CRITERIA USED IN IDENTIFYING HALAL FOOD PRODUCTS

Method of data collection:

• Visiting the major supermarkets in the region, examining each product for ingredients declaration on the package.
  

• Checking for different Halal symbol or kosher symbols on the package which meet with the Islamic dietary requirements (excluding gelatin, kosher gelatin, L-Cysteine from human hair/chicken feathers, wine, wine vinegar, rum flavor, vanilla extract, soy sauce, alcohol, brewer's yeast extracts, torula yeast grown on alcoholic beverages, Nucleotide obtained from torula yeast grown on alcoholic beverages and carmine color).
  

• Inquiring (limited) with the food manufacturers for the source of questionable ingredients, incidental ingredients or processing aid by phone or letter.
  

• In the absence of a Halal or kosher symbol, selecting a food product which is made with Halal ingredients only determined by 30 years of diversified food manufacturing, R & D, Quality Assurance experience in food industry and knowledge of food ingredients.

Criteria Halal

1. The food product is made from only pure Halal ingredients with Halal processing aid and no natural or artificial flavors (except those in which alcohol was not used as solvent).

2. The Halal food product is not made with pork, pork-by-products, bacon, ham, lard, pig enzymes, any other meat-by-products, natural, artificial flavors with alcohol, brewer's yeast extracts, gelatin, kosher gelatin (except fish gelatin) and L-Cysteine from human hair or chicken/duck feathers.

3. Halal or Genuine Kosher certification was also used as criteria for assigning the Halal status for a food product, which meets the Islamic dietary requirements. Because no Halal certified food products are available throughout World The use of genuine Kosher certified food products as Halal is for temporary period only until the Halal symbol carrying food products are available in supermarkets throughout World. Not all Kosher certified food products are Halal. The only one is Halal, which meets the Islamic dietary requirements. According to Quran our good & pure foods are Halal for Ahlekitab and their good and pure foods are Halal for us.

HALAL IF NO ALCOHOL IS USED IN FLAVORS:

The criteria for food products under this category is the same as the Halal category except the food products here are made with natural or artificial flavors. The natural and artificial flavors used in these food products may or may not contain alcohol as a solvent but these flavors are not made with animal derived ingredients and they are Halal or genuine kosher certified. It is beyond our scope to find each food product in this category, which may or may not be made with alcohol containing flavors. We request our brothers and sisters to call food manufacturers to find out about alcohol in flavors. Ask them whether alcohol was used as a solvent in flavors. The alcohol is a hidden ingredient in flavor. The food companies do not have to mention alcohol in ingredients statement according to FDA food regulations. We may even find the industry to respond to our Islamic dietary needs by using alternate solvents such as Propylene Glycol. Some Islamic scholars would not consider a food product Halal if alcohol or if flavor in which alcohol was used as a solvent even if it was completely evaporated during processing.  If alcohol is converted to another chemical then it would be Halal but other Islamic scholars recommend to consume product under this category because they said that the large or small quantity of this product do not intoxicate a person.  Please consult your Islamic scholars.

NOT HALAL:

The following food products are included in this category:

1. The Haram food products that are made with pork-by-product ingredients and wine.

2. The food products that are made with kosher gelatin and bear the kosher symbol K but did not meet the Islamic dietary requirements.

3. The Haram food products that are made with pork gelatin and bear the kosher symbol K.

4. The products made with ingredients derived from non-zabiha meat by- products.

>5. The products made from fat based ingredients without Halal or kosher certification and with no guarantee they meet the Islamic dietary requirements.

6. The products that are made from natural and artificial flavors which are not Halal or Kosher certified with or with out alcohol as a solvent.

7. The products that are made with alcoholic fermentation and may contain 2-3 % alcohol such as naturally brewed soy sauce.

8. The products that are made with human hair L- Cysteine with or with out kosher certification.

9. The products that are made with questionable ingredients and whose source are not verified as Halal.

10. The products, which are kosher certified and bear kosher symbol but do not meet the Islamic dietary requirements.