KADIWA STORES OFFER HALAL FOOD PRODUCTS

The Kadiwa program of the Department of Agriculture has started to sell halal food products in Mindanao to cater to Muslims with food restrictions.

Last week, the agency’s regional office in Davao City launched Kadiwa on Wheels where certified halal products were made available at affordable prices.

Halal, an Arabic word defined as permissible according to the Islam’s Shariah law, requires food products to undergo certain hygiene and sanitation procedures before consumption. It spans across other sectors like cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and logistics.

In the country, there are only three halal certifying entities—two in Mindanao and one in Manila.

“This is a good program as it ensures Muslim consumers that they are buying halal certified products and arrests their fear of contamination with nonhalal certified products,” Regional Director Sherilla Porza Sawan of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos said.

The agency’s regional office said more Kadiwa stations would be put up in Davao City as the quarantine continues.

Flordelisa Itim, one of the buyers of Halal Kadiwa, said looking for halal products in the city had become more difficult following the pandemic due to restrictions in transportation.

“Certified halal products have become accessible and prices are also affordable. We are secured with food supply while we adhere to our Islamic faith,” she said.

The Kadiwa program in the region has already generated more than P16 million in gross sales and has served more than 32,860 households, the central office said.