A participant highlighted the most important training for Halal auditors working in Brazil.

Elaine Franco de Carvalho, quality manager at FAMBRAS Halal, brought an important reflection to CTec Halal: what training do Halal auditors working in Brazil consider most important? She delved into the topic over the course of a year while working on her MBA thesis in Human Resource Management at USP-Esalq. Below, Elaine discusses her work in more detail.

Elaine, what led you to choose this topic for your work? What was your intention with it?

Currently, all standards related to Halal certification, regarding the profile of auditors, are international and established by countries with a Muslim majority. Therefore, I would like to make a comparison and understand if the training needs would be the same for Brazil, considering that it is a country with a Muslim minority.

Thus, with this result, it would also be possible to create an effective training program tailored to the profile of Halal auditors in Brazil.

The project required research. Can you tell us about that process?

This work was developed over the course of a year. Theoretical research was conducted to provide a foundation on the topic of training and Halal. Subsequently, research was carried out with Brazilian auditors regarding their perception of training. Finally, the data was analyzed by comparing the theory with the results obtained. This led to a proposal for the creation of an effective training program tailored to the profile of the Brazilian Halal auditor.

Your research revealed which training courses respondents consider most important, with the top three being Religious Training; Halal Concepts and Standards Training; and tied for third place: Audit Training (score 74.2) and Product Safety Training (score 74.2). Did anything surprise you?

Actually no, because I already expected that, due to Brazil being a country with a Muslim minority, the need for religious training would be paramount. And knowledge of Halal standards is also extremely relevant. I confess I was happy to notice that the auditors also have this understanding, since there are several discrepancies between Halal standards that auditors need to know to guide themselves in their daily work.

The topic of product safety is something that is already part of the academic background of technical auditors, since to be a Halal auditor, you need to have higher education in the field, thus justifying its third-place ranking.

Did the research highlight what auditors feel is lacking? Or are there areas for improvement that should be considered by Halal certification bodies operating in Brazil?

In fact, I would say that the work is indicative of how Halal certification bodies in Brazil should establish their training programs, that is, which trainings need to be carried out more frequently - for example, religion - and which can be more spaced out, such as management system standards.

Having an effective training program that is compatible with the company's reality is fundamental for its market positioning, development, and even customer satisfaction, in this case, the customers' perception of the Halal audit service provided.

Elaine, you are a Halal market professional working in a more technical area. What would you say to professionals who also want to work in this market?

I would say it's a surprising and little-known market in Brazil. I encourage everyone to seek more information about the Halal concept, the market, and bring that knowledge to their companies.

Currently, Brazil is the world's largest exporter of Halal food, yet only a few companies participate in this market. Therefore, if this concept were more widely disseminated and more people convinced the industries they work in to also join the Halal sector, the impact would be even greater!

Why did you decide to bring this topic to CTec Halal? What is your assessment of the event?

Because the conference was about scientific work on Halal, and since I had already developed my own paper, I took the opportunity to present it. I really enjoyed the event and I'm already thinking about my next project for 2025!

Is there anything else you would like to add?

People are an organization's most important asset, therefore investing in human capital is always the best option for those who want to stand out in the market and achieve success.