Halal certification in India

Halal is an Arabic word that means lawful or permitted. The opposite of halal is haram, which means unlawful or prohibited. As per the Holy Quran, there are several products which are haram for the followers of Islam. Halal and haram are universal terms that apply to all facets of life. These terms are commonly used in relation to food products, meat products, cosmetics, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, food ingredients, and food contact materials.

Halal products are derived from animals and/or poultry that have been prepared according to Islamic law under the following statement, “In the name of God – God is the Greatest/Bismillahi Allahu Akbar”. Halal products and production are properly separated and clearly identified from non-halal products.

Halal Certification is needed to establish status of certain items is important to many Muslim consumers as it ensures that the products are permissible, lawful and clean (in accordance with Islamic laws). The certificate is generally valid for one year and a new audit is necessary after the expiration of the label.

Halal Certification is provided by Halal Certification Bodies in India. There are various Halal Bodies and a few of the Halal Bodies in India are listed below:

• Halal India Private Limited
• Halal Certification Services India Private Limited
• Jamiat Ulama-E-Maharashtra – a State unit of Jamiat Ulama-E-Hind
• Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Halal Trust

TYPES OF HALAL CERTIFICATION

• Non-alcohol beverage
• Raw materials needed in food processing
• Pharmaceutical
• Health care products
• Traditional herbal products
• Cosmetics
• Personal care products
• Cleaning products
• Daily consumable products

FOOD INDUSTRY

The procedures derived from Islamic Rules shall be adhered to in all phases of food chain in Halal food products, including receipt, preparation, packaging, labelling, transportation, distribution, storage, display and Halal food service.

1. All Food additives and raw materials used for the production of Halal food should be free of any non-Halal component; this should be supported by legalized official documents explaining its components including packaging materials
2. All Halal food should not contain any toxic substances and hazardous pollutants which may considered harmful to health.
3. All Halal food should be devoid from Najasah (impurity) contamination that is forbidden by Islamic rules. All non-Halal products should be completely separated from the Halal products throughout the food chain in order to ensure their differentiation and non-mixing with each other’s or pollution with others.
4. The official authorities may take all necessary procedures to verify compliance of products with the special requirements of Halal products and may take the appropriate procedures in accordance with the other local legislation

LIQUOR INDUSTRY

A general assumption is that any flavour that has ethanol as a solvent or as a constituent produced during fermentation is non-halal. Halal status of ethanol is classified based on its source and concentration.

Ethanol produced by anaerobic fermentation is considered to be non-Halal. Ethanol less than 1% and produced by natural fermentation is considered as preserving agent and Halal. Any solution produced from absolute or denatured ethanol is considered to be toxic but still could be used in industries.

Ethanol produced with intention to be used as beverage drink is considered non-Halal.

SCHEMES & CERTIFICATION

One can obtain the Halal Certification from Halal Certification Bodies, broadly under the following schemes:

• Food, Beverage and Catering Scheme
• Restaurant Scheme
• Industrial Scheme
• Abattoir Scheme
• Warehouse or Storage Scheme
• Product Endorsement Scheme

STEPS TO HALAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CERTIFICATION

1. Application : The business wishing to obtain Halal Certification must apply to one of the Certification Bodies. It is important for the business to be aware of Halal Certification requirements at this stage and ensure that it is compliant with Halal requirements, Halal systems requirements, and Halal staffing requirements.
2. Audit : Once the application information is verified, Auditors (usually one Shariah Auditor and one Technical Auditor) will visit the business for inspection. The Auditors will verify if the documentation, processing, handling, and product distribution, storage, display, and product serving, cleanliness, sanitary, and food safety, the overall aspects of the premises, tools, apparatus, and machines, packaging and labelling are acceptable for Halal Certification. During the audit, the business might have to provide criteria of acceptance of raw materials (ingredients), certificate of analysis, and Halal certificate of individual ingredient. Once, the audit is completed, an audit report will be prepared and signed by both parties.
3. Certification : Once the Halal audit is complete, a Technical Committee will review the documents submitted by the business and the audit report submitted by the Auditors. If the audit report is satisfactory and the business and/or products satisfy the Halal certification criteria, then the Halal Certification Body issues the Halal Certificate.

A Halal certificate by a competent authority assures the consumer that the certified product:

1. Neither is nor consist of or contains any part or matter of an animal that a Muslim is prohibited by Shariah to consume or that has not been slaughtered in accordance with shariah
2. Does not contain anything which is considered to be impure according to shariah.
3. Has not been prepared, processed or manufactured using instrument that was not free from anything impure according to shariah; and
4. Has not in the course of preparation, processing or storage been in contact with or close proximity to any food that fails to satisfy paragraph (1) (2) or (3) or anything that is considered to be impure according to Hukum shariah.

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