Monday, March 25, 2019

Why Halal Certified Meals Are So Important To Muslims

By Brian King


The Islamic Law is central to the daily lives of all Muslims. This law regulates all aspects of life, not just the religious side of it. Among other things, it contains very strict rules related to what Muslims may eat and drink and even how their food must be prepared. This is because food is much more than mere nourishment to Muslims. They believe that food also has an influence on their spirits and even their moral character. This is why they strictly stick to Halal certified meals.

Halaal certification is handled by Halaal Councils. They do not grant certification easily and go to great lengths to make sure that applicants comply with all the requirements applicable to Halaal food. Certification is a lengthy process and certification is only granted for one year at a time. Infringements of any rule will certainly lead to the immediate cancellation of the Halaal certification.

There are certain types of food not allowed at all. Pork, in any form, is one of them. Alcohol is completely taboo, even if it is an ingredient in medication. Even derivatives and extracts used in cooking must be sourced from approved Muslim abattoirs where there are always Muslim inspectors present. The entire slaughtering process is strictly controlled throughout and extremely high standards of hygiene are maintained

Apart from using approved ingredients, even the process whereby food is manufactured, packaged and prepared is subjected to many rules. There may never be cross contamination between Halaal and other food. Contaminated food must be discarded immediately. Separate utensils, containers and tools must be used in the preparation of Halaal food. These must be cleaned and stored separately too, using separate facilities such as wash basis or dish washing machines.

Surprisingly, applicants for Halaal certification do not have to be Muslims, nor do they have to employ Muslims. As long as they are able and equipped to adhere to the strict rules contained in the Islamic Law, they can qualify for certification. They are not restricted to the preparation or manufacturing of Halaal food only, but they must have measure in place to make sure that no cross contamination occurs.

It is interesting to note that it is not only Muslims that prefer or insist upon Halaal food. There are numerous people from other religions and beliefs that also prefer this food. In many cases this is because they know that this food has been manufactured, prepared and packaged under very strict conditions of hygiene. They also know that Halaal food uses only the very best ingredients.

The market for Halaal food is very lucrative and it is only to be expected that there are many unscrupulous operators that try to pass their products off as Halaal approved. They use ambiguous terms such as Halaal friendly on their packaging to try and fool consumers. If the official logo of the Halaal Council is not displayed, then the food is not approved.

There is no downside to the consumption of Halaal food. It is healthy and the standards maintained during preparation and manufacturing are extremely high. For Muslims, adherence to the rules related to food is an integral and important part of their spiritual lives.




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