Importance of Halal system in Meat Industries & Halal Certification for Livestock Meat & Meat Products in India
Halal certification states that the food or the products are permissible for the followers of Islam and no haram product or procedure is used while its manufacturing or processing.
What are Halal and Haram?
Halal is an Arabic term which means ‘permissible or lawful’. Halal is related to Islam and its dietary laws an is specifically related to meat processed and prepared as per the requirements of the laws.
On the other hand, Haram is an Arabic term which means ‘prohibited or forbidden’. As per the Quran, there are several products which are haram for the followers of Islam. These are– Alcohol, dead animal before its slaughter, blood and its by-products, pork and stunned meat (without halal process).
- Halal is an Islamic term which means lawful, permissible or legal. The opposite of Halal is Haram which means unlawful or prohibited.
- lIn the Holy Quran, Allah has commanded Muslims and all Mankind to eat and live on Halal and Tayyib (pure, clean, wholesome, nourishing and pleasing to the taste) things. Among the many verses of the Quran that convey this message, here are a few:
- O ye people! Eat of what is on earth, lawful and good; and do not follow the footsteps of the Evil One, for he is to you an avowed enemy.” (Al-Baqarah: 168)
- “O you who believe (in the Oneness of Allah)! Eat of the good things that We have provided you, and be grateful to Allah if it is (indeed) He Whom you worship”. (Al-Baqarah: 172)
- l”Eat of that which Allah hath provided for you lawful and good; but fear Allah, in Whom ye believe.” (Al Maidah: 88)
Do We Need Halal Certification in Restaurants in India?
Demand for halal certified products skyrocket in India during Ramzan or Ramadan (the 9th month of the Islamic or Hijri calendar and the most venerated month during which Muslims fast from pre-dawn till sunset). Muslims all over the world eat sumptuous foods after the fast during Ramadan and end the month-long fasting event with Eid al-Fitr (the “Festival of Breaking the Fast”).
To understand why halal certifications are sought by many Muslims in India or other parts of the world, it is important to know the significance of halal to Muslims and the belief system surrounding it.
What is Halal and why is it important to Muslims?
Especially during Ramzan or other Islamic festivities, many Muslims in India look for Halal meat and other products. In Arabic, “Halal” means permissible. This term is related to the dietary laws guided by Islam.
That’s why many Muslims in India look for Halal certified restaurants that serve them with foods prepared as per Islamic dietary laws and regulations. Halal status of certain food items is important to many Muslim consumers as it ensures that the foods are permissible, lawful and clean (in accordance with Islamic dietary laws).
Halal certification ensures that the food items (meat, milk, canned food, or others) are prepared by following certain Islamic dietary guidelines including:
- “Zabiha” or “dhabīḥah” method is followed during slaughter of the animal. Islamic laws say that such slaughter process inflicts least pain to animals, thereby performing slaughter with respect and compassion.
- The process involves swift, deep incision into the neck of the animal with the help of a sharp knife (cutting the jugular vein, wind pipe, and carotid arteries but leaving the spinal cord intact) while reciting the Takbeer (“Allāhu akbar” or “God is the Greatest”). This will allow all the blood to be drained out of the body. Only then the meat can be cut as per requirement.
- The meat has not come into contact with animals that have been slaughtered other than Zabiha method.
- The meat hasn’t come into contact with pork (considered “haram” or forbidden by Islam as it is considered unhealthy, impure, and harmful for human consumption).
What does Halal law states?
Halal practices mentioned in the Quran are as follows:
1- Only a Muslim man can slaughter the animal. In many texts, it is also mentioned that if Jews and Christians slaughter the animals following the rest of the steps (Halal procedure), the meat is halal as per the Islamic dietary laws.
2- The animal must be slaughtered with the help of a sharp knife with a cut to the jugular vein, carotid artery and windpipe.
3- The Quranic verse must be read while slaughtering the animal and is known as Tasmiya or Shahada.
4- At the time of slaughter, the animal must be alive and healthy. The maximum amount of blood must be drained from the veins of the carcass.
5- Consuming meat of an animal which is already dead or other than the halal process is prohibited in Islam.
Halal Certification
Halal certification is provided by several halal bodies in India including Halal India Private Limited, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Halal Trust, Halal Certification Services India Private Limited, and many others. These bodies generally provide certifications to restaurants, non-alcoholic beverages, foods, catering services, storage/warehouse services, abattoir, Industrial, packaging & labelling, and others.
Halal bodies in India generally provide halal certifications by auditing certain important aspects:
- The product doesn’t contain any animal part that is prohibited by Shariah.
- The slaughter has been done as per the Shariah.
- The institution seeking halal certification doesn’t contain anything that is considered impure by the Islamic dietary laws.
- The preparation, processing, and manufacturing don’t involve any instrument that is considered impure by Shariah.
- During preparation/processing/storage, the item/institution seeking halal certification hasn’t come in contact with or in close proximity to any food item that is considered impure by Hukum Shariah.
HALAL SYSTEM IN MEAT INDUSTRIES
GOOD ANIMAL HUSBANDRY PRACTICES
The production of halal meat according to halal system requires good animal husbandry practices particularly on the animal welfare aspect starting at the farm level. Animal welfare as stated by Krishnan and others are referring to the well-being of animals such as the animal care and humane treatment. Animal welfare is often associated with the quality of the meat. Animal abuse will impose detrimental impacts on meat quality and reduce consumer acceptance as well as devalue the price of meat in the market . The poorly treated animals will result in fatigue, bruising and injury which may lead to bad quality of the raw meat. Injured animals are normally having higher stress levels and tend to develop an increase of glycogen content in the blood from time to time and subsequently cause dark, firm and dry meat . Poor animal care in the farm will lead to increase the potential animal diseases which reduce the productivity and loss of profit. Islamic teachings encourage good relationship between farm animals and human. On-farm human-animal interactions reduce animals fear and allow ease during handling and thus increase the productivity . Grandin mentioned that implementation of improved handling procedures provides economic benefits such as reduced death losses and bruises. Besides animal handling, according to Shariah law, animals that are to be slaughtered must be fed with good, clean, permitted and legally nutritious food in order to produce good halal meat. Another aspect that needs to be considered in halal system is welfare of the animals during transportation. Good transportation arrangement including humane handling and avoid over-trucking, play a role in reducing animal stress prior to slaughtering that may affect the meat quality.
PRE-SLAUGHTER MANAGEMENT
In halal system, humans are obliged to treat animals in the mindful and attentive way as what has been mentioned in Shariah law. The act of cruelty and animal abuse throughout the halal meat production supply chain is strictly forbidden. This includes the pre-slaughter management upon animal arrival at the slaughterhouse. The animal must be humbly unloaded from the truck, well-rested and has free access to water in the holding pens before being slaughtered. Feed fasting of animals for at least 12 hours before slaughter is important to minimize the migration of gastrointestinal tract bacteria into the meat . However, prolonged withholding of feed with more than 24 hours is not humane . To ensure the meat from animals intended to be slaughtered are fit consumption, ante-mortem inspection by competent veterinarian is very helpful. Identification of animal for traceability purposes, cleanliness of animals, visible abnormalities as well as indications of animal welfare being compromised, will be detected during the inspection . The signs of infectious or potential zoonotic diseases of the animal also will be observed to ensure that animals are suitable and have the ability to produce safe meat for human consumption.
SLAUGHTERING PROCESS
Slaughtering is a vital step for meat quality, safety and animal welfare . Halal slaughtering process involves restraining and severing of trachea , esophagus and both the carotid arteries and jugular veins . At the time of slaughtering, animals must be alive and the slaughter must comply with niyyah, which is the intention of the name of Allah. Several studies have shown that, halal slaughtering method that provides considerable bleeding when the heart is still beating and neck incision used in halal cut is beneficial for shelf-life extension and meat quality maintenance. Cut in major blood vessels and used of the sharp knife to perform once cut in halal slaughtering enhanced rapid bleeding resulting in higher amounts of blood loss thereby reducing product deterioration and extend the shelf life of the meat . Poor bleeding in animals and more blood retained after slaughtering will inferior the quality, affecting the appearance and acceptability of the meat . As blood is the perfect medium for bacteria growth, lower amount of residual blood in the carcass subjected to halal slaughter caused lower bacteria count which reduces the risk of carcass contamination, therefore maintain the meat quality by reducing the microbial contamination . Use of sharp knife and science in halal slaughtering method can help in maintaining the end quality of the meat product thus can improve the meat industry to produce high quality and safety in meat products.
POST-SLAUGHTER MANAGEMENT
In meat industry, post-slaughter management is one of crucial stages that will determine the quality of meat. At this stage, shelf life and hygienic maintenance of the meat product is very important. In halal system, the toyyiban (wholesomeness) aspect which covers nutritional, quality, cleanliness and safety of the product, would demand the meat to be free from any microbiological, physical and chemical hazards. Thus, after the slaughtering process the meat must be handled and processes in hygienic environment in order to avoid any cross contamination [24]. This is because the cleanliness of the processing area could preserve the meat quality by reducing the risk of meat being contaminated with any microbiological hazard such as Salmonella spp. The meat also should be stored properly at designated area such as cold or chilled room with suitable temperature. Even the transportation storage also needs to be monitored to prevent temperature abuse which can lead to microbial growth. By doing so, the quality of the meat could be maintained with longer shelf life. Therefore, from processing up to transportation, the risk of potential hazard at any level must be eliminated to safeguard the toyyiban aspect of the meat.
Do Indian restaurants need halal certification?
Halal is a matter of faith for Muslims, especially regarding their habit of taking food. Over 172 million Muslims live in India, which is 14.2% of the total population and the 3rd largest Muslim population in the world. Not every one of them seeks halal certified foods all the time round the year. However, many do. So, it is a matter of choice whether a Muslim seeks halal certified food or not.
What matters to most people is whether the food they are having is hygienic, clean, and tasty. Therefore, it is up to the discretion of an Indian restaurant whether it needs halal certification, based on the extent of demand of halal certified meat or other food items.
In many Islamic countries, halal certification is given by the government. In India, FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) certification can be seen on almost all the processed foods but this authority doesn’t give halal certification in India. Halal certification is given by many private companies in India which marks the food or products permissible for the followers of Islam. Important halal certification companies in India are:
1- Halal India Private Limited.
2- Halal Certification Services India Private Limited.
3- Jamiat Ulama-E-Maharashtra- A state unit of Jamiat Ulama-E-Hind.
4- Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Halal Trust.
Why cosmetics and pharmaceuticals are halal certified?
Cosmetics and pharmaceuticals need halal certification as these companies use animal by-products. For instance, alcohol is present in perfumes, pig fat is present in lipsticks and lip balms, cosmetic products use by-products of pigs, chickens, goats, etc. and these are termed as haram as per the Islamic laws. Therefore, the cosmetics and pharmaceuticals which are halal certified simply mean that they do not contain anything which is prohibited for the followers of Islam.
Why companies get their products halal certified?
Companies are getting their products halal certified so that their products can be exported to Islamic countries. It must be noted that the followers of Islam constitute 1.8 billion population of the world, i.e., 24.1% of the world’s population. In addition to this, only halal-certified foods are allowed in many Islamic countries.
As per several reports, the halal food market constitutes about 19% of the global food market. Thus, to serve the larger markets, to meet the demand and supply chain, many companies are getting their products halal certified.
From halal foods to cosmetics, another term is ‘Halal Tourism’. In this, the hotels and restaurants do not serve alcohol and only halal-certified food is served in their restaurants. In many hotels, spa and swimming pool facilities are separate for both men and women.
What issues have risen with halal certification?
1- The cost of the products which are halal certified increases as the certification process is not free of cost. Also, to get a halal certification, several modifications need to be made in the making process.
2- In several sectors, employment opportunities to non-Muslims are unavailable– Halal Slaughterhouse.
3- Halal certification is a discriminatory process towards the non-muslims especially in the halal meat industry.
4- There’s no standard halal certification process to date. This means halal-certified products from one country may not be recognised in the other country. For Example, halal certification of India is invalid in UAE.
It is interesting to note that the halal-certified foods or products are not prohibited for other communities. Anyone following any faith can consume halal-certified food and products.
How to Get Halal Certification in India
Halal is a term from the Quran that means “permitted” or “lawful”. Therefore, in relation to food, Halal is used for food and other consumables that are permissible for consumption and used by Muslims, based on Islamic law, the Shariah. Halal promotes cleanliness in all aspects of a person and halal foods ensure that food consumed by a person in their daily lives are clean, hygienic and not detrimental to their health or well-being. Having a halal certification ensures that the food product is deemed safe for consumption and with rising awareness about Halal foods, more and more businesses are seeking Halal Certification for their products, premises, restaurants, etc., In this article, we look at the procedure for obtaining Halal Certification in India.
Halal Certification
Halal Certification is provided by Halal Certification Bodies in India. There are various Halal Bodies and a few of the Halal Bodies in India are listed below:
- Halal India Private Limited
- Halal Certification Services India Private Limited
- Jamiat Ulama-E-Maharashtra – a State unit of Jamiat Ulama-E-Hind
- Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Halal Trust
Businesses wishing to obtain Halal certification in India can approach any of the above Certification Bodies for obtaining Halal certification. While providing Halal certification, a competent authority audits and ensures that the business:
- Neither is nor consist of or contains any part or matter of an animal that a Muslim is prohibited by Shariah to consume or that has not been slaughtered in accordance with Shariah.
- Does not contain anything which is considered to be impure according to Shariah.
- Has not been prepared, processed or manufactured using an instrument that was not free from anything impure according to Shariah; and
- Has not in the course of preparation, processing or storage been in contact with or close proximity to any food that fails to satisfy paragraph (a) (b) or (c) or anything that is considered to be impure according to Hukum Shariah.
Types of Halal Certification
Based on the nature of the business, the type of Halal certification varies. Most frequently, Halal certification is obtained for places like restaurants, hotels, slaughtering houses, packaging and labelling materials to ensure they are suitable to be visited/used by Muslim consumers. However, Halal certification is not limited to only food produce. Non-alcohol beverage, raw materials needed in food processing, pharmaceutical and health care products, traditional herbal products, cosmetics and personal care products, cleaning products and daily consumable products can also obtain Halal Certificate. Therefore, obtain the Halal Certification from Halal Certification Bodies – broadly under the following schemes:
- Food, Beverage and Catering Scheme
- Restaurant Scheme
- Industrial Scheme
- Abattoir Scheme
- Warehouse or Storage Scheme
- Product Endorsement Scheme
Halal Certification Procedure
Halal Certification Procedure
Step 1: Application
The business wishing to obtain Halal Certification must apply to one of the Certification Bodies. It is important for the business to be aware of Halal Certification requirements at this stage and ensure that it is compliant with Halal requirements, Halal systems requirements and Halal staffing requirements.
Step 2: Audit
Once the application information is verified, Auditors (usually one Shariah Auditor and one Technical Auditor) will visit the business for inspection. The Auditors will verify if the following areas are acceptable for Halal Certification:
- Documentation
- Processing, handling and product distribution
- Storage, display and product serving
- Cleanliness, sanitary and food safety
- The overall aspects of the premises
- Tools, apparatus and machines
- Packaging and labelling
During the audit, the business might have to provide criteria of acceptance of raw materials (ingredients), certificate of analysis and Halal certificate of individual ingredient. Once, the audit is completed, an audit report will be prepared and signed by both parties.
Step 3: Certification
Once the Halal audit is complete, a Technical Committee will review the documents submitted by the business and the audit report submitted by the Auditors. If the audit report is satisfactory and the business and/or products satisfy the Halal certification criteria’s, then the Halal Certification Body issues the Halal Certificate.
Halal Certification on average costs a total of about Rs.50,000 in India. However, the fee varies amongst the Halal Certification Bodies. Hence, it is best to check with the relevant Halal Certification Body.
Benefits of Halal Certification
Obtaining Halal Certification has various advantages and could provide an edge for business amongst competitors. The following are some of the major benefits of obtaining Halal Certification for a business or product:
- Make the business or product marketable to over 2 billion people across the world.
- Use of the Halal logo
- Enhance the marketability of the product in Muslim countries
- Improve the quality of the food or product or hygienic systems
- Improve the quality of the food or product
Halal certificate no longer mandatory for Indian meat exports
Change in official manual
India’s Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, removed “halal” from its manual on red meat. The authority is a top government body responsible for promoting farm product exports.
“All animals are slaughtered according to the Islamic Shari’a under the supervision of Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Hind. The certificate is given by the Jamiat” group of Islamic scholars, said the authority’s previous manual.
But the new manual states: “The animals are slaughtered according to the requirement of the importing country.”
The change was made on Jan. 5. Until then, halal was an important condition for exporting meat, and Indian exporters could export only halal meat to meet the requirements of majority-Muslim countries.
The APEDA said the government does not require only halal meat be exported. However, it is a prerequisite of many countries that import meat.
The authority explained that halal certification agencies are approved directly by the respective importing nations and that no government agency plays a role in issuing halal certificates.
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- Malaysian Journal of Halal Research Journal (MJHR)
