Some Issues with Halal Certification

This is in continuation of the earlier post. Halal (from the Quran) means “permitted” or “lawful” and is used for food and other consumables that are permissible for consumption by Muslims, based on Islamic Shariah law. It may be recalled that the government body, FSSAI doesn't give halal certification in India. Halal certification is given by Muslim private bodies, and their guidelines do not permit non-Muslim employees to be engaged in any part of the slaughtering process which has to conform to the intrinsically Islamic practice including reciting verses from the Quran.

The trend of Halal certification for meat / other food and non-food products is continuously increasing. While Halal meat is said to be healthy, the anti-halal lobby claim that Halal certification is also a business model that makes others pay for the Islamic beliefs; Muslims call this Islamophobia.

Ever since I became aware of the Halal Certification process, I have become more alert. I am a vegetarian and am happy to say that none of the products I consume, whether food items or cosmetics etc. have this certification. However, my readings on this topic have thrown up some issues especially related to meat consumption.

• In Jan 2021, APEDA amended their manual and clarified that govt does not mandate that only meat slaughtered by Halal method as per Islamic Shariyat, has to be exported, it is the requirement of the majority of countries importing the meat*.  

https://www.theweek.in/news/biz-tech/2021/01/05/apeda-drops-halal-certification-in-red-meat-manual-says-no-govt-role-needed-for-exports.html

• A well-known boarding school in India specified Halal certified meat only in their tender. This was objected to on grounds that the tender for Halal meat is an insult to other students and community.
• In Indonesia, a Muslim body was taking steps to provide Covid vaccine with halal certificate, in their endeavour to boost immunization process in the Muslim-majority country.
• Some of Delhi’s Municipal Corporations recently mandated that meat shops and restaurants to display whether meat sold by them is ‘Halal’ or ‘Jhatka’ on grounds that that halal meat is prohibited in Hinduism and Sikhism.
• Christians in Kerala decided to boycott Halal meat and products saying they cannot consume meat offered to other gods.

https://www.timesnownews.com/india/article/ahead-of-christmas-christians-in-kerala-decide-to-boycott-halal-meat-hindu-group-extends-support/695123

 I now leave some questions open to all, more specifically the non-vegetarians.

1.    How comfortable are you in eating meat where the animal has been slaughtered while reciting verses from the Quran? 

2.    While buying from meat shops or eating meat in roadside dhabas, restaurants or even five star hotels – how frequently do you ask if the meat is Halal or Jhatka? 

3.    Have you ever checked if there is a Halal certificate on any of the products you buy?

4.    What is the quality certification given for Jhatka meat?

5.     Should Halal certification apply to vegetarian eatables, cosmetics, packaging etc.

(* The following paragraph was removed from the manual, “The animals are slaughtered by halal system under strict vigilance of (a) recognised and registered Islamic body as per the tenets of Islamic Shariyat. The certificate for halal is issued by the representative of registered Islamic body under whose supervision the slaughter is conducted in order to meet the requirement of (the) importing country.”)

Previous : Halal Certification

Halal Certification

In respect of meat, we have all heard of the two methods of killing the animal. In Halal, the animal is slaughtered slowly with complete draining out of the animal's blood, while following practices of Sharia law. In Jhatka (swift), the animal’s head is severed in one single blow and the animal dies instantly. Muslims eat only Halal meat believing it is healthier as the animal is not given a shock, whereas Sikhs are said to prefer Jhatka meat. However, the matter does not end here.

If products are to be sold to countries following Sharia Law, they require Halal certification.  This has important implications:

a) The certification is not restricted to meat / food products only, and can be obtained for non-alcohol beverage, pharmaceutical and health care products, traditional herbal products, cosmetics and personal care products, etc. 

b)  The process of halal involves a laid down procedure which can generally be done only by Muslims. Butchers across the country mainly follow this. There are facilitating firms that help in the audit of the business which also comprises obtaining the certification compliant with Halal requirements, Halal systems requirements and Halal staffing requirements. The implications are that Halal requirements are to complied with, in all aspects, including raw materials, packaging etc. 

c) The certification has a cost implication – both one time as well as repeated, and is not given by any GOI body but by private Halal certification bodies. Government of India has its FSSAI certification which can be seen on almost all the processed foods.

https://www.indiafilings.com/learn/how-to-get-halal-certification-in-india/

Halal marks vary and might also have the countries name - eg India or America, but might look like this

Many well-known Indian brands are embracing halal-certification to get a better foothold in markets of other countries. Fresh meat brand Licious says that they have decided to supply only Halal meat as business policy, apparently KFC and McDonalds serve only halal products.

The implications of this extend to vegetarians too if they buy halal certified products – in that Sharia Law has been followed/Quran verses might have been recited somewhere along the process. And that costs might include some money being paid to Halal Certification Authorities – the whole  practice is something which personally I am not comfortable with.

https://www.opindia.com/2019/10/halal-certification-of-vegetarian-products-its-no-longer-about-choice-but-making-others-pay-for-your-beliefs/

This is a long post which I have split in two, the next on recent developments and protests, will follow.

Next: Some Issues with Halal Certification

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