Aceh to Hold International Halal Festival
Jakarta. Aceh will hold the International Halal Food Festival at Sari Park, Banda Aceh, on Aug. 18-20.
The food festival involves 100 top culinary entrepreneurs from across the archipelago and beyond, including from countries such as Thailand and Malaysia.
There will also be 23 culinary booths at the festival offering traditional Achenese food. A designated zone for food trucks, which are expected to sample foods from across the archipelago, will also be featured at the event.
The Drugs and Cosmetics Assessment Agency of Aceh Ulema Consultative Assembly (LPPOM-MPU) will be present at the event to provide festival-goers with in-depth information on halal foods.
According to LPPOM-MPU secretary Deni Candra, certified halal foods are not only assessed by its ingredients, but also by how the food is prepared.
“This is a great event to explain to the public about anything related to halal products. […] We can also discuss the halal certification process with the guest countries," Deni said.
Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said that even though Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population, the country still loses out to neighboring countries, like Thailand and Singapore, in drawing Muslim tourists.
He also recommended culinary entrepreneurs to take halal certification tests to attract more Muslim tourists to Indonesia.
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