Halal Products [PORTABLE]
Manuel Medina
Halal is an Arabic word that means permissible. A Halal certified product means that the product is permissible or acceptable in accordance with Islamic law. In order for products to receive this certification, , they must be from an acceptable source such as a cow or chicken and slaughtered according to these laws.
Offering Halal certified products allows Muslim consumers to be confident that the products they use are in alignment with their culture and beliefs. Similarly, products can also be Kosher certified, which gives Jewish consumers the same piece of mind.
There are approximately 2 billion Muslims across the globe, with almost 4 million residing is the US. This market segment has experienced a rapid growth rate over the past several years and is currently valued at approximately $2 trillion USD. According to CNBC, the cosmetic, personal care, healthcare and pharmaceutical industries will see the largest growth in Halal products as the demand is growing at a rapid rate.
Halal (/həˈlɑːl/;[1] Arabic: حلال ḥalāl [ħæˈlæːl]) is an Arabic word that translates to 'permissible' in English. In the Quran, the term halal is contrasted with the term haram ('forbidden'). This binary opposition was elaborated into a more complex classification known as "the five decisions": mandatory, recommended, neutral, reprehensible and forbidden.[2] Islamic jurists disagree on whether the term halal covers the first two or the first four of these categories.[2] In recent times, Islamic movements seeking to mobilize the masses and authors writing for a popular audience have emphasized the simpler distinction of halal and haram.[3][4]
The words halal and haram are the usual terms used in the Quran to designate the categories of lawful or allowed and unlawful or forbidden. In the Quran, the root h-l-l denotes lawfulness and may also indicate exiting the ritual state of a pilgrim and entering a profane state. In both these senses, it has an opposite meaning to that conveyed by the root h-r-m (cf. haram and ihram). In a literal sense, the root h-r-m may refer to dissolution (e.g., breaking of an oath) or alighting (e.g., of God's wrath). Lawfulness is usually indicated in the Quran by means of the verb ahalla ('to make lawful'), with God as the stated or implied subject.[4]
The most common example of haram (non-halal) food is pork. While pork is the only meat that categorically may not be consumed by Muslims (the Quran forbids it,[7] Surah 2:173 and 16:115)[8][9] other foods not in a state of purity are also considered haram. The criteria for non-pork items include their source, the cause of the animal's death and how it was processed. The majority of Islamic scholars consider shellfish and other seafood halal.[10] Vegetarian cuisine is halal if it does not contain alcohol.[11]
Muslims must also ensure that all foods (particularly processed foods), as well as non-food items like cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, are halal.[12][13] Frequently, these products contain animal by-products or other ingredients that are not permissible for Muslims to eat or use on their bodies. Foods which are not considered halal for Muslims to consume include blood[14] and intoxicants such as alcoholic beverages.[15]
A Muslim who would otherwise starve to death is allowed to eat non-halal food if there is no halal food available.[9][16] During airplane flights Muslims will usually order kosher food (if halal food is not available) to ensure their chosen dish will not have any pork ingredients.
Several food companies offer halal processed foods and products, including halal foie gras, spring rolls, chicken nuggets, ravioli, lasagna, pizza and baby food.[17] Halal ready meals are a growing consumer market for Muslims in Britain and America and are offered by an increasing number of retailers.[18]
Opinions on GMO foods are mixed, although there is no widely accepted prohibition from consuming them.[19] Some clerics and scholars have expressed support, arguing that such food production methods are halal because they contribute to human well-being.[20][21] Voices in opposition to GMOs argue that there is no need for genetic modification of food crops because God created everything perfectly and man does not have any right to manipulate anything that God has created.[19] Some others have raised concern about the theoretical consumption of specific GMO foods produced using genes from pigs.[22]
Animals slaughtered by non-Muslims can also be considered halal if the slaughter is carried out by jugular slice, the blood drained and the name of Allah invoked. As a result, kosher meat is permitted by some Muslim communities.[29]
In Sikhism, the religious prescriptions forbid eating meat of animals that were slaughtered slowly or with religious ritual,[30] which they refer to as kutha meat.[31] This includes halal meat preparation.[32][33][34][35] The religiously recommended method of slaughter among Sikhs, known as jhatka, is likewise incompatible with halal principles,[36] as with this method not all of the blood is drained from the meat.[37]
Stunning of the animal is not allowed before slaughtering, unless necessary to calm down a violent animal.[27] However, the UK Food Standards Agency figures from 2011 suggest that 84% of cattle, 81% of sheep and 88% of chickens slaughtered for halal meat were stunned before they died. Supermarkets selling halal products also report that all animals are stunned before they are slaughtered. Tesco, for example, says "the only difference between the halal meat it sells and other meat is that it was blessed as it was killed."[38] Concerns about animal suffering from slaughter without prior stunning has resulted in the ban of slaughter of unstunned animals in Denmark, Luxembourg, Belgium, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.[39][40]
Certification for halal products is given by legal authorities in most Muslim-majority countries, while in other countries, it is voluntarily acquired by companies and issued by non-governmental organizations for an annual fee.[41]
Halal certifications are provided by a number of agencies in the United States. Depending on how the certification will be used for domestic or international export, the certification need to be done by a qualified entity. If it's for domestic use a local agency with a proper knowledge, training and background can issue a halal certificate. If the certificate is going to be used for export then the halal certifier needs to be accredited by the country the halal product is being exported to. A company that needs to certify its product must do their due diligence when hiring a certifier. There are a number of halal certifiers in the US including ISWA Halal, ISA Halal, Halal Monitoring Services (HMS), based out of Chicago, Illinois,[42] and the Halal Food Standards Alliance of America (HFSAA), based out of Oakland, California.[43] Another agency that can help companies identify and screen the proper halal certifier is the US Halal Consultants based in Fairfax, Virginia.
In Australia, halal food certification has been criticized by groups who claim that certifying foods as halal leads to consumers subsidizing a particular religious belief.[44] Australian Federation of Islamic Councils spokesman Keysar Trad told a journalist in July 2014 that this was an attempt to exploit anti-Muslim sentiments in Australia.[45] A study in 2022 showed that halal certifications did not necessarily reflect the extent to which a halal product came about in whole, and called for greater means of assurance and transparent qualitative methods of halal certification.[46]
The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry estimated the global industry value of halal food consumer purchases to be $1.1 trillion in 2013, accounting for 16.6 percent of the global food and beverage market, with an annual growth of 6.9 percent.[47] Growth regions include Indonesia ($197 million market value in 2012) and Turkey ($100 million).[48] The European Union market for halal food has an estimated annual growth of around 15 percent and is worth an estimated $30 billion,[17] approximately $8 billion of which are accounted for in France.[49]
The halal food and beverage industry has also made a significant impact on supermarkets and other food business such as restaurants. French supermarkets had halal food sales totalling $210 million in 2011, a 10.5% growth from five years prior. In France, the market for halal foods is even larger than the market for other types of common foods. For example, in 2010, the market for halal foods and beverages in France was nearly twice that of organic foods.[49] Auchan, a large French supermarket chain, now sells 80 certified halal meat products, along with 30 pre-cooked halal meals and 40 frozen halal products. Upscale restaurants and catering services have also added halal foods to their menus. In addition, many beverage companies such as Evian have taken the effort to add a halal stamp on their products to show that their water and other beverages are pure and not haram or forbidden under Islamic law.[50]
Halal standards and regulations have been considered as an obstacle to international trade while the discrimination towards import products also lacks transparency. Trade disputes related to halal have emerged even among Muslim and Islamic countries, for instance at the regional level within the ASEAN.[51][52]
The Muslim community has been receptive of halal food and certification.[54][55] Members of the right-wing Hindutva groups in India have protested against the sale of Halal food in India. Bajrang Dal, Vishva Hindu Parishad and other Hindutva groups have run door to door campaigns in the state of Karnataka, asking people not to purchase halal meat. In March 2022 the Hindutva group Bajrang Dal physically attacked a Muslim meat seller, five persons were arrested in the incident. In March 2022, C. T. Ravi, national general secretary for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, referred to halal food as "economic jihad".[56]
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