Reverse Linkage

115 DEVELOPMENT THROUGH SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION food materials. Pharmaceutical and personal care products are not examined for halal status. As there are numerous sources of these products and ingredients, without the capacity of authentication, it is difficult to ensure the halal status of the products available in the country. The development of the halal industry in Kuwait requires a constant strengthening of the capacity to cover requirements for halal integrity that includes awareness, certification and audit, product choice, packaging, labelling, marketing and branding. Training must be provided to the public as well as to industries on the fundamentals of halal products, cover- ing basic principles and industry practices. Situational analysis and capacity gaps The Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) is a pioneering, independent, national institute of scientific excellence. KISR’s programme of research has been built to serve the objectives of the institute which are aligned with Kuwait’s national priorities. The core research programmes are built around energy, food resources, natural resources, water resources, and environmental and economic studies. KISR currently runs more than 120 research laboratories, and has recently acquired several instruments needed for halal authentication testing activities such as liquid chroma- tography mass spectrometry (LCMS), gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS), and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Several staff members have experience in using the instruments, although they are not specialised in halal authentication activities and require technical training to meet competence and quality requirements to ensure the establishment of sustainable professional capabilities in the authentication testing. Currently, there are no halal methods established at KISR to carry out authenticity tests. Therefore, reliable methods for the detection of lard, alcohol, porcine DNA and proteins must be established at KISR to verify the halal status of these products for Kuwait and other GCC countries. Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, main building Image: KISR