The Rationale Behind Halal Certified Food

By Sarah Hamilton


Muslims lead extremely tightly controlled lives. Every aspect of their lives are subjected to Islamic Law. This is particularly true of the foodstuffs that Muslims may eat or drink. Food is important to devout Muslims. Eating is not just a necessary activity to nourish the body, but also an important part of the spiritual well being of the individual and the maintenance of very high moral standards. This is why Muslims exclusively consume only Halal certified food.

In order to get halaal certification, restaurants, manufacturers and suppliers must show that they are keeping to the strict rules set by the Halaal Council. There are Halaal Councils in every country where significant numbers of Muslims live. Getting this certification is not easy and approval normally takes many months. In addition, once granted, it has to be renewed on an annual basis.

Some types of foodstuff are simply forbidden for all Muslims. All pork products are to be shunned. Muslims may also not consume alcohol in any form, even in the form of medication that contains alcohol. Muslims must also only use extracts and derivatives that were obtained at a abattoir that is halaal approved. This is because the processes in such abattoirs are very strictly monitored at all times.

It is not only the foodstuffs and ingredients that are scrutinized before certification is approved. The entire process through which the product or meal goes before it is offered to consumers is also evaluated. Halaal products may under no circumstance come into contact with other foodstuffs. It must be produced by using separate cookware, utensils and equipment that are never used for any other purpose. Even the cleaning and storing of this equipment must be done separately.

Halaal certification does not require that products and meals are prepared or produced by Muslims. Any business or individual can apply for certification. The applicant is not required to restrict his products to halaal foodstuffs exclusively but cross contamination is not allowed. The Halaal Council strongly recommend that a minimum of two Muslims are part of the process, but this is not a very strict requirement.

It is interesting to note that halaal products are also extremely popular with numerous people that are not Muslims. They buy halaal foodstuffs because they know that the entire process by which it was manufactured or produced has been monitored strictly and that the highest standards of hygiene have been maintained. One the very best quality ingredients are used. This definitely cannot be said of other, non halaal products.

The market for halaal products is a lucrative one. Unfortunately, there are some businesses that are not properly certified but that nevertheless fool their clients into thinking that they are. They mislead their clients by displaying signs such as Halaal Compliant or Halaal Friendly. This does not imply certification, however. Unsure consumers should obtain advice from the official Halaal Council website where all approved products and establishments are listed.

Most Muslims try very hard to live their lives strictly according to the Islamic Law, particularly when it comes to what they eat. They believe that these laws are there to protect them from harm and abuse. The laws are not imposed to punish or to control people.




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