[THE INVESTOR] Eyeing the fast growing Middle East markets, the government announced its plans to expand certified halal and kosher products within the local industry on July 7.



Halal and kosher refers to products manufactured according to religious guidelines in Islamic and Jewish cultures, respectively.





CJ’s Metier Yogurt Powder manufactured to appeal to Muslims.





Korea has been making efforts to attract tourists from the Mideast by increasing halal and kosher certified restaurants and now plans to give similar attention to local cosmetics and culture industries.



To fuel exports of local halal products, the government plans to build at least five authorized “halal labs” next year to ease the certification process. For kosher products, a database providing information on possible ingredients and manufacturers will be finalized by end-2016.



By Jung Min-kyung (mkj1105@heraldcorp.com)

