@Halal July/August 2020 | Page 14

14 Opinion @Halal | July-august. 2020 Halal lab testing: The new norm High time for an industry that produces and distributes halal products to expand its business The halal industry has now expanded far beyond the food sector to include pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and personal care, health care products, medical devices as well as service sectors such as logistics, branding and marketing, original equipment manufacturing and financial services. It is, therefore, high time for an industry that produces and distributes halal products to take this opportunity to expand their businesses. However, there is also an increasing demand for independent halal certification from buyers and consumers. As a result, when the number of products increase, so do the numbers claiming to be halal, leading to a demand for official verification. Purchasers need to have trust in their suppliers, and when trading in an international market, it can be challenging to be sure of the supplier’s authenticity without recognised testing. Laboratory Testing for halal critical ingredients The primary source for halal is from the Quran and Sunnah. In our country, halal has been defined in the legal provision of the Trade Description (Definition of Halal) Order 2011. It says that when foods or goods are described as halal or are described in another expression to indicate that the food can be consumed or used by Muslim people, such phrase means that the food or goods have followed the requirements that have been imposed by the Islamic law on foods and goods. It means such foods or products do not contain any part or matter of an animal that is prohibited by hukum syarak (i.e Islamic By DR ZALINA ZAKARIA DIRECTOR UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA HALAL RESEARCH CENTER law) for a Muslim to consumer or that has not been slaughtered following hukum syarak. Also, it does not contain anything impure according to hukum syarak, does not intoxicate according to hukum syarak, does not contain any part of human being or its yield which are not allowed by hukum syarak, is not poisonous or hazardous to health, has not been prepared processed or manufactured using any instrument that is contaminated with impurity according to any food that fails to satisfy the requirements mentioned above. The requirements do cover not only food and goods but also the processes of transporting, storing and processing raw materials, serving and retailing of such foods and goods. If they are described as halal, such expression would mean that the services concerning foods and goods must also be carried out following hukum syarak. Cross-contamination must be avoided Although halal has been defined in the said Order, it has never mentioned how these foods or goods can be verified of their halal ingredients/sources, especially now when a lot of consumer goods, which are heterogeneous and more technologically advanced, are being introduced to consumers. In other words, there is a need to verify the ingredients used in the making of halal food and products as being free of non-permitted components. Even a simple product could contain many critical ingredients. Halal products also are subjected to issues of cross-contamination. There was a big controversy involving the halal status of a famous chocolate company which was alleged to contain porcine DNA in certain batches of chocolate. It was later affirmed by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM-as Malaysia’s halal competent authority) which had verified that the laboratory test results confirmed the two variants in the affected batches were halal. Although the statement by the authority cleared the air, goodwill of the company was damaged. Such an unfortunate incident teaches us that we need to be vigilant not to the spread any untrue information. Still, it also tells us that halal testing is critical to confirm if a product is halal or not. The need for this testing will become more pertinent, particularly as the consumption of ready meals in the halal market increases. It has been found that prepared meals are easily contaminated and, therefore, has become an area of the food sector that is increasingly under the microscope. Food testing laboratories similarly must have segregated facilities to handle halal and non-halal (or suspected non-halal) facilities. Logistically, it can be very challenging. Halal very much a self-regulatory industry But it is critical to have segregated facilities to ensure reliable results. For them to be able to offer the service confidently, labs often have agreements to test each other. Historically, this has been acceptable in some countries, with halal being very much a self-regulatory industry. However, the growing demand and the globalisation of the halal industry means that international businesses now dictate more formal and recognised methods of accreditation are used. Labs are coming under more and more pressure to meet the International Standard for Scientific Methods (ISO 17025), which is internationally recognised and requires the lab to be proficiency tested from an accredited quality assurance body. This demonstrates to the marketplace competence in halal-testing. It is now a major selling point for labs to meet ISO 17025 in, as previously explained, a growing and significant market. The need to change is not exclusive to the food manufacturers or the labs either. The quality assurance bodies, who are responsible for giving the labs accreditation, and ensuring their testing methods are reliable, have also needed to adapt. NEXT ISSUE: Part 2