milk, with the
JAKIM Halal logo stamped in the middle of the label. Due to its stringent certification process, it stands out as one of the most recognized foreign halal certification bodies. Islam generally considers every food halal unless it is specifically prohibited in
hadith or the
Qur'an. Specifically, halal foods are those that are: • Made, produced, manufactured, processed, and stored using machinery, equipment, and/or utensils that have been cleaned according to Islamic law (
shariah). • Free from any component that Muslims are prohibited from eating according to Islamic law. The most common example of
haram (non-halal) food is pork. While pork is the only meat that categorically may not be consumed by Muslims (the Quran forbids it, Surah 2:173 and 16:115) other foods not in a state of purity are also considered haram. The criteria for non-pork items include their source, the cause of the animal's death and how it was processed. The majority of Islamic scholars consider shellfish and other seafood halal.
Vegetarian cuisine is halal if it does not contain
alcohol. Muslims must also ensure that all foods (particularly processed foods), as well as non-food items like
cosmetics and
pharmaceuticals, are halal. Frequently, these products contain animal by-products or other ingredients that are not permissible for Muslims to eat or use on their bodies. Foods which are not considered halal for Muslims to consume include blood and intoxicants such as
alcoholic beverages. A Muslim who would otherwise starve to death is allowed to eat non-halal food if there is no halal food available. Several food companies offer halal processed foods and products, including halal
foie gras,
spring rolls,
chicken nuggets,
ravioli,
lasagna,
pizza and
baby food. Opinions on
GMO foods are mixed, although there is no widely accepted prohibition from consuming them. Some clerics and scholars have expressed support, arguing that such food production methods are halal because they contribute to human well-being. Voices in opposition to GMOs argue that there is no need for genetic modification of food crops because God created everything perfectly and man does not have any right to manipulate anything that God has created.
Halal meat ,
Ontario,
Canada Muslims believe in what they see as the ethical treatment of animals. Halal practices align with this philosophy by promoting kindness, compassion, and humane treatment throughout the entire lifecycle of the animal. The emphasis on swift and painless slaughter respects the animal's dignity and minimizes suffering. Halal meat must come from a supplier that uses halal practices. () is the prescribed method of slaughter for all meat sources, excluding fish and other sealife, per Islamic law. This method of
slaughtering animals consists of using a sharp knife to make an incision that cuts the front of the
throat,
oesophagus and
jugular veins but not the
spinal cord. The head of an animal that is slaughtered using halal methods should be aligned with the (the direction a Muslim faces when praying). In addition to the direction, permitted animals should be slaughtered upon utterance of the Islamic prayer "
Bismillah, Allahu Akbar" (In the name of God, God is greatest). The slaughter must be performed by a Muslim.
Carrion (carcasses of dead animals, such as animals who died in the wild) cannot be eaten.
Compatibility with other religions Animals slaughtered by
People of the Book (
Jews and
Christians) can also be considered halal if the slaughter is carried out by jugular slice, the blood drained and the name of Allah invoked. As a result,
kosher meat is permitted by some Muslim communities, and is sometimes substituted for halal meat.
Sikhism forbids eating meat from animals that were
slaughtered slowly or with religious ritual, referred to as
kutha meat. This includes halal meat preparation. The religiously recommended method of slaughter among
Sikhs, known as , is likewise incompatible with halal principles, as with this method not all of the blood is drained from the meat.
Concerns for animal welfare , Jordan
Stunning of the animal is only permitted if it is necessary to calm down a violent animal.
Tesco says "the only difference between the halal meat it sells and other meat is that [the animal] was blessed as [it] was killed." The
British Veterinary Association, along with citizens who have assembled a petition with 100,000 signatures, have raised concerns regarding a proposed
halal abattoir in Wales, in which animals are not to be
stunned prior to killing. Concerns about animal suffering from slaughter without prior stunning has resulted in the ban of slaughter of unstunned animals in
Denmark,
Luxembourg,
Belgium,
Netherlands,
Norway,
Sweden and
Switzerland.
Certification Certification for halal products is given by legal authorities in most
Muslim-majority countries, while in other countries, it is voluntarily acquired by companies and issued by non-governmental organizations for an annual fee.
Halal certification in the US Halal certifications are provided by a number of agencies in the United States. Depending on how the certification will be used for domestic or international export, the certification may need to be done by a qualified entity. If it is for domestic use a local agency with proper knowledge, training and background can issue a halal certificate. If the certificate is going to be used for export then the halal certifier needs to be accredited by the country the halal product is being exported to. A company that needs to certify its product must do their due diligence when hiring a certifier. There are a number of halal certifiers in the US, including ISWA Halal; ISA Halal; Halal Monitoring Services (HMS), based out of
Chicago, Illinois; the Halal Food Standards Alliance of America (HFSAA), based out of
Oakland, California; and Halal Watch World, based in
New York. Another agency that can help companies identify and screen the proper halal certifier is the US Halal Consultants based in Fairfax, Virginia.
Criticism In Australia,
halal food certification has been criticized by groups who claim that certifying foods as halal leads to consumers subsidizing a particular religious belief.
Australian Federation of Islamic Councils spokesman
Keysar Trad told a journalist in July 2014 that this was an attempt to exploit
anti-Muslim sentiments in Australia. A study in 2022 showed that halal certifications did not necessarily reflect the extent to which a halal product came about in whole, and called for greater means of assurance and transparent qualitative methods of halal certification.
Business The
Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry estimated the global industry value of halal food consumer purchases to be $1.1 trillion in 2013, accounting for 16.6 percent of the global food and beverage market, with an annual growth of 6.9 percent. Growth regions include
Indonesia ($197 million market value in 2012) and
Turkey ($100 million). The
European Union market for halal food has an estimated annual growth of around 15 percent and is worth an estimated $30 billion, approximately $8 billion of which are accounted for in France. The halal food and beverage industry has also made a significant impact on supermarkets and other food business such as restaurants. French supermarkets had halal food sales totalling $210 million in 2011, a 10.5% growth from five years prior. In France, the market for halal foods is even larger than the market for other types of common foods. For example, in 2010, the market for halal foods and beverages in France was nearly twice that of organic foods.
Interaction with global regulation Halal standards and regulations have been considered as an obstacle to international trade while the discrimination towards import products also lacks transparency. Trade disputes related to halal have emerged even among Muslim and Islamic countries, for instance at the regional level within the ASEAN.
European Union On 17 December 2020, the
Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that member countries may ban religious slaughter to promote
animal welfare and could impose non-lethal stunning before the killing of animals. The ruling was in response to a challenge to a 2017 Flemish government prohibition on the killing of animals without prior non-lethal (also called reversible) stunning by Jewish and Muslim associations.
India The Muslim community has been receptive of halal food and certification. Members of the right-wing
Hindutva groups in India have protested against the sale of Halal food in India.
Bajrang Dal,
Vishva Hindu Parishad and other Hindutva groups have run door to door campaigns in the state of
Karnataka, asking people not to purchase halal meat. In March 2022 the Hindutva group Bajrang Dal physically attacked a Muslim meat seller, five persons were arrested in the incident. In March 2022,
C. T. Ravi, national general secretary for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, referred to halal food as "economic jihad".
United Kingdom , an estimated 27 UK
Tesco supermarkets, in addition to most urban
Asda and many
Morrisons supermarkets, had halal meat counters, selling meat approved for consumption by Muslims. According to the Food Standards Agency Animal Welfare Update report, published September 2017, 16 percent of animals slaughtered by the halal method were not stunned before slaughter, which violates
RSPCA standards on animal welfare. However, it is legal in the UK due to an exemption in the law granted to Jews and Muslims. == Non-food applications ==