STRAIGHT FROM THE BIG CITY

The politics and business of food
Ike Seneres

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are now commonly found in commercially available food, and we seem to be losing the battle to hold these at bay. Even if GMOs are not directly found in the food that we buy, we frequently end up eating these indirectly, as most poultry and livestock are now fed with corn grains and soy beans that are genetically modified.

Most Christians may have given up on the reality that GMOs are probably unavoidable now, but they are still hoping that somehow, they could exercise their right to know, if only the government could make good on its function of regulating the labeling of consumer goods according to global standards and local laws.
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While the Christians may have the option to avoid GMOs or not, it is different in the case of Moslems, as the Koran clearly tells them to avoid eating food that is not “Halal” or ritually clean. As it is generally understood, any food that is genetically modified could not be considered as naturally grown, meaning that these could not be considered as “Halal”.

Devout Moslems who are faithful to the “Halal” rules have one more thing to worry about, because poultry and livestock that are fed with GMOs could also not be considered as “Halal”, even if these are supposedly ritually slaughtered properly. If this is generally going to be the case, what are our brother and sister Moslems going to eat?
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Together with four devout Moslems, we organized the Halal Philippines Foundation (HPF) for the purpose of promoting “Halal” cuisine as the central component of a healthy lifestyle, aside from the other purpose of promoting the acceptance of the “Halal” seal of approval as a national standard for Islamic ritual compliance.

I was invited to sit as the only Christian in the Board, after I was persuaded that I am a Moslem at heart, albeit I was born as a Christian. Never mind the technicalities, but I was actually invited by friends, so I gladly said yes.
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In the second floor of the building where I work, there is a flea market where about 75% of the vendors are Moslems. Unfortunately for them, there is no place where they could buy “Halal” food to eat when they are hungry. Of course, there are fast food outlets in the building just like everywhere else, but more often than not, many of them are forced to eat food that are “Haram” (the opposite of “Halal”), meaning the kind of food that is dirty or is not ritually clean. As it happens, some of the fast food outlets selling beef products (allowed food for Moslems) might be frying these from lard made from pork fats.
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In a recent discovery made by an HPF researcher, many low priced ice cream products in the market now use chemical based emulsifiers that would not pass halal standards. The low price actually gives the clue that chemicals are already used, because there is no way that these products could be priced that low if natural ingredients are used.

As we know it now, many of these ice cream products are sold in the market without any warning labels for consumers. You might say that what they do not know would not hurt them, but that is not how it is in the case of Moslems.
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Those who are allergic to monosodium glutamate (MSG) should be careful when they eat in Filipino restaurants, as they could die eating for not knowing what is mixed into their food. Obviously there are labeling requirements that would have given fair warnings to these allergic people, but nobody seems to be paying attention to them.

Although this might be a poor comparison, there is a similarity in the regulation of MSG and halal. In the same manner that utensils in contact with MSG could potentially harm those who are allergic, utensils in contact with pork would automatically cause the food to become “Haram”.
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The task of educating the Filipino people about the positive advantages of “Halal” is just one of HPF. The other task which is more daunting is to open up markets for “Halal” certified products in Moslem countries, notably the Middle East . Daunting as it is, the idea of being able to export to these huge markets is mind boggling, as this business opportunity could potentially create jobs for millions of our people who could end up working again in our farms and factories.
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As I mentioned earlier, poultry and livestock fed with GMOs might not pass “Halal” standards because of the technicality that these may no longer be considered as natural. According to a Filipino engineer however, he has come up with a solution that would in effect reverse the problem.

Engineer Walther Alvarez says that if and whenever his feed mix product is ingested by poultry and livestock, it would make the food in their stomachs organic again, as if these are technically modified back into their original forms. Complicated as this explanation may be, we are actually riding on this hope that the un-natural characteristics would be removed, so that the “Halal” certification could be given.
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In many other Asian countries, the “Halal” certification system is in place, thus making it easy for Moslems to find and buy food, ready to eat or for cooking. As planned by HPF, food manufacturers and restaurant operators will be asked to comply with a voluntary certification system that officially grant the right for them to display a “Halal” seal as a sign of approval, according to a set of compliance standards. On the positive side, this is good for the many certification experts who would be hired to keep the system going in the food manufacturing side and the food service side.
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Hopefully, our educational campaign in the Moslem communities would work, so that devout believers would only patronize the establishments that carry the “Halal” seal. Same goes for consumer goods; we are hoping that Filipino Moslems would also develop the habit of buying only the products with the “Halal” certification. Hopefully as well, we could develop strong “Halal” brands that would make it could in the local markets before going into the global arena.
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Although it is just wishful thinking for now, there is really a big possibility that the problem of hunger in Mindanao might actually lead to a solution that would also bring lasting peace to that war torn area. With all due respects to the sensibilities of my brother and sister Moslems, I believe that the war in Mindanao (my place of birth) is caused mainly by economic reasons, a problem that was compounded only by religious undertones. At the risk of sounding too naïve, I would say that if poverty could be eradicated in that island, the embers of war would also die out.
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I do not want to sound like a killjoy, but even if the war waged by the Cordillera People’s Liberation Army (CPLA) is already over, the causes of that war are still there, swept under the rug by the broken promises of the government. I do not want this to happen in Mindanao , with the war ending but with the poverty still going on. It is lasting peace that we want.
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