Friends, are you aware of HALAL CERTIFICATION for food items? To understand this you have to first know what is Halal? 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). As far as I know Halal is a way of sacrificing animal whose meat can be eaten, as prescribed by Islamic law. There are two ways being used in India for animal slaughtering , one is Jhatka and other is Halal. In Jhatka way the animal’s neck is cut in one go, and in Halal way it is being cut as prescribed in Islamic law, which is slow process.
Generally when meat products are exported to Islamic countries, these countries insist that meat of the animal is procured by using Halal method. Hence the issue of Halal certification started.
Some of these Halal certification bodies are recognized by the Indian government, while others do not have any recognition. The major Halal-certifying organizations in the country include Halal India Pvt Ltd and Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Halal trust.
The Halal certification issue cropped up because some of Islamic organizations started insisting Halal certification for other non meat based food products, cosmetics, bottled water, juices and medicines. The manufacturer started rushing to Halal certification agencies to get the certificate for their products so that their sales should not suffer. Earlier, Halal certificates were confined to meat products only. But today the so called Halal certifying agencies are issuing this certificate to all kinds of products such as toothpaste, sugar, oil etc, and in the process these agencies are minting money.
Now two days back, the UP government has banned the production, storage, distribution, and sale of food products with Halal certification effective immediately. However, products manufactured for exports are exempted from this ban. The government claims that there have been “malicious attempts” t discourage the use of non Halal certified products, which not only seek unfair financial benefits but also form part of larger strategy to sow class hatred, create divisions and weaken the country by anti-national elements.
The state government emphasizes that strict legal measures will be taken against individuals or firms involved in any aspect of Halal-certified products within UP, including medicines, medical devices and cosmetics. The move is seen as response to what the government labels as “ unrestrained propaganda’ within specific section of society, aiming to discourage the use of products without a Halal certificate. This adversely affects the business interests of other communities.
The issue of Halal certificate came to forefront when various Muslim groups started advocating for the exclusive consumption of Halal-certified products, extending this preference even to medicines. On the flip side, several Hindu groups vehemently boycott such products. While some urge Hindus to refrain from consuming Halal-certified items, others advocate for the elimination of the certification process altogether.
The day after the UP government issued the ban order, the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) team conducted a raid in one of the big Mall in the state capital Lucknow. The team examined various kinds of Halal-certified products being sold at the mall, including cold drinks, meat and dry fruits. Following the raid, the FSDA registered a case against 8 companies.
The state government issued a statement that they have recently received information which indicated that products such as dairy items, sugar, bakery products, peppermint oil, ready to eat foods, beverages, and edible oils were being labeled with Halal certification. However, there are no such provisions for marking Halal certification on labels in the government rules related to drugs, medical devices, cosmetics and other items.
Three days back, Lucknow police booked four organizations, including Jamait Ulama-i-hind Halal trust, New Delhi, as well some unidentified people for fraud, extortion, promoting enmity between groups on the basis of religion, and funding different ‘anti-national, separatist and terror organisation’. Yesterday the UP government handed over the probe into alleged irregularities in Halal certification of products to the state polic’s special task force (STF), two days after ordering a complete ban on production, storage, distribution and sale of Halal-certified products across the state.
With various state elections happening presently, and general elections in next five months, this issue of Halal certification might become a big issues in other states also.
Let us wait and watch the future developments on this issue.
Waiting for your views on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
21st November 2023