Halal

Halal is an Arabic word meaning lawful or permissible; food described as halal is permitted under Islamic law. For food, this concerns both what the food contains and how it is prepared, processed, transported and stored. Halal certification is a separate step: it means that a third-party organisation has verified that a company provides halal food. A company that is not certified is not necessarily not halal.

Ingredients and handling

For food, the Codex Alimentarius guidelines cover both ingredients and the way food is prepared, processed, transported and stored. They exclude unlawful sources, including pigs, blood and alcoholic drinks, and direct contact with food that does not meet these conditions. Lawful land animals must also be slaughtered according to set requirements. Halal status therefore depends on handling as well as on ingredients.

Under the Codex guidelines, halal food can be prepared, processed or stored in separate sections or lines of premises where non-halal foods are also produced, provided that contact between them is prevented. Facilities that previously produced non-halal foods can be put back into service after proper cleaning according to Islamic requirements.

Food and other products

Halal requirements also exist for products other than food. The Department of Standards Malaysia lists MS 2634:2019, Halal cosmetics — General requirements, a standard for the manufacturing and handling of halal cosmetics. The Codex guidelines, by contrast, concern halal claims in food labelling.

What certification covers

Certification is a verification by a third-party organisation, and what it covers depends on the scheme. The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS), for example, has a product scheme for products manufactured or partly manufactured in Singapore and a whole-plant scheme for a manufacturing facility and all products made there. It also has separate schemes for eating establishments, food preparation areas and storage facilities. These are the schemes of one certifier in one country.

At MUIS, certification follows document verification and audits or inspections; certified companies then undergo unannounced inspections, and the certificate, valid for one or two years, must be renewed. Under the Codex guidelines, when a food is claimed to be halal, the word halal or an equivalent term should appear on the label.

Interpretation and limits

The Codex guidelines were adopted in 1997 as an advisory text, and it is for each government to decide how to use them. They accept that there may be minor differences of opinion between the Islamic schools of thought in the interpretation of lawful and unlawful animals and of slaughter, and they are subject to the interpretation of the appropriate authorities of the importing countries.

Halal claims should not be used to suggest that halal foods are nutritionally superior to, or healthier than, other foods. Conversely, a company that is not halal-certified is not necessarily not halal.