Halal is Arabic for permissible, which means permitted or lawful in Islamic Sharia law. Halal food means that any food ingredient must comply with the religious ritual and observance of Sharia law. Halal-certified food ingredients have been subjected to approved certification systems, guaranteeing that nothing in the food ingredient has any forbidden components.
Since Sinofi was established in 2007, we have supplied many halal-certified food ingredients to clients worldwide. Sinofi has established strict control systems for our halal ingredients manufacturing process. Our halal ingredients can be 100% trusted in the product quality.
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR USE OF THE TERM “HALAL”
1 SCOPE
1.1 These guidelines recommend measures to be taken on the use of Halal claims in food labeling.
1.2 These guidelines apply to using the term halal and equivalent terms in claims as defined in the General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods and include their use in trademarks, brand names, and business names.
1.3 These guidelines are intended to supplement the Codex General Guidelines on Claims and do not supersede any prohibition.
2 DEFINITION
2.1 Halal Food means food permitted under the Islamic Law and should fulfill the following conditions:
2.1.1 does not consist of or contain anything that is considered to be unlawful according to Islamic Law;
2.1.2 has not been prepared, processed, transported, or stored using any appliance or facility that was not free from anything unlawful according to Islamic Law;
2.1.3 has not, in the course of preparation, processing, transportation or storage, been in direct contact with any food that fails to satisfy 2.1.1 and 2.1.2 above.
2.2 Notwithstanding Section 2.1 above:
2.2.1 Halal food can be prepared, processed, or stored in different sections or lines within the same premises where non-halal foods are produced, provided that necessary measures are taken to prevent any contact between halal and non-halal foods;
2.2.2 Halal food can be prepared, processed, transported, or stored using facilities that have been previously used for non-halal foods, provided that proper cleaning procedures, according to Islamic requirements, have been observed.
3 CRITERIA FOR THE USE OF THE TERM “HALAL”
3.1 LAWFUL FOOD
The term halal may be used for foods that are considered lawful. Under Islamic Law, all sources of food are lawful except the following sources, including their products and derivatives, which are considered unlawful:
3.1.1 Food of Animal Origin
(a) Pigs and boars.
(b) Dogs, snakes, and monkeys.
(c) Carnivorous animals with claws and fangs, such as lions, tigers, bears, and other similar animals.
(d) Birds of prey with claws, such as eagles, vultures, and other similar birds.
(e) Pests such as rats, centipedes, scorpions, and other similar animals.
(f) Animals are forbidden to be killed in Islam, i.e., ants, bees, and woodpecker birds.
(g) Animals that are considered repulsive are generally lice, flies, maggots, and other similar animals.
(h) Animals that live on land and in water, such as frogs, crocodiles, and other similar animals.
(i) Mules and domestic donkeys.
(j) All poisonous and hazardous aquatic animals.
(k) Any other animals not slaughtered according to Islamic Law.
(l) Blood.
3.1.2 Food of Plant Origin
Intoxicating and hazardous plants except where the toxin or hazard can be eliminated during processing.
3.1.3 Drink
(a) Alcoholic drinks.
(b) All forms of intoxicating and hazardous drinks.
3.1.4 Food Additives
All food additives derived from Items 3.1.1, 3.1.2, and 3.1.3.
3.2 SLAUGHTERING
All lawful land animals should be slaughtered in compliance with the rules laid down in the Codex Recommended Code of Hygienic Practice for Fresh Meat[28] and the following requirements:
3.2.1 The person should be a Muslim who is mentally sound and knowledgeable of the Islamic slaughtering procedures.
3.2.2 The animal to be slaughtered should be lawful according to Islamic law.
3.2.3 The animal to be slaughtered should be alive or deemed to be alive at the time of slaughtering.
3.2.4 The phrase “Bismillah” (In the Name of Allah) should be invoked immediately before the slaughter of each animal.
3.2.5 The slaughtering device should be sharp and should not be lifted off the animal during the slaughter act.
3.2.6 The Slaughter Act should sever the trachea, esophagus, and main arteries and veins of the neck region.
3.3 PREPARATION, PROCESSING, PACKAGING, TRANSPORTATION AND STORAGE
All food should be prepared, processed, packaged, transported, and stored in such a manner that it complies with Sections 2.1 and 2.1 above and the Codex General Principles on Food Hygiene and other relevant Codex Standards.
4 ADDITIONAL LABELLING REQUIREMENTS
4.1 When a claim is made that a food is halal, the word halal or equivalent terms should appear on the label.
4.2 In accordance with the Codex General Guidelines on Claims, claims on halal should not be used in ways that could give rise to doubt about the safety of similar food or claims that halal foods are nutritionally superior to or healthier than other foods.
Source: FAO