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@Halal | november-december. 2019
International
New
halal law
Belgium bans ritual halal and
kosher animal slaughter
A Belgian ban on the Muslim and Jewish ways of
ritually slaughtering animals went into effect on
New Year’s Day, as tensions grow across Europe
over the balance between animal welfare and
religious freedom.
With both animal welfare advocates and right-
wing nationalists pushing to ban ritual slaughter,
religious minorities in Belgium and other countries
fear they are the targets of bigotry under the guise
of animal protection.
“It is impossible to know the true intentions of
people,” said Yaakov David Schmahl, a senior rabbi
in Antwerp.
“Unless people state clearly what they have in
mind, but most anti-Semites don’t do that.”
Laws across Europe and European Union
regulations require that animals be rendered
insensible to pain before slaughter.
For larger animals, stunning before slaughter
usually means using a “captive bolt” device that
fires a metal rod into the brain; for poultry it usually
means an electric shock. Animals can also be
knocked out with gas.
But slaughter by Muslim halal and Jewish
kosher rules requires that an animal be in perfect
health – which religious authorities say rules out
stunning it first – and be killed with a single cut to
the neck that severs critical blood vessels.
The animal loses consciousness in seconds, and
advocates say it may cause less suffering than
other methods.
Most countries and the EU allow religious
exceptions to the stunning requirement.
Ann De Greef, director of Global Action in the
Interest of Animals, a Belgian animal welfare
group, insisted that stunning does not conflict
with kosher and halal doctrine, and “they could still
consider it ritual slaughtering,” but the religious
authorities refuse to accept that.
Belgium, with a population of about 11 million, is
home to roughly 500,000 Muslims and more than
30,000 Jews.
in place for Indonesia
Indonesia’s halal law takes effect, impacting
products and services
The recent Halal Law regulates the processing, materials,
and certification of halal products, in addition to establishing
partnerships with international Halal agencies.
A
s of October 17, 2019, Indonesia’s
Halal Product Law (“Halal Law”)
came into effect. Many consumer
products and related services that
enter and are traded in the country
must now be halal-certified, while
some products and services will have until 2022
to comply.
The Halal Law regulates the processing,
materials, and certification of halal products,
in addition to establishing partnerships with
international Halal agencies.
The Halal Law mandated the establishment of
the Halal Products Certification Agency (BPJPH),
a new government agency under the Ministry of
Religious Affairs that will issue Halal certificates
through a one-stop-shop system.
It is worth noting that, according to the
BPJPH, the compulsory Halal labelling law will
initially apply to food and beverages before cos-
metics, drugs, and other consumer goods, and
services related to these goods, which will have
JTB, Singapore firm ink deal to
promote halal certification in
Japan
A major Japanese travel agency has signed a
deal with a Singapore halal certification firm to
promote and facilitate more food and beverage
outlets in Japan to adopt Islamic standards of food
preparation to cater to a boom in Muslim tourists.
JTB Pte. Ltd., signed the agreement Friday with
Warees Halal Ltd., a Singapore government-linked
company that is part of the Islamic Religious
Council of Singapore and is authorized by the
agency to provide halal certification services
outside Singapore.
With Japan hosting the Tokyo Olympics and
Paralympics next year, there has been growing
interest in halal food to cater to the special dietary
requirements of Muslim athletes and visitors.
Halal refers to food that has been prepared
according to Islamic law, such as not containing
pork or alcohol. Also, cattle and poultry used for
meat must have been slaughtered according to
Islamic rites.
Under the deal, the two entities will promote
and provide halal certification in Japan based on
the Singapore halal standard and management
system.
Although there is growing interest from
Japanese food and beverage outlets to be halal
certified, one of the main impediments has been
that many would like to continue selling alcohol, as
they must continue catering to their non-Muslim
customers as well.
The Singapore firm helps address those issues
by providing the option to have only a part of a
restaurant be halal certified, enabling it to continue
serving alcoholic drinks while also serving halal
food.
Under the plan, two types of certifications
will be offered — “halal certification,” which has
more stringent standards, and “Muslim-friendly
certification,” which is more flexible.
until 2022 to comply.
What are the criteria for halal certification?
Businesspeople will need to study implement-
ing regulation (Reg 31, 2019), which was issued in
May, and sets out the scope and requirements for
the types of products subject to be halal certified.
Reg 31, 2019 states that the BPJPH will
cooperate with state-owned and private Halal
inspection agencies (LPH) to conduct exami-
nations of food and product samples with the
results then being presented to the Food and
Drug Research Institute of the Indonesian Ulema
Council (MUI), who will issue a ruling on whether
the sample is deemed halal.
Once approved, the BPJPH can issue the halal
certificate. The key provisions in Reg 31,2019
include:
• The types of products that can be imported,
traded, and distributed in Indonesia that requires
Halal certification (food, beverages, chemicals,
biological products, drugs, cosmetics, and utilized
goods that contain traces of animal elements,
such as garments);
• The registration of Halal auditors (individuals
that can inspect whether a product is Halal; an
LPH must have at least three auditors to conduct
their testing);
• Non-Halal products must be stated clearly on
the packaging with the annotation ‘Not Halal’;
Businesses will need to be good manufacturing
practice (GMP) and Halal GMP certified;
• The types of services that must be Halal-certi-
fied (packaging services, animal slaughterhouses,
storage services, distribution services); and
• The registration process of international
Halal certification bodies (foreign Halal agencies
(FHA).
Halal rising in Canada
T
he halal market continues to grow in prominence
in North America, with some experts currently
valuing it in the region of $20 billion.
As a result, Muslim communities in the region are
gaining access to an increasing number of tailored prod-
ucts and services in a wide variety of sectors. It is with
this in mind that Muslim leaders in Canada decided to
come together to help stage the Halal Expo Canada 2019.
The core aim of the event is to showcase the vari-
ous sectors that are increasingly understanding how
important it is for Muslims in Canada, North America
and beyond to ensure that whatever they consume is in
line with halal principles.
While food products are perhaps the most obvious
example of this, other sectors participating at the expo
that offer halal products and services include travel
and tourism, finance, cosmetics and health care. An
expected 3,000 visitors will have the opportunity to
interact with established entrepreneurs as well as those
just starting out.
Nearly 150 exhibitors from a variety of trade sectors
will also occupy around 30,000 square feet of space and
have the opportunity to interact with decision makers
and buyers from Canada and around the world. As show
director and CEO of Halal Expo Canada’s organizers
The Expo Hut Nasser Deeb explained, there was a great
need for a business-to-business platform to tap into the
growth of the halal lifestyle market in North America.
“International and local traders will have easy access
to unveiled opportunities and also have the chance to
Halal Expo Canada inaugurated in Toronto
network and do business in the best and most ideal
settings. This event will definitely act as a catalyst
for anyone interested in the halal lifestyle industry,
Muslim or non-Muslims. It is the gateway to untapped
opportunities that will also raise the standard of halal
business practices in our region,” he said.
To help facilitate networking opportunities, the orga-
nizers of Halal Expo Canada 2019 created an innovative
online matchmaking platform allowing participants
to connect with trade visitors and exhibitors relevant
to their business. They were also keen to focus on key
segments of the halal lifestyle industry including food,
cosmetics, finance and investment, textiles, certifica-
tion and consultancy.
“We focused on those areas as they were growing
segments and required more development and sup-
port,” said Deeb .