Halal: Derived from the Arabic language, ‘Halal’ translates to ‘permissible’ or ‘lawful’. Its antonym, ‘haram’, represents what is ‘forbidden’ or ‘prohibited’. While these terms govern various aspects of life, our focus here is predominantly on food products, personal care items, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, food ingredients, and associated materials.
Some items don’t fall neatly into the Halal or haram categories, requiring more insight for accurate classification. Such ambiguous items are termed ‘mashbooh’, denoting their doubtful or uncertain nature.
Broadly, the following are deemed non-Halal:
- Swine/pork and related by-products.
- Animals not slaughtered in alignment with Islamic protocol or those that were already deceased before the act.
- All forms of alcoholic beverages and intoxicants.
- Predatory animals and birds.
- Blood and derivatives of blood.
- Foods adulterated with ingredients from the aforementioned categories.
Ingredients like gelatin, enzymes, emulsifiers, and some flavours can be ambiguous in their Halal status (mashbooh), mainly due to potential origins or constituents that might be haram.
It’s imperative that meat and poultry adhere to Islamic slaughtering prerequisites, often referred to as Zabiha or Dhabiha. Zabiha denotes the Islamic method of slaughtering an animal or bird undertaken by a Muslim. In many countries, besides fulfilling Islamic mandates, Halal meat must comply with national and regional inspection regulations for sale. HFCE stands as one of the premier Halal-certifying bodies in Europe, ensuring that products not only adhere to Halal standards but also uphold the highest quality for consumers.