FAQ

“Halal” is an Arabic word. In the Islamic Law terminology, it means “allowed/permissible (by God)”. When it comes to meat and poultry, Muslims use the term zabiha (dhabiha) to refer to meat from a halal animal slaughtered by a Muslim in the prescribed Islamic way. (Meat and its derivatives from haram (prohibited) animals does not become halal, even if it is slaughtered in the prescribed Islamic way and a Muslim would never slaughter a haram animal.)

Halal certification is a process of having a qualified independent third party organization (as HAS) supervise the production of consumables, attesting that they were produced in conformity with the preparation and ingredient standards of the halal lifestyle. After successful adoption and performance of halal productivity procedures, the supervisory third party then issues halal certification to the producer attesting to halal conformity on a per product basis. Halal requires foods & drinks to be wholesome and pure.

Halal certification is required to produce acceptable food and consumable products for halal consumers. That includes over 1.8 billion Muslims in the world and the many millions of others who choose to eat halal products because of the positive health benefits associated with the cleanliness and purity of food and drug preparation within the halal guidelines

Halal-certified ingredients can be found in many places. When producing halal-certified products, it is best to use halal-certified ingredients. HAS can help you find sources of acceptable halal-certified ingredients.

The market for Halal-Certified Products is huge and growing rapidly (10-15% yearly) with over 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide and many millions of health-conscious non-Muslims who chose to eat halal-certified products because these products are clean and manufactured in a compassionate manner with respect to the treatment of slaughtered animals. (When animals are slaughtered in a less compassionate manner, hormones and toxins from fear and shock are released into the respective bloodstreams of the animals; these hormones and toxins find their way into the musculature and taint the consumed meat with unnecessary ingredients.) There are over 52 million Muslims in Europe, 430 million in Africa, 320 million in the Middle East, and 1 billion in Asia.

Halal Standard for Muslims and Kosher for Jewish are 2 standards that considered similar, but there are many differences between them. Some of them are the following: · Islam prohibits all intoxicants, including alcoholic beverages, whereas Judaism regards them as kosher. Hence kosher foods may contain alcohol; but if they do, they are considered haram in Islam. · Gelatin is considered kosher by many Jews regardless of its source of origin. For Muslims, if gelatin is prepared from swine, it is haram. Even if gelatin is prepared from cows that are not zabiha, many scholars consider it haram. · Kosher practice does not require Jews to pronounce the name of God on the animals while slaughtering, but Muslims must pronounce the name of ALLAH on all animals while in the act of slaughtering. There are other differences between halal and kosher that make some kosher products haram or questionable with respect to Muslim consumption. These differences may seem minor to some. However, indulging in acts that are haram is a very serious offense against ALLAH. Consuming alcohol or pork is a clear violation of ALLAH’s commandments and should not be taken lightly. The pronouncement of the name of ALLAH at the time of slaughter is an act of worship and obedience. Not only is this pronouncement an act of worship of the highest unto itself, it also is the key to many blessings and bounties. Halal and haram lists came into being because Muslims expressed a concern about the foods available in the marketplace. Concerned and educated Muslims decided to investigate various products and ingredients to provide guidance to other Muslims. The lists served the purpose of educating Muslim consumers about food ingredients and food products. Lists that discuss ingredients are useful in understanding product labels and making informed about halal choices. On the other hand, lists of specific products are not as useful because the status of the products can change at any time, and this could lead to consuming haram products. That is why Halal Agency Serbia (HAS) offers halal certification services to food providers. HAS supervises the production facilities, provides Muslim slaughter men, and examines and approves ingredients to ensure that a product is halal. When a product is approved, HAS issues a halal certificate to the food company and allows the product to bear the HAS Halal symbol on its packaging. This is the surest way to know the product in question is halal.

Halal and haram lists came into being because Muslims expressed a concern about the foods available in the marketplace. Concerned and educated Muslims decided to investigate various products and ingredients to provide guidance to other Muslims. The lists served the purpose of educating Muslim consumers about food ingredients and food products. Lists that discuss ingredients are useful in understanding product labels and making informed about halal choices. On the other hand, lists of specific products are not as useful because the status of the products can change at any time, and this could lead to consuming haram products. That is why Halal Agency Serbia (HAS) offers halal certification services to food providers. HAS supervises the production facilities, provides Muslim slaughter men, and examines and approves ingredients to ensure that a product is halal. When a product is approved, HAS issues a halal certificate to the food company and allows the product to bear the HAS Halal symbol on its packaging. This is the surest way to know the product in question is halal.

· The meat & poultry source must be halal. · You have to be sure that there is no usage of haram and/or questionable (mashbooh) ingredients. · The usage of common grills/ovens is it for pork and other meat or it is segregated for halal meat only. If they use the grills/ovens for both meats, then there is a cross-contamination and halal meat baked on the same grill/oven becomes haram. · Check if there is a usage of alcoholic beverages in the recipe of your meal.