HALAL Food Manufacturing

Ensuring food safety is a top priority for many of us, and we often seek high-quality products that we can trust. However, for some of us, food also needs to align with our religious or cultural beliefs. With the mass production of food in today's world, it can be challenging to find options that meet these criteria. For example, Halal and Kosher foods are two religious dietary practices that many people follow. In this blog entry, we will focus on Halal food manufacturing.

What is Halal food manufacturing?
Halal manufacturing is widely recognized for producing good, healthful, secure, and high-quality products that comply with the requirements prescribed by Muslim law (Shariah). To determine if a product is Halal, it must be manufactured according to these rules, which cover every step of the process, from production or slaughter to packing and storage.

So, what are the specific requirements that a Halal product must meet?

The following ingredients and characteristics are prohibited:

Animal sources:

• Pork and its by‐products
• Animals improperly slaughtered or dead before slaughtering
• Carrion or dead animals
• Animals killed in the name of anyone other than Allah (God), and lawful animals not slaughtered according to Islamic rites. (Fish is exempt from slaughtering rules.)
• Carnivorous animals and animals with fangs
• Land animals without external ears.
• Animals that Islam encourages people to kill such as scorpions, centipedes, rats, etc.
• Animals that Islam forbids people to kill.
• Animals that have toxins or poisons or produce ill effects when eaten.
• Birds that have talons with which they catch their prey
• Animals with amphibious behavior, such as crocodiles, turtles, frogs, etc.
• Blood and blood by‐products, faces and urine, and placental tissue
• Almost all reptiles and insects, which are considered ugly or filthy, such as worms, lice, flies, etc.
  

Vegetal sources:

• Plants or substances that produce hallucinogenic effects
  

Alcoholic drinks:

• Wine, ethyl alcohol, spirits, and intoxicants
  

Additives:

• Colorants or preservatives containing alcohol, drugs, or animal derivatives are not permitted.
  

Foods contaminated with any of the above products

To ensure that food products meet Halal requirements, it can be helpful to complement HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) with Halal practices. By doing so, a comprehensive food safety management system can be established to guarantee that Halal standards are met at every step of the food production process. If you want to learn more about HACCP, we invite you to explore other entries from this blog, which cover the topic extensively.

So, how do HACCP regulations interact with Halal tradition and food creation?

https://specialfluids.totalenergies.com/en/our-hseq-commitments/our-certifications/halal-certification

HACCP is the internationally accepted system for food safety management and is compatible with the religious requirements of Shariah law. To ensure that Halal requirements are met, it is crucial to identify potential deviations from the religious tradition in addition to the regular hazards covered by HACCP (biological, chemical, and physical). This requires appropriate cleaning and sanitizing procedures and production procedures to prevent, control, or eliminate any food safety dangers that contradict the requirements of Shariah law.

Loss of control or lack of monitoring in a Critical Control Point can lead to unacceptable hazards, such as the presence of non-halal ingredients in raw materials or the use of non-halal slaughter methods. These hazards can threaten the success and acceptability of production. Starting from HACCP ensures that the correct way is followed to prevent and eliminate these hazards.

While this process may be rigorous, it is possible to implement and maintain it successfully. Many industries have already expanded their market to Halal consumers worldwide.

In conclusion, Halal food manufacturing follows specific rules and regulations that cover every step of the process, from production to storage, to ensure that the final product meets the requirements prescribed by Muslim law. By complementing HACCP with Halal practices, a comprehensive food safety management system can be established to guarantee that Halal standards are met, and potential deviations from the religious tradition are identified and prevented. Despite the rigorous process, many industries have expanded their market to Halal consumers worldwide, reflecting the growing demand for high-quality, religiously compliant food products.

Fernanda Tapia, Food and Biotechnology Engineer.
“I am part of the HACCP Team at GoHACCP, specifically supporting as a Junior SOP writer. I have experience in food quality and safety area, developing and implementing HACCP to comply with audit requirements.”

References:

• Al‐Mazeedi, H. M. M., Al‐Teinaz, Y. R., & Pointing, J. (2020). Halal and HACCP. The Halal Food Handbook, 197–204. doi:10.1002/9781118823026.ch13 
• Al‐Teinaz, Y. R. (2020). What is Halal Food? The Halal Food Handbook, 7 26. doi:10.1002/9781118823026.ch1
• Azmi, F., Abdullah, A., Bakri, M., Musa, H & Jayakrishnan, M. (2018). The adoption of halal food supply chain towards the performance of food manufacturing in Malaysia.Management Science Letters , 8(7), 755-766.
• E. N. Omar and H. S. Jaafar, "Halal supply chain in the food industry - A conceptual model," 2011 IEEE Symposium on Business, Engineering and Industrial Applications (ISBEIA), 2011, pp. 384-389, doi: 10.1109/ISBEIA.2011.6088842.
• Regenstein, J. M., & Moghul, U. (2020). Halal Food in the USA. The Halal Food Handbook, 393–411. doi:10.1002/9781118823026.ch24