Home to beach resorts, electronics and garment factories, Batam and Bintan are poised to become a hub producing halal food and products, as Indonesia moves to tap a multi-trillion-dollar global market. The islands are among four pilot locations identified by the Indonesian government to develop a "halal park", a designated industrial zone to process food, beverages, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals that comply with Islamic standards so Muslims can...

When dimsum manufacturer SMH Foods Enterprise approached hotels with its halal version of siew mai - a Cantonese delicacy usually made with pork - chefs were not keen to serve it in their restaurants. But SMH, which was confident that its chicken version tasted just like the original, found a way to convince the cooks - by offering them samples to try without disclosing the ingredients. It turned out the chefs could not tell the...

The Maarof Mosque in Jurong West was a hive of activity yesterday evening as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli joined 700 people for iftar, or the breaking of fast. Together with residents in the area, and religious, community and grassroots leaders, they feasted on a spread of rice and traditional Malay dishes such as sambal goreng as well as assorted kueh. Before the meal, PM Lee was...