Sunday, February 24, 2019

Halal Certified Meals Comply With Very Strict Rules

By Kenneth McDonald


Muslims live their lives according to the Islamic Law. This law contains regulations about just about everything that affects the day to day lives of Muslims. There are particularly clear and stringent rules regarding the food that they may eat. Food is important to Muslims because it not only nourishes the body but also influences the spirit and the moral character. Muslims view there food as so important that they will never consume anything that is not Halal certified meals.

In order to get Halaal certification, it is necessary to follow very strict rules during the manufacturing, packaging and preparation of food. Such certification can be obtained from a Halaal Council. There are such councils wherever large numbers of Muslims live or work. Certification is not easily granted and has to be renewed every year. Certification can be withdrawn if even a single rule is broken anywhere along the process.

Certain foods are strictly forbidden and may not even be used as an insignificant ingredient when preparing food. No Muslim may ever consume alcohol in any form, not even if it is an ingredient in prescription medication. Pork in all forms is also strictly prohibited. Even the derivatives that are used by Muslims must be obtained from specially certified abattoirs where there is constant supervision over the entire process.

It is not just the ingredients that are used in the preparation of food that are taken into account for certification purposes. The entire production process and the way in which the food is prepared are also deemed very important. There may be no cross contamination of Halaal food and any other food during manufacturing, packaging or preparation processes. During preparation, separate cooking implements must be used.

It is not only Muslims that may apply for Halaal certification. Anyone is allowed to do so, as long as all the rules required by the Halaal Council are strictly followed. It is also not necessary to solely produce or sell Halaal food in order to qualify. However, great care must be taken to keep Halaal food away from other types of food. The council prefers it if applicants employ Muslims to supervise but this is not a strict requirement.

The market for Halaal certified food is a massive one. Anyone that wants to be in this market needs certification. Interestingly, Halaal food is also increasingly popular with people that are not Muslims. They know that Halaal food is prepared with the strictest possible standards of hygiene and that it is generally healthier than other mass produced food products.

When there is money to make there will be charlatans that try to fool consumers into thinking that their food is Halaal certified while it is not true. They use Muslim symbols and misleading wording on their packaging to create the impression that their food is indeed certified. Consumers can use the internet to make sure whether specific products and outlets are certified or not.

Muslims in general do not think that all the rules and regulations related to their food are limiting them. They see Islamic Law as a sensible guideline that helps them to live healthy and balanced lives. Strict adherence to these guidelines is seen as a virtue, not a burden.




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