Halal food products from Singapore are now recognised by international standards, said the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) yesterday.

The move will help Singapore snag a slice of the growing Muslim travel market pie.

Muis has received the ISO 17065 certification for entities certifying products, processes and services from the International Organisation for Standardisation.

Dr Albakri Ahmad, Muis' deputy chief executive, received the accreditation plaque from Singapore Accreditation Council chairman Renny Yeo last month.

Last year, Muis certified about 5,000 premises and 55,000 types of products made in Singapore.

According to the Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index, the size of the Muslim travel market is expected to reach US$220 billion (S$301 billion) by 2020, and US$300 billion by 2026.

Said Ms Dewi Hartaty Suratty, Muis' director of asset policy and industry development: "With this accreditation, we hope that Singapore businesses venturing overseas can have a better competitive edge and greater market access for their halal products."

She added that consumers can be assured that the Muis halal certification process is carried out in a competent, impartial and reliable manner.

Aw Cheng Wei