Halal certification involves an independent inspection to ensure that food products adhere to Islamic dietary laws. There are many organizations offering certification services, but the definition of halal can vary. The process involves a physical inspection of the facility and sometimes chemical analysis of the products. A stamp or seal is used to indicate halal certification.
Halal certification for a food manufacturing facility, food product or slaughterhouse means that an independent organization has carried out an inspection and found that the people, practices and products adhere to Islamic dietary laws. Halal-certified foods are usually permitted to use a specific seal or stamp to indicate that it has been independently inspected. There are hundreds of organizations around the world offering certification services, although the exact definition of what is halal is not always the same beyond some basic laws. These differences mean that what might be considered halal for one organization is not for another, leaving consumers of halal certified food to do their own research on what a particular company considers halal.
The lack of a single organization providing a unified set of rules for determining what should be halal certified means that the process varies from one organization to another. All certifications require a physical inspection of the facility in question. During this initial visit, many aspects of the production are examined to see if they follow strict Islamic laws. The most important laws are that ingredients are separated from non-halal products, that they are handled permissible and that prohibited products are not used.
After the initial inspection, some companies will go a step further and begin qualifying all imported or processed ingredients to ensure they can also be certified halal. This involves determining that no product used in the production of the food contains any prohibited ingredients. The process can take some time, especially in cases where the ingredients come from different countries of the world.
If the process and ingredients are all halal, the establishment may use a stamp or seal indicating that it is halal certified. This can make it easier for consumers leading a halal lifestyle to find permitted products. Some organizations inspect facilities only once, while others require regular inspections every few months or every year. Some rare certifying organizations actually have inspectors who check production several times a week, if not on a daily basis.
A different way of verifying whether foods need to be certified halal involves chemical analysis of the products. This technique is used when items are imported after production. The basic concept is to take samples of the product and chemically test them for the presence of different types of prohibited ingredients. If the food passes the tests, then it is certified halal; if he fails the tests, he is considered haram or banned. This form of certification is not always accepted, because it may lack some handling issues, and if the food is considered haram, it may still find its way onto store shelves and may be bought by someone who thinks it is halal.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
