On the 13th day of the month of Jumada al-Akhir (December 3), a round table titled “Key Aspects of Implementing Halal Standards in Corporate Catering for Employees at Enterprises of the Republic of Tatarstan” was held at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tatarstan, co-organized with the Halal Standard Committee of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan (SAM RT).

The roundtable opened with welcoming remarks from First Deputy Mufti of Tatarstan Ilfar Hazrat Khasanov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan Vasil Shaykhraziyev, and Chairman of the Union “Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tatarstan” Shamil Ageyev.

Speaking on behalf of Mufti Kamil Hazrat Samigullin, Ilfar Hazrat Khasanov emphasized that the development of the halal industry in Tatarstan has reached a level where the introduction of halal standards in corporate catering is now being actively considered. “This means that adhering to Islamic norms and living a halal lifestyle is gradually moving beyond family traditions and expanding to entire industrial collectives,” he noted.

He highlighted that Tatarstan has all the necessary resources — labor, intellectual, and financial — to offer halal catering within industrial workplaces. “Requests from enterprises to implement halal catering for their employees are highly welcome. In this, we see genuine respect from management toward the religious beliefs of workers, as well as an intention to strengthen good neighborly relations and traditional values. Corporate social responsibility is not new to Russian enterprises, but now we observe that companies are paying attention to the needs of Muslim employees,” said Ilfar Hazrat. He also thanked Shamil Ageyev for supporting such initiatives.

A detailed analysis of the current state and development prospects of the halal industry in Tatarstan was presented by the Chairman of the Halal Standard Committee of SAM RT, Abbyas Hazrat Shlyaposhnikov. He stressed the strategic importance of organizing halal catering at industrial enterprises of the republic. Given that up to 54% of labor collectives consist of Muslims, he noted, ensuring proper nutrition is a key factor in social well-being and increased productivity. “Implementing halal standards in corporate catering directly improves employees’ quality of life, fosters a comfortable working environment, and strengthens corporate culture. This is especially important for major industrial giants such as KAMAZ and the Alabuga SEZ, where thousands of Muslim employees work,” he said.

He added that practical experience already shows positive results: companies such as Tatneft-URS LLC and ITLE KITCHEN LLC successfully implemented pilot halal catering projects, meeting both the religious needs of employees and requirements for safe, high-quality meals.

Other speakers included Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of RT Nadir Zakirov, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food of RT Rustem Gainullov, and Tatiana Rybachenok, Deputy Head of the Department of Food Hygiene Supervision of Rospotrebnadzor for RT.

Best practices in halal catering were shared by Lira Kvakutkina (Convention Bureau of RT), Lenar Akhmetov (Deputy Head of Nizhnekamsk District), Ramis Akhmadullin (General Director of ITLE KITCHEN LLC), Leysana Lavrova (Technologist at Tatneft-URS LLC), among others.

The round table also featured presentations from the Entrepreneurship Support Fund of RT on state support measures for catering enterprises, as well as from Rosselkhozbank and the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia on introducing halal training programs as part of the free “Farmer’s School” project. Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Niyaz Khismetov presented a report on scientific, technical, and technological support for deep grain processing aimed at producing halal-standard foods.

At the end of the event, participants received letters of appreciation from the Halal Standard Committee of SAM RT.

Later that day, an off-site seminar was held at the ITLE KITCHEN production facility, where attendees could observe the technological process firsthand.

Source: dumrt.ru