Why Halal Food Certification Matters

For gelatin to be considered halal, it must come from cows slaughtered according to halal requirements and, according to Dr. Hayek, “must be traced from the cow to the final product to avoid any possible [cross-contamination] throughout the production chain.” Cross-contamination is a substantial concern when it comes to halal certification, especially when a facility produces both halal and haram products. Halal certifiers are responsible for acting on behalf of the consumer by conducting facility audits to ensure that no cross-contamination has occurred.

Dr. Hayek notes that, even if a company uses only ingredients that are low risk, such as plant-, mineral-, or petroleum-based ingredients, there can still be issues with the manufacturing process. A facility that processes haram materials or uses haram cleaning chemicals, processing aids, lubricants, or packaging materials cannot be considered halal. For example, if a company uses the fat of cows or pigs to lubricate its food machinery, the product will not be halal even if all the individual product ingredients are halal.

As supply chains become more and more globalized each day, ingredient tracing becomes even more complicated. When all the materials in a product came from the same place, food production was simpler. Bread, for example, is no longer made up simply of flour, yeast, and water. Now, a loaf can include numerous other ingredients, making it even more difficult to determine whether or not it is halal.

According to Muhammad M. Chaudry, PhD, president and CEO of IFANCA, the task of deciphering all the information about a product’s inputs to determine its halal status is too complex for the average consumer. This is where the role of technical organizations as halal certifiers comes in. Without halal certification, the burden falls on consumers to contact a company directly to learn whether or not a product is acceptable for them to eat. Imagine doing that for every item in your grocery cart, and you can see why halal certification is crucial to Muslim well-being.

Halal certification also provides an added layer of quality control, and it can be easily integrated into programs such as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), quality management system ISO 9000, and good manufacturing practices (GMPs).

It is also the responsibility of these technical organizations to act in tandem with national governments to determine the halal status of local products for export so that a halal-certified product in one country is certified in another. Anything that provides added peace of mind in our turbulent world, or simplifies the import/export process, represents a path to gaining more consumers, which makes halal certification good for business in more ways than one.

How Does the Certification Process Work?

Obtaining halal certification requires equal participation from both a company and the organization certifying it. Though we cannot and do not speak for all halal-certifying organizations, the following is an overview of IFANCA’s process:

1. A business requests a halal certificate by submitting an application for halal certification.
2. The completed application and all information are evaluated against halal requirements by food scientists and process experts.
3. An agreement is signed by both parties, spelling out the obligations of each.
4. A facility audit is conducted to evaluate the process, associated services, and personnel competence with halal production.
5. A decision on halal certification is made by the halal certification committee. If the product qualifies for halal certification, a halal certificate is issued.

Once the entire process has been completed, the company can use the Crescent-M service mark on products that have officially been certified halal by IFANCA. Each certificate is valid for one to three years; however, the plant must be re-audited each year. This allows IFANCA to make sure that a company is maintaining the same quality year after year and that neither the manufacturing standards nor a product’s ingredients have changed in a way that renders the product impermissible.