in the UK and abroad.

As the site is consistently growing and changing, all updates and changes are made simple and straightforward. 'In…', as the site expands with new establishments, new certified establishments, as well as changing offers and discounts in establishments and new products being certified and recommended; the users of the site will grow as well, and thus will enable the Muslim community in the UK and abroad an opportunity to spend in the way of … and receive a service which is second to none.

* Though every effort is made to ensure that all the establishments on the site purely for promotion are owned by Muslims and serve only Halal food, 'All Things Halal' cannot guarantee this as changes in the industry do occur. Thus 'All Things Halal' will do its best to keep ahead of these changes with the help of the Muslim community.

Process

Procedure	Consisting A Variation Of	Certified Products	Recomended Products	Recomended Outlets
1A - Initial Letter	Brief Introduction & Requirements
1B - Requirements	Aims; Outline Process; Costs & Advantages
2A - Guidlines & Application	Product(s) Guidlines
2B - Application Guidlines	Product(s)/Outlet Application Guidlines
2C - Application	Product(s)/Outlet Application
3A - Manufacturer Letter	Ingredient Manufacturer Cover Letter
3B - FFG Form	Free From Guarantee Legal Form
4 - Site Audit	Site Audit & Audit Report Form
5 - Scientific Lab Test	Tests Carried Out On Product(s)To Confirm Halal Authenticity
6A - Contract Cover Letter	Contract Cover Letter
6B - Logo Usage	Halal Logo Usage Conditions
6C - Contract	Contract
7 - Certification	Certification Cover Letter & Certificate
8 - Recommended	Recommended Cover Letter & Certificate
9 - Random Audit	Random Audit(s) Carried out
10 - Renewal	Renewal Letter 3 Months Before Expiry