Taipei City to unveil vending machinesoffering Halal-certified foods

At this year’s Muslim Carnival which willtake place on June 17 at Daan Forest Park, the municipal government willintroduce vending machines that sell Halal certified foods?the first of itskind to be introduced in non-Muslim countries.

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)?At this year’s MuslimCarnival which will take place on June 17 at Daan Forest Park, the municipalgovernment will introduce vending machines that sell Halal certified foods?thefirst of its kind to be introduced in non-Muslim countries, Taipei City’sDepartment of Information and Tourism (TPEDOIT) said on Friday.

The vending machine has received strongsupport from both JAKIM (the Malay agency responsible for the Islamic affairs)and the International Institute for Halal Research & Training (INHART), theTPEDOIT said, adding that the facility has also attracted the interest offoreign vendors.

The initial installation of these vendingmachines targets universities and colleges with higher numbers of Muslimstudents, such as National Chengchi University and National Taiwan Universityof Science and Technology, the agency said. The city government will also seekto cooperate with Muslim-friendly enterprises to increase the number of thevending machines and help create a Muslim-friendly environment, according tothe agency. The foods sold in the machines, some of which were created byTaiwanese manufacturers’ ingenuity, will include sandwiches, hamburgers, andinstant rice meals, with more options on the way, the agency said

While achieving Halal friendlinessstandards requires implementation of special practices which may differ fromlocal customs, an increased number of restaurants are showing interest tobecome Halal-certified in light of the growing Muslim tourist market, whichaccounts for about 10% of the overall global tourism market, according to theagency.

TPEDOIT Commissioner Chen Su-yu (陳思宇) has encouraged restaurants and hotels to achieve standards forMuslim/Halal friendliness and promoted “pork-free” and “non-alcohol” labelingamong night market vendors to provide Muslim visitors and residents with a friendlyand convenient environment.

According to the 2018 Global Muslim TravelIndex (GMTI) report, Taiwan now ranks fifth on the list of Muslim-friendlynon-OIC tourist destinations?the first time for the island to break into topfive. Seeing the improvement as encouragement, as the destination of choice forinternational visitors to Taiwan, Taipei City will keep up its effort in makingthe city even more Muslim-friendly, the TPEDOIT said.

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