All foods are considered halal except the following, which are haram:
- Swine/pork and its by-products
- Animals improperly slaughtered or dead before slaughtering
- Animals killed in the name of anyone other than ALLAH (God)
- Alcohol and intoxicants
- Carnivorous animals, birds of prey and land animals without external ears
- Blood and blood by-products
- Foods contaminated with any of the above products
Foods containing ingredients such as gelatin, enzymes, emulsifiers, etc. are questionable (mashbooh) because the origin of these ingredients is not known. Author : www.ifanca.org
In the Quran, the holy book and guide for all Muslims, there exists verses that call for Muslims to seek provisions that are ‘halalan toyibban’. The English equivalent for this phrase would mean lawful and wholesome. Therefore, halal is actually about everything from the food we consume to the businesses we conduct to the transactions we perform in our daily lives. It is the responsibility of a Muslim to ensure that what he practices and consumes is clean, hygienic and not detrimental to either his health or his well-being. Halal is an all encompassing concept which encourages a Muslim to seek and use products, ventures and services that promote cleanliness in all aspects of a person’s -that a product or service is safe for consumption, produced in a clean environment and health. Halal is the next benchmark for quality. Author : www.halal.com.my
MALAYSIAN STANDARD ON HALAL FOOD
(MS 1500:2004)
The Malaysian Standard entitled ‘Halal Food: Production, Preparation, Handling and Storage – General Guidelines’ (MS 1500:2004) was developed under the Malaysian Standard Development System under the responsibility of Department of Standards Malaysia (DSM), Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
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This standard was developed by a National Industry Standards Committee on Halal Standard (ISC I), which was represented by various organizations including JAKIM, as the Chairman for the related Technical Committee (please refer Annex 1 for the overall standards development system in Malaysia and the relationship of ISC I in the system).
Scope of this standard is to prescribe practical guidelines for the food industry on the preparation and handling of halal food (including nutrient supplements) and to serve as a basic requirement for food product and food trade or business in Malaysia. It will be used by JAKIM as the basis for certification but will be supplemented by many other requirements for comprehensiveness of the certification process.
The summary of the development of Malaysian Standard on Halal Food is an Annex 2.
The document has undergone a process in accordance to the international standards requirement i.e. the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), whereby an international standards development system is based on consensus of all interested parties such as the Government, private sector, NGOs, researchers and professional bodies. Malaysia (DSM) subscribes to the same ISO policy.
In the future, it is hope that this Malaysian Standard (an official Government document) could be promoted overseas and recognized by other nations or blocs such as US, Europe, China, ASEAN countries, etc.
Auhtor : http://www.halal.gov.my