Russia's H&N receives first Halal certificate

MOSCOW. Feb 12 (Interfax) - The company Health & Nutrition (H&N, which includes Danone's former Russian assets), has received its first halal certificate, allowing it to supply products to the countries of the Persian Gulf, the company said in a press release.

The certificate was granted for the products of the Yalutorovsky Dairy Plant in the Tyumen region, the press service said. The certified product range includes ultra-pasteurized milk, cream and cottage cheese under the Prostokvashino brand, as well as powdered milk. The certificate is mandatory for the company's products to access export markets in the Persian Gulf countries, and confirms that the production process and ingredients used at the plant comply with the GSO 2055-1:2015 standard, which outlines the requirements for halal food products.

The certification was carried out by Gulftik-ICSC Halal, a company founded by the Halal International Center for Standardization and Certification and the GulfTIC certification body from the UAE.

"Receiving the halal certificate is very important for us. It not only opens the path for exports and confirms that a product complies with Islamic rules, but also verifies the high standards of quality and safety," company CEO Yakub Zakriyev was quoted as saying by the press service. "As a result of our work, we were able to establish a process to assess our products and plants' compliance with halal requirements, which will allow us to effectively carry out certification tasks at our other facilities," he said.

The certificate is issued for three years, with annual confirmation through on-site inspections.

The Yalutorovsky Dairy Plant is the first enterprise in the Tyumen region to be certified by Gulftik-ICSC Halal under the GSO 2055-1:2015 standard for finished products.