The 10-million ringgit (2.73-million dollar) hub was launched by Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Monday.
It will be located in northern Perlis state which borders Thailand's majority-Muslim southern provinces.
The hub will be a processing and marketing centre for halal food as well as other goods such as pharmaceuticals and beauty products, said the Bernama news agency.
Halal food production zones are already operating or being built in six Malaysian states, and a sprawling halal distribution hub has been built at a duty-free shipment zone in southern Johor state, on the busy Malacca strait.
The concept of halal -- meaning "permissible" in Arabic -- has traditionally been applied to food. Pork and its by-products, alcohol and animals not slaughtered according to Koranic procedures are all forbidden.
Other goods and services can also be certified halal, including cosmetics, clothing, pharmaceuticals, financial services and even tour packages.
Malaysia has been aggressively marketing itself as a global centre for the manufacture and export of halal products, in line with its moderate version of Islam that emphasises economic and scientific progress.
Halal industry insiders say the demand for their products is not due to rising fundamentalism, but simply that Muslims are more aware of religious practices and have better product choices.
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