The American Halal Association reports as a matter of due diligence to inform consumers.

The Food Safety and Inspection Services (FSIS) is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that ensures the nation’s meat and poultry supplies are correctly labeled and packaged. Temporary approvals can be granted by the Labeling and Program Delivery Division (LPDD) for up to 180 days to a company that has a need to correct a deficient label. It gives time for the company to take corrective action, but unfortunately the consumers may be misled by the faulty packaging distributed in that time frame.

In August 2011, an on site USDA inspector for Park Farms questioned the usage of a label on Halal Pride brand chicken marked “Hand Slaughtered” that was actually initially machine killed. By September 2011, Halal Pride obtained a temporary approval to use 125,000 labels from the LPDD in Washington. Again, the on-site USDA inspector was uncomfortable and felt it was “misleading to the consumer” and questioned FSIS about using the label. He received his answer in Nov, 2011 and the deficient labels were approved for use until Jan 2012.

It is ambiguity like this that can mislead Halal consumers about the process by which their food is packaged and labeled. Read the attached Freedom of Information Act letter. FOIA 12-42 Responsive records Applied

From Business Islamica by Kashif Hasan Khan

Understanding the Current Debate on Tawarruq and Sukuk: A Study of the Juristic Opinions of Indian and Arab Scholars

Introduction

Tawarruq and sukuk are the two most controversial Islamic financing tools currently prevailing in the market. Since Islamic finance has its major expansion in the Arab World and its potential market is now seen in India, which is the worlds second largest Muslim Populated country, we find that religious scholars are showing greater interest in it from an Islamic perspective. But, how do the Arab and Indian Muftis (jurists) interpret it, considering its applicability in a financial market dominated by the interest based financial system?
This paper basically aims to examine these points in order to understand whether the current practices of Tawarruq and sukuk are permissible or not in the views of Indian and Arab Shari’ah scholars.

A Paradigm Shift

Islamic banking came into existence in the beginning of the 1960s but only started receiving attention and gaining high popularity in the last two decades. Now, Muslim and non-Muslim countries are giving a warm welcome to the industry, with a number of scholars over that period concentrating on the various aspects of Islamic banking and considering it to be in its infancy because of its small size compared to the gigantic conventional industry. Therefore, despite exemplary advancements and achievements, there remain a number of controversies over various underlying concepts and practices. There are also many issues that were raised in the early 1980s, such as -do Islamic banks operate according to the principle of profit and loss sharing? -Who are the benefactors and who stands to lose from such banks? Currently, there is a paradigm shift. We hardly find questions related to the principle of profit and loss sharing; rather there are some more complicated issues like risk management, transparency and Shari’ah supervision.

Here it would be relevant to answer such questions. But there are others. What is the importance of Shari’ah opinions in financial matters and what needs do these experts have to formulate consensus? And where do the opinions of both the Arab and Indian Shari’ah scholars differ in understanding the permissibility of Sukuk and Tawarruk?

Fatwa on financial Transactions

In order to understand the opinion of Shari’ah scholars it would be pertinent to start a discourse on the fatwas issued on financial transactions in India and the Arab world. The fatwa on finance is a most attractive term for both Muslims and non-Muslims, mainly because most of the Muslims are not aware of the terminology. It should be kept in mind that India is the country where fully fledged Islamic financial institutions are not yet in existence, therefore, the Fatwa issued by Indian scholars would provoke more questions such as how can Shari’ah scholars know and formulate opinions on financial matters without having first accepted the system of interest-free banking in India. Indian fatwas are mostly based on the assumptions that whatever form of Islamic finance is in practice, it will also be applicable in the Indian scenario. Arab Shari’ah scholars arent much concerned with the perceived structures of the Indian scholar in a country where most of the financial rules are governed by RBI (the Reserve Bank of India) without taking into consideration the religious sentiments of the people. That is why, when the Indian Muftis (Jurists) deliver any fatwa concerning the Islamic finance it generates debates on its viability in India. The only platform gathering Shari’ah scholars in India is the Islamic fiqh Academy (IFA).

As far as the fatwas in the Arab region, the first of these on the said issues was in 1904, and they addressed the legitimacy of interest banking. But serious attention was only given after the 1970s when Islamic banking started serious operations and some innovations sprung up. During the early seventies, Shari’ah academies also emerged into the scene.

Fatwa Shoppings

Shari’ah Supervision is essential in the Islamic banking Industry because the purpose is to ensure that the financial institutions operate in conformity with Shari’ah. It is usually made up of a number of jurists who provide clarification in regards to any questions that the financial institutions may have (Usmani, 1998). Presently, it has become an impediment to the entire Islamic banking Industry. Fatwa shopping a procedure that enables the financial institutions to seek a fatwa on financial products or contracts from the scholars who, they assume, will consider such products or contracts as Shari’ah-compliant and later grant a fatwa is a threat to the Islamic finance industry because the process works against the harmonization of fatwa.

Malaysian scholars might be considered too liberal for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) investors whereas Pakistani or Indian Scholars follow different Shari’ah guidelines to those defined by GCC Shari’ah scholars. There is additionally the issue of differing interpretation of existing Shari’ah rulings. The existence of various sects in Islam and the fact that each sect has its own authority or body which provides guidance and interpretation on Shari’ah issues makes the process complicated. Differences do arise and exist between the countries and regions. For instance, Islamic financial restrictions are more liberal in Malaysia compared to the Middle East where the financial regulations have been applied more strictly.

Opinions on Sukuk and Tawarruq

Tawarruq is a transaction whereby a needy person buys something on credit and then immediately, in a separate transaction with another party, sells it for cash. It has become increasingly popular in Saudi Arabia, UAE, and other GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries in recent years. However, more recently, two prominent jurists, both housed in Saudi Arabia, tackled the issues of Tawarruq and Fiqh. The Academy of OIC in Jeddah has already forbidden Tawarruq. The Fiqh Academy of the Muslim World League in Mecca issued two rulings on the transactions. The first opinion was issued during the 15th session of the Academy in 1988. It permitted the contract subject to the condition that the customer does sell the commodity to its original seller, to avoid direct interest evidence of Inah as a legal stratagem to circumvent the prohibition of Riba. The second took place in the 17th session of the academy held in December 2003; they tackled the issues of Tawarruq as practiced by Islamic banks today and forbade it. Many Muslim jurists frowned upon the practice of Tawarruq because of its similarity to bai al inah, and its propensity to incur Riba in the transactions. Whereas some of the scholars hold opinion that it is extremely suspicious from the point of Shari’ah compliance.

The well known Indian Scholar M.N. Siddiqui, who is perhaps the most influential writer of the first generation of modern Islamic Economists, says that the Tawarruq practice must be of limited use only for meeting unavoidable liquidity whereas Sheikh Mohammed Mukhtar Al Salami, head of the Shari’ah (Islamic) panel in the Jeddah based IDB, said the present practices of Tawarruq deal as -concealed usury which is prohibited in Islam. Prominent scholar Sheikh Nizam Yaqubi, disagrees with the Saudi Arabian ruling and this has triggered a fierce debate.

AAOIFI (Accounting and Auditing Organization of Islamic Financial Institutions) issued its Shari’ah standard 30, indicating the correct way of doing Tawarruq. In reality, of course, Shari’ah standard 30 is never implemented. In recognition of the need for expert, independent advice, and supervision on Shari’ah related matters, the AAOIFI established standards requiring every provider of Islamic financial services to have its own Shari’ah Supervisory Board (SSB) thus, in its auditing standard for IFI no. 4 AAOIFI stated in paragraph three that every Islamic Financial Institutions should have a SSB.

Sukuk

Sukuk has been derived from the term -sak in classical Arabic. The term -Sukuk (the plural of sak) as used today is synonymous with -Islamic bonds. But, in fact, it is different from it. It is a new dimension of this very industry that came into existence only two decades ago; it was an attempt by the modern scholars to confront the conventional debt market, because in the present era one can find that the debt based market has been rooted much deeper than the equity based market. Sukuk is the subject of an ongoing discussion, weighing the balance of halaal and Haram in the context of a gradual approach.

Sheikh Taqi Usmani, a leading Shari’ah scholar and chairman of the AAOIFI board of Shari’ah, said that 80% of sukuk are not Shari’ah-compliant. According to him it violates the principle of risk and profit sharing on which it should be based, and as a result, the AAOIFI brought together its board of Shari’ah scholars to clarify the issues raised by him and to form a consensus among Shari’ah scholars. They published a six point paper in 2008 outlining their position on sukuk, which included a ruling that purchase undertaking at face value for Musharaka and Mudarabah sukuk structures are no longer permissible. The Fiqh Academy of Jeddah is also in favor of the six point paper by AAOIFI.

According to Siddiqui, distancing sukuk from debt is necessary to make them free of Riba and the element of Maysir (gambling). The thing which makes the sukuk a debt instrument in the view of Siddiqui is inclusion of Murabaha receivables into the package of assets against which sukuk are issued and the commitment to redeem them at their face value at some future date, with regular periodical returns being paid in between. There is no difference, in effect, between this and some of the money lent for an interval being serviced by periodical payment covering the interval.

CONCLUSION

While going through these two important modes of finance, considering the opinions of scholars both from India and the Arab world, it emerges that Sukuk is getting approval from a number of scholars and is also found to be a viable option for a long-term project financing. However, Tawarruq is still found to be a more controversial and ambiguous financing nature, where most of the Islamic banks seek legal roots to justify lending.

About the author

Writer is a research fellow at the centre for West Asian Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi, India. He can be reached at Kashif_islamicfinance@yahoo.com

HalalFocus interviews Hans C. Kastensmith (HCK), chairman and CEO, InstantLabs a machine they have designed called the Hunter RT PCR that can enable food producers to test products themselves for traces of porcine DNA. This will be a cost effective way for food producers to get results in the same day at their own facility. It will also be of use to Halal certifiers that may not have access to the labs and testing facilities necessary in modern food production, to guarantee Halal food is not contaminated with pork DNA in the production line

HF: Tell me about the Hunter.  Why did you apply Real Time PCR (qPCR) to the food safety sector?

HCK: First, the founders of InstantLabs have decades of experience in healthcare.  Although RT-PCR has important role in treating patients, InstantLabs wanted to prevent people from getting sick in the first place.  The same advantage that RT-PCR brings to medicine; rapid accurate identification of pathogens, can also be brought to food safety.  No longer do you have to wait days for an answer; now results can be ready in hours.

Food producers want to ensure a safe and healthy food supply.  There is growing public awareness about food safety as well as about healthy and nutritious foods.  Food-borne illness kills thousands per year.

There are many approaches to food testing, and all the current methods have trade-offs:  Immunoassay tests are inexpensive and fast, but are not very accurate; culture plates are accurate but take days for results; and traditional qPCR is fast and accurate but is expensive and requires a high level of skill to operate.

So the ideal food safety test would have the following characteristics:

-reduce the complexity of the test;

-simplify the sample enrichment process;

-automate or eliminate the DNA acquisition phase;

-provide a flexible platform that could start tests on demand;

-tailor the testing to industry needs;

-maintain the ‘gold standard’ accuracy of qPCR.

Hunter, the InstantLabs qPCR machine, has been designed for ease of use and for delivering results at the point of need.  So now food producers can test their own products and have the results the same day, and not have to wait for results while the food is warehoused.

InstantLabs has developed tests for the food safety market – Salmonella species, Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella typhimurium, E Coli 0157 H7 (along with the EAE gene and the STEC-producing variants), and Listeria Monocytogenes.  We only recently developed a Pork DNA test, which actually is much simpler and shorter (two hours) compared to the pathogen tests.

HF: So how are you applying this to Halal testing?

HCK: Just as hazard reduction procedures (good sanitation, worker training, cleanliness, etc.) are the most important items in food safety, proper respect and procedures around producing Halal food remain the cornerstone.  However, we now have a way to validate that all proper procedures related to pork contamination have been followed.

Real-Time PCR can detect tiny amounts of porcine contamination.  This contamination may not be the result of malfeasance.  We have found porcine DNA in a surprising array of products that have innocently gone undetected.  For example, the lubricant for food processing machinery is often animal-based and sometimes pork based.  These lubricants can enter the food supply.

In our travels around the Middle East and Southeast Asia there is a growing demand for increased food safety, as in the rest of the world.  Added to that is the desire to be Halal certified.  And since qPCR is a DNA-based method, we decided to develop a pork DNA test which can, in two hours, detect the presence/absence of pork in food products.  We are excited about this test because it represents an introduction of scientific certainty into the Halal process.  Of course this is only part of the Halal certification process, but the accuracy of RT PCR means that if there is pork present in the same, we will detect it.  Introduction of the Hunter system into the Halal certification process also establishes a known standard of testing, since people in the field regard it as the ‘gold standard’ of testing.

HF:  But Halal applies to more than food.  What about testing other items?

HCK: InstantLabs is currently testing food only and using our pork DNA test to see if meats or other foods contain traces of pork.  Frequently we find traces of pork DNA in the lubricants used in the machines that cut or grind or package the Halal foods.  We have done limited testing on cosmetics and have also had positive results.  We want to develop some other tests, which will not be qPCR tests, to detect alcohol and other items which might be considered haram, or forbidden, by the Muslim consumer.

HF:  How has the Muslim community reacted to the introduction of the Hunter?

HCK: With a few exceptions, the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.  Most Halal certifiers or Muslim consumer groups welcome a new scientific standard into the certification process.  So we have had great interest not only from certifiers in the U.S. but in Southeast Asia, Canada and the UK.

HF:  How can readers get more information on the Hunter?

HCK: Anyone interested in learning more about the Hunter is welcome to contact Ross Newland, rnewland@instantlabs.com.  Please also take a look at our website (www.instantlabs.com). InstantLabs will have a booth at the Halal & Healthy Show in Istanbul on the 13-16 October 2011, where we hope to meet with international Halal certifiers as well as food producers.

Ross Newland will also be attending the American Muslim Consumer Conference on the 29th October 2012 at the Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

HF:  How large is the Hunter RT PCR machine?

HCK: The Hunter weighs only 8 kilos and has its own IP address, so it can be networked over the Internet.

The growth of the Halal market has become a global phenomenon. With the majority of the Muslim world dependent on food imports to meet their needs, countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Brazil have long been established as major suppliers to the halal market. Currently the USA lags behind these leaders in both sales and regulatory infrastructure by a considerable gap. Is it time for America to step up its game and become a leading player in the Halal industry? And if so, what would it take?

Collective Effort

As we are reminded, in the hadith of the Prophet, salla’llahu alayhi wassalam, that the fortunate one is the one who can learn from the experience of someone else, let us take a look at Australia’s experience.

It has been suggested that Australia is about a decade ahead of the USA in terms of its approach to supplying the Halal markets. The recognition of the significance of this market by Australia’s industry and government stakeholders has resulted, after many years of internal struggles and difficulties, in a collective effort between the governmental health and safety regulatory bodies, the red meat industry and the various Islamic bodies involved in Halal certification.

Getting this three-legged structure in place is not as easy as it sounds; and the pivotal piece of the puzzle to solve is the question of how to manage the Halal certification bodies. Halal certification is, if you will allow me the pun, a real cash cow; an unregulated cash cow that is not always all that Halal either. With no clear standards, no third-party audits, no oversight and riddled with conflicts of interest, Halal certification procedures in the non-Muslim world, especially for meat and poultry, are still in the time of the Wild West before the sheriff came to town.

Despite the statutory separation of church and state, the Australians recognised – more than a decade ago – that the value of the Halal export market to the national economy warranted an effective structure to guarantee both the quality and integrity of the product, and the consequent market share.

The result is the AGAHP, the Australian Government Authorised Halal Programme. This is effectively a collaboration between the Australian Meat Industry Council (AMIC), Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) and the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS).

This collaboration resulted in a set of guidelines for slaughter of livestock, the preparation, identification, processing, storage, segregation and certification of Halal red meat products for export to Halal markets.

Under the AGAHP, both abattoirs and Islamic bodies must operate under an Approved Arrangement (AA) that meets the AGAHP guidelines. For an Islamic Body to be approved, they must meet the criteria laid down in the government legislation. This naturally caused a shake-down in the number of Islamic bodies that carried out certification, but the result has been a workable tripartite collaboration that has resulted in a Halal industry with consistent high-quality products that are verifiably Halal, and a similarly consistent share of the Halal market.

Home on the Range

For the USA to move into a position approaching that of Australia, several changes will need to happen. The first is a question of perception. There has to be recognition by the key decision-makers that the Halal industry is worth developing. With a global Muslim population of 1.6 billion, around 26% of the global population, the majority of which is import-dependent, the question is really ‘why would you not be interested in this market?’

The USA is in the difficult position of being a global power that has passed its peak. It is always hard to accept that from here the road basically leads downwards, and even harder to make the necessary changes to accommodate the shifting status on an increasingly fluid world stage.

Being in a dominant position for long periods of time makes it easy to become complacent, and as a major food exporter, this is exactly what can be seen in the Halal industry in the USA. The trend in the global Halal marketplace is for higher standards, more integrity and a greater degree of oversight surrounding Halal compliance.

For example, both Malaysia and Indonesia are now requiring Halal meat to be produced on dedicated lines, and as there are none in the USA, this means that exports to these countries will stop unless some changes are made. While some may argue that these markets are not that important, and that exports to the bigger GCC markets can carry on as usual, but this perspective is to miss the writing on the wall.

The Halal markets are evolving. It is becoming a case of choosing between adaption or extinction. Such is the dynamic of the free market. It would be an irony for the USA to miss the very point of the market philosophy that they have defined and exported to the rest of the world.

Compared to Australia, the USA Halal industry is still in the dark ages. Halal certification continues to be carried out with no regulatory oversight by the USFDA. There are well-documented cases of export agents buying non-Halal products from major USA manufacturers, obtaining a Halal certificate, ink-jetting a statement of Halal compliance onto the existing labels and sending the products into the GCC markets as certified Halal products. When questioned, the manufacturers will say that they do not manufacture any Halal products…and yet there they are in the Halal marketplace.

The fact that this has worked until now is not a proof that it will continue to work in the future. The fact that it is widely known that these practices go on is a strong indication that they will soon have to come to an end.

Always inspiring, get Yvonne’s new book!

by Yvonne M. Maffei, Editor of MyHalalKitchen.com

Over the past year, I’ve been incredibly fortunate, alhamdullilah, to be part of some great changes in our local food movement, particularly in schools.  Invitations and warm welcomes into classrooms and gymnasiums to talk to kids about healthy eating and to share my ideas about what is truly healthy with parents and community members have resulted in an amazing exchange of learning opportunities for all of us.

Through those exchanges, I’ve come to find out just what everyone is up against in the fight to protect our kids from unhealthy changes in food growth and production, and I have also been better able to guide them in reviving their lunch programs as a result.

I was hired as a Culinary Consultant to a Muslim school in the suburbs of Chicago with the purpose of providing recipes and instruction to kitchen staff on how to revitalize their lunch menu by using healthier ingredients, as many organic ingredients as possible and, of course assuring all of these were halal. Another part of the program was to re-evaluate cooking methods to ensure we were offering the healthiest possible presentation of dishes to this school of nearly 300 students.

What was most interesting about the entire process was that at the outset, this school was already doing as much as it could to provide healthy and homemade lunches, but they just wanted to implement more diversity in the lunch menu to expand in tasty options.  Their budget, like most schools, was tight. We had to get creative but remain frugal in our spending without sacrificing one inch on flavor, presentation, and the logistics that worked for their school.

The benefit in instituting the program went beyond what any of us expected. It was a great opportunity for everyone involved to get updated on information surrounding school foods such as artificial colors, monosodium glutamate, high fructose corn syrup, pesticide use on fruits and vegetables, genetically-modified foods, etc. that are often found in products marketed specifically to children.

What are the benefits of reviving your school’s lunch program and how can it actually be done? Below are a few key points I think are worthy to share:

It’s an Opportunity to Learn How Ingredients and Products Have Changed

The food industry is constantly changing the way food is grown and the ingredient make-up of packaged products.  For example, there may have been a time when butter or oil was used in making a particular cookie where now the company making them is using high-fructose corn syrup instead.  Alternatively, some companies are turning a new {green} leaf by offering more natural, organic, and even gluten-free options in their products that they didn’t have even a year ago. 

It Helps Schools Find Local Vendors- Ones Who Can Also Be Better for the Bottom Line 

Many people get the idea that the terms local, organic¸ or seasonal also mean ‘expensive’.  Alhamdullilah, due to an increase in consumer demand, many local farmers or small companies are able to offer prices comparable to grocery or wholesale food stores because transportation costs are so low when doing business with growers nearby. Schools can benefit greatly from this by partnering with local small farms for fresh, seasonal produce and also contacting local artisanal vendors for cheese, breads and more.  An additional benefit is that the school can talk directly with vendors about the ingredients in their products and even work to negotiate changes in things that might not work for a particular student population. 

It Gets Kids Excited About the New Foods They’ll Eat 

Any time a school is changing the lunch menu, it will need to communicate those upcoming changes to the teachers, students, and their families.  In fact, I recommend schools to create a mini marketing campaign to create buzz about the upcoming changes, even giving the new program a name that will excite everyone to participate. Cooking demos and tastings of new menu items are also a great way for everyone to feel they’re an integral part of the process by allowing their feedback to shape the new menu. 

It Starts a Dialogue and Revives a Community Spirit

Food is a great way to bring people together- even just talking about it. When concerns about the health and safety of children are brought up during a conversation, other parents are bound to feel a common interest in the subject. Talking about an entirely new lunch menu at a school-wide event is a great way to bond as a school community; agreeing that if anything is important, it is in doing everything and anything we can to ensure the kids aren’t exposed to harmful ingredients in food served at lunch or at home.

If you’d like help revitalizing your school’s lunch program, make the intention to do so and check out resources that will help you get there. Nothing good ever comes easy, but a step in the right direction is one less step the children will have to deal with later, insha’allah.

Yvonne Maffei is a Culinary Consultant to schools and businesses and can help develop recipes and train kitchen staff how to implement healthy, tasty and, of course, halal dishes at your organization. She can be found at www.myhalalkitchen.com or by email: contact@myhalalkitchen.com.

Tools for Schools 

Better School Food (www.betterschoolfood.com)

Fed Up With Lunch (www.fedupwithschoollunch.blogspot.com/2010/02/time.html)

Let’s Move (www.letsmove.gov)

My Halal Kitchen (www.myhalalkitchen.com)

The Edible Schoolyard Project (www.edibleschoolyard.org)

The Lunch Box (www.thelunchbox.org)

Organic School Project (www.organicschoolproject.org)

Slow Food, USA (www.slowfoodusa.org)

Two Angry Moms (www.angrymoms.org)

Veggie U (www.veggieu.org)

Yvonne Maffei
Food Writer | Recipe Developer | Culinary Consultant
Editor, My Halal Kitchen
P.O. Box 144 | Des Plaines, IL 60016 773.392.6798
www.myhalalkitchen.com
www.facebook.com/myhalalkitchen
www.twitter.com/myhalalkitchen

]]> http://americanhalalassociation.org/index.php/2011/08/23/the-benefits-of-a-school-lunch-revival-program/feed/ 3 http://americanhalalassociation.org/index.php/2011/07/13/q-a-from-isna-convention/ http://americanhalalassociation.org/index.php/2011/07/13/q-a-from-isna-convention/#comments Wed, 13 Jul 2011 11:16:57 +0000 admin http://americanhalalassociation.org/v2/?p=71 It was a pleasure to have such a receptive audience at the ISNA 48th Annual Convention recently, but time did not permit some questions to be answered. We promised at that time that we would pick the American Halal Association website/blog to answer those remaining questions.

Q: For products that are not certified Halal, is it OK to eat kosher?

A:  While there are some similarities between Kosher and Halal, there are also differences. Certainly both forbid the use of swine; but Kosher products may use alcohol or wine, and that would be considered Haram in Islam. Also, the use of gelatin derived from swine can be considered Kosher, but Muslims would not accept any product whose origin coming from pigs to be Halal. Even the use of gelatin derived from cows that were not slaughtered using the zabiha ritual would not be accepted by some Muslims. Furthermore, the proclamation of the name of Allah, is prescribed for Halal products, but the name of God is not necessarily applied to Kosher products. So the answer to the question would be dependent on the actual product, and Muslims should keep in mind the prohibitions so as to not violate the guidance of Allah, and Allah knows best.

Q:  Who will check that certifiers are doing the right thing in certifying Halal?

A:  That is the reason we are advocating the U.S. Accreditation Board, so that there is a check-and-balance system to keep quality high, business practices ethical and transparent, and to have the backing of government enforcement in case there are violations. However, the first step is agreeing on Standards and providing support to industries about what “the right thing” is. Consumers need certainty that the products and services that are advertised as Halal really have integrity.

Q:  What should be the punishment for those certifiers or producers not doing Halal properly?

A:  If we reference the examples of other nations, we find that the penalties are usually a combination of revoking Halal licenses, monetary penalties, and incarceration. The gravity of the violation and capacity of the company to give restitution is weighed by the law.  While due process is applied, it should be that the law provides a deterrent to protect consumer interests.

If you have questions that we can help you answer, please write to susan@americanhalalassociation.org with the Subject line “Blog Question.”

Many worthwhile initiatives take time and consistent reminders to push people to take actions that eventually result in benefits for all. Take for example the Organic Movement. The Organic Trade Association has existed since 1985, and its mission “is to promote and protect organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public, and the economy,” according to its website (www.ota.com). It has been instrumental influencing the regulatory and marketing of organic products, and it has evolved to become an important resource that provides comprehensive support for many farmers and businesses. In short, this trade association has a mandate to improve the wholesomeness of foods.

We, as Muslims, have been informed by Allah to “eat of what is on earth lawful and good…” (Surah 2:168), so many of us turn to kosher products with the expectation that at least we can be sure that there is no impurity from pork properties. Yet, what we are not mindful of is that even kosher products may be comprised of alcohol and be fed animal by-products. We can do better for ourselves if we take the following steps:

1. Shop for halal products whenever possible. Certainly there is reward for the intention and effort. Be aware that both kosher and halal products may cost incrementally more because of the higher quality ingredients and certification that protects the end consumer. Allah provides when He deems that something is good for us, and it is a challenge to our iman to practice strong faith. Consider the benefit in choosing to not purchase mass marketed snacks and sweets, which waste money and erode health, in favor of higher quality halal food.
2. Patronize businesses that offer halal food, financial, pharmaceutical, travel, and personal care products. This is a growth business niche, and practicing these choices can only help our families, communities, and our Ummah. Demonstrate the power of the Muslim dollar in your daily choices. Large corporations and marketing companies have taken note that we are sophisticated, educated, loyal, and affluent shoppers, and that should be credited to Allah. Spend as He would wish because we will be accountable for our spending.
3. Defend halal because many people are misinformed to think that the means of slaughter is inhumane, and that Allah is some foreign god—as though the Creator is different for “other” people. We know that the Prophet Muhammad had guided his contemporaries to show kindness and mercy to animals on several occasions, so we obey. From a scientific perspective the logic of properly slaughtering is realized when it is known that bacteria resides in the blood that is drained. Animal producers cite the longer shelf life and lack of odor in halal meat and poultry. Allah is most wise and cares for His servants.
4. Take responsibility to feed your family and your guests halal products, give halal gifts, and educate the children. If invited for a meal and one is unsure if the meal is halal, the guest may offer to provide a halal dish for the host. Due diligence is required to ascertain if products really are halal. Without being rude, politely ask the vendors who their suppliers are. If in doubt, inquire with someone from your community who is a reliable scholar.

If halal meat or poultry are not available in your area, consider forming a co-op with other Muslims who can work with a local farmer to provide for your needs. Certainty must be secured that all details for a proper slaughter are respectfully provided. More information can be found at www.greenzabiha.com/zabiha.

Living a life that promotes halal is healthy, humane, eco-friendly, empowering, and considerate to mankind. Raising consciousness is like being the small pebble that makes ripples in the pond. Together, the small changes we make can lead to a halal lifestyle and the pleasure of Allah.

Author: Susan Labadi

–Susan Labadi is Project Coordinator of American Halal Association (susan@americanhalalassociation.org)

Find free Halal lesson plans from www.geniusschoolonline.com

Many of us have purchased groceries, as innocuous as yogurt, cereal, or candy only to have someone in our family shriek, “This has pig” or “This has liquor” in it! If we are lucky enough to live in an area with other Muslims, we try to be conscientious and buy from our local Muslim vendors. However, let’s consider if we know the chicken and fish are halal, we may still be suspicious about the beef. After all, it has a USDA label on it; so does the USDA know if something is halal? Who is watching out for the consumer?

Well, the answer is that there are some legitimate God fearing guardians out there, but the system is still coming together whereby we can assuredly state that all products that claim to be halal truly are. This is why ISNA is diligently making progress in creating the first American Halal Accreditation Board so that U.S. consumers know and other nations can trust the integrity of U.S. halal foods. Although there are several American certifiers, very few are accepted by some other countries that have governmental organizations to approve their halal imports. And, let it be known, that the USDA does know what halal is. When ISNA and the American Halal Association met government officials in Washington, DC, they referenced “Guidelines for the Use of the Term Halal” from the Codex Alimentarius of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Besides improving food safety, animal welfare, and guarantee of halal status for American products, the bonus incentive to develop a U.S. halal accreditation board would be to open U. S. products to a global market that would accept the integrity of American accreditation.

To find out more about halal integrity in the U.S., Maria Omar, Director of media relations at IFANCA, the largest U.S.-based certifier of halal products, highlighted the certification process. IFANCA certifies with their Crescent M symbol, 23,500 products worldwide. American consumers recognize several of their clients like Kraft; Abbott Nutrition; Cargill; Nestle; and Pepsi, but not all products of these companies are halal. These companies market to the world, and they value reputable halal certification, as required by the countries they deal with.

Not a Simple Process

One of the first points Ms. Omar asked me to realize was that the creation of food is no longer a simple process. Today, food undergoes many changes of hands, factories, companies, and even geographic locations to get to its final state. In other words, a raw material could be extracted in Venezuela; processed into powder (or ingredient) form in the USA; shipped to South Africa for production; and then sold in Canada at grocery stores. This is the main reason why non-meat based food and pharmaceutical products has had the potential for haram ingredients or contamination.

Even though I was well aware of this fact, breaking down with the simple example, such as chocolate, showed me how many different steps in food production and processing have the potential of exposing a normally halal product like chocolate to haram ingredients or contaminants. Consider the widely loved and seemingly innocent product like chocolate. Chocolate is made from cacao beans that are essentially handpicked from plants. Beans are opened, fermented and dried by hand. However, after that they are shipped to another processing plant that converts them into liquid, powder, or any other ingredient form for future use. It also means that they change hands and get exposed to different other types of manufacturing ingredients and processing aids.

Some of the ingredients that are added along the way may be sugar, milk powder, emulsifiers, flavors, and preservatives. With each new additional ingredient, it has to be examined whether the creation of these new ingredients—even if used in small amounts—are also halal. Processing aids, like enzymes, are ingredients used to chemically hasten the production from one stage to another—such as converting cacao beans to cacao liquid. Emulsifying agents help provide the smooth texture to chocolate, and preservatives help increase the chocolate’s shelf life. Processing aids, such as lubricants, help flow the chocolate product through the factory’s various machinery and stages.

In the end, the final product is a packaged bar of chocolate. As innocuous as it may sound, packaging itself is now a rising issue for halal contamination. Sometimes the packaging may be made from an undesirable source; sometimes it may be coated with a haram product, like a wax.

When I heard this, my first thought was that I needed to read the ingredients labels more carefully. However, it turned out that it was not as simple a solution as that.

A quick check with IFANCA’s food technologists and different websites reveals that the FDA does not require manufacturers to list names of processing aids and packaging materials used.

Ms. Omar described the scrutiny products, like the chocolate bar, would receive at the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America’s halal certification process. IFANCA was established in 1982 in Chicago by a group of concerned Muslim food technologists. By virtue of their scientific professional education, they were of greater understanding why so many packaged goods and foods, like chocolate, would not fit the bill for the Islamic diet. This really concerned them and led them to form IFANCA.

They set up a halal certification process in-house closely based on certification models of other food certification companies—organic, kosher, etc.  It all begins with filling out a comprehensive application with details about the product’s complexity and production volume size. IFANCA staff can quickly provide a time and price estimate for completion of the rigorous process.

Using the same example of chocolate, Mujahed Khan, one of IFANCA’s in-house food technologists explained to me the time difference it would take to review cacao powder and a chocolate bar. The bar of chocolate would have gone through many more stages of production, and ingredients compared to the cacao powder extracted from cacao beans. Hence, reviewing the ingredient formulas for the chocolate bar would be longer. The client company is always informed about this time frame as well as the associated cost in review. Although IFANCA is a not-for-profit, its food technologists are employees and their time is compensated. A longer ingredient evaluation process means food technologists will be paid for their time.

Similarly, the size of the manufacturing process also affects the time and cost it takes to audit the company. Auditors are professional staff hired to assess the industrial production of the product. If the chocolate is handmade in a small enterprise of 1-2 people, naturally looking over their production facilities and advising proper changes will take much less time. However, if the same chocolate product is produced in 5 factory units, in huge volumes such as 100,000 bars a day, the time associated to review all the machinery, lubricants and packaging will take a much longer time—and the cost will reflect this.

After a company has agreed with the timeline and procedure, the first step is to review all ingredients used to manufacture that product. This is called the Ingredient Review Stage. The in-house IFANCA food technologists trace the product’s suppliers and sources to track and verify if each ingredient used in the product is halal. Take for example the emulsifying agent lecithin, used to improve the texture of chocolate. Lecithin can be made from plant sources as well as animal sources—and it is the job of the in-house food technology team to do the back-end research and determine if this chocolate producer’s lecithin supply is appropriate for Muslim consumption. IFANCA’s food technology teams have food science or scientific degrees. They are trained in-house and work in teams. The ingredient review process is always divided between two reviewers. So going through each and every ingredient and their source is not enough once. It is done twice. According to Mr. Khan, halal certification is a matter of religion and trust which is why any possible mistakes are minimized by a twice over ingredient review.

Another interesting fact is that companies, once certified, may not legally change ingredients in their formulas, nor sources of them, or the certification becomes null and void. If they anticipate a need for a change of ingredients or sources, they should notify IFANCA in advance in order to verify continued halal compliance and not jeopardize their halal certificate status.

On Site Audit

The second part of the IFANCA halal certification process is a physical, on-site audit of the production facility.  Physical audits and inspections apply to all products; from dairy to processed food, as well as pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Take the case of chocolate production. From the first machine where the raw cacao powder is filled in, the IFANCA auditor follows the various stages of production and the machinery involved to check for potential cross-contamination issues. This auditor’s review will also include checking cleaning supplies, product storage facility, and packaging materials. The auditor’s role is detecting problems and providing practical solutions that have industrial applicability.

In cases of sensitive products like meat and poultry, an IFANCA inspector is assigned for every production day to supervise and check many details throughout the whole process. In case of doubt, or need for further investigation, random samples can be collected and sent to a third party laboratory for analysis. Since the IFANCA in-house ingredient team already breaks down food formulas down to the last enzyme and cell, third party laboratory analysis is reserved only when a clearer picture is needed in unknown breakdown elements.

A shipping specialist at the research center also sleuths for logistics and documentation about sources, contents, and weights to rule out fraud. Exports are particularly scrutinized so that seaports and other means of transportation logistics are sound, and that shipping seals are preserved.

Finally, all reports are compiled by an auditor for final review by the certification team. If everything is in compliance, the product receives certification for one year. Most companies who export show their halal certificates to governments, at seaports, and they display them on websites online to show potential buyers and consumers that their products have halal certification.  For someone living a halal lifestyle, the halal certification on a chocolate bar can get them to consider buying that brand of chocolate a little more persuasively than a brand that doesn’t make any halal certification claims.

Each subsequent year, an on-site visit and laboratory analysis is required. If formulas or suppliers change during the certification year, the company is contractually obliged to inform IFANCA and have new ingredients reviewed for acceptability. In case they do not, they risk losing their halal certification.

My visit to IFANCA was a revelation in learning about the diligence used in their halal certification process, and a blessing to meet their friendly, professional, and knowledgeable staff. Many of the personnel that work with IFANCA have degrees in Food Science from institutions like University of Kansas, Texas A & M, and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and prospects are bright for anyone looking to work in the development of halal products and services.  According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-2011, jobs classified as Agricultural and Food Science are expected to grow by 16% by 2018. The rationale is that food jobs are not adversely affected by poor economics, and there is a growing need for specialists as our food production becomes increasingly sophisticated. It would be comforting to know that Muslims are participating in developing food science, safety, and the integrity of halal for the world.