Sunday, January 6, 2019

The Rules Governing The Preparation Of Halal Meals Ready To Eat

By Anthony Cole


Almost every aspect of the daily lives of Muslims is guided by the Islamic Law. These laws cover literally everything, ranging from how relationships should be conducted to how Muslim congregations should worship. The laws related to the preparation of food are particularly comprehensive. Food is important to Muslims because they believe it does not affect the physical body, but also the spirituality of an individual. There are therefore many rules regarding the reparation of halal meals ready to eat.

Anyone that wants to sell their food related products to Muslims will have to obtain halaal certification from the Halaal Council. Such councils exist wherever large groups of Muslims reside. Certification is only approved if the council is sure that the applicant is following all the rules of the Islamic Law. It is a time consuming process and even a small breach of the rules can cause certification to be cancelled.

Some types of food are utterly forbidden to all Muslims. They may not consume pork in any form and alcohol is strictly prohibited. Even medication containing alcohol is forbidden. Derivatives and extracts that are used in the preparation of food must be obtained from specially certified abattoirs. These abattoirs are carefully monitored at all times and there are numerous rules that must all be obeyed.

Halaal certification is not just about the use of approved foodstuffs and ingredients. It also depends upon the use of cookware, utensils and containers that have never been used in the preparation of food other than halaal. These tools and utensils also have to be washed, dried and stored apart from all other kitchen tools used for preparing non halaal food. Certain ingredients may never be used in the same dish.

Contrary to popular believe, those preparing, transporting and selling halaal food does not have to be Muslims, nor does the process need to be overseen by a Muslim. Any business or individual can therefore apply for halaal certification and applicants are not prohibited from selling non halaal food. The process is easier, however, if the applicant does have a minimum of two Muslims present when food is prepared or packaged.

It is certainly not exclusively Muslims that buy and consume halaal food. People from all walks of life prefer these products. They find them to have superior flavor and they know that only the best ingredients are used in the preparation of food. They also know that the highest possible standards of hygiene are maintained at all times. For health conscious consumers, these are very important matters.

The market for halaal foods is a lucrative one and many unscrupulous operators that are not halaal certified try to pass off their products as the real thing. If a product or meal is marked as halaal friendly or if it does not boast the official logo of the Halaal Council, then it is probably not halaal. These days it is also easy to use the internet to check whether a specific restaurant, manufacturer or retailer is halaal certified.

Muslims believe that the Islamic Law is there to help them live better lives. Food is important in the Muslim culture. That is why the laws governing the manufacturing, preparation and presentation of food are also deemed to be important.




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