Shinsegae to cater halal foods for Olympians

Seen is a halal food zone in the PyeongChang Olympic Village’s main dining hall. Shinsegae Food, the operator of the cafeteria, said the facility obtained halal certification. / Courtesy of Shinsegae Food

By Park Jae-hyuk

Shinsegae Food’s cafeteria in the PyeongChang Olympic Village has recently satisfied the halal requirements in accordance with the Islamic law, the catering unit of Shinsegae Group said Monday.

Halal refers to what is permissible or lawful in traditional Islamic law. Muslims are prohibited from drinking alcohol and eating non-halal foods, such as pork and other meats that are not slaughtered using the prescribed methods.

Although Muslims only account for 5 percent of Olympic delegations, Shinsegae Food, the official catering provider for the event, has prepared the halal food zone in the Olympic venue.

After signing a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Food Research Institute’s Food Standard Research Center, the company excluded pork from the cafeteria’s halal food zone, used special vehicles to transport halal ingredients and stored food in accordance with Islamic law.

The efforts led the Korea Muslim Federation to certify the food zone meets halal requirements.

The federation’s certification has the same validity as that of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM), because the JAKIM acknowledged the federation’s credibility.

According to Shinsegae Food, the federation praised the separated spaces for cooking, washing and serving of halal dishes. A chef from Malaysia reportedly received favorable comments as well, given the company will be able to serve 20 types of halal food all day.

“We faced various difficulties in obtaining the certification, because we had to be equipped with separated management systems in distribution, storage, cooking and catering,” a Shinsegae Food official said. “Although Muslim athletes do not account for a large proportion of the total delegates, we are especially focusing on the halal food zone to pay respect to diverse culture and religions.”

The recent certification is expected to boost overseas expansion of Shinsegae Food, which has begun expanding its presences in the Southeast Asian market with halal foods based on Korean traditional foods.

The Seoul-based firm signed a contract with Malaysian food maker Mamee Double-Decker last year, so as to establish a joint venture in the country. Mamee, which exports its products to 100 nations worldwide and which has production facilities in Indonesia and Myanmar, is the second-largest player in the Southeast Asian country’s ramen market.

“We will export halal-certified Korean-style sauces to Southeast Asia,” Shinsegae Food CEO Choi Sung-jae said at a signing ceremony. “We will expand our presences in the Southeast Asia’s halal food market, introducing the tastes of Korean foods to consumers there.”

According to the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, the size of the global halal food market is expected to surpass $2 trillion in 2020.