What Is Halal?

Halal has become the buzz word with regards to food, although its relevancy in fact extends to non-food areas such as personal care & cosmetics products, pharmaceuticals, other consumer goods, finance and services. Halalan Toyibban simply means permissible and wholesome, and this concept is founded on Syariah laws. Toyibban denotes food that is safe, clean, nutritious and of good quality. The general principle concerning food according to Islamic teachings is that everything is halal except impurities, and that which is harmful and intoxicating. That which is classified as non-halal or ‘haram’ is forbidden and prohibited for Muslims. Any food or drink which lies within the grey area between halal and haram is classified as ‘Syubhah’, and Muslims should avoid consuming Syubhah food or drinks until the status of the food or drink becomes clear.

-In Malaysia, the definition of halal food and its guidelines are provided by the Malaysian Standard “MS1500:2004: Halal Food – Production, Preparation, Handling & Storage – General Guideline (First Revision)”. To be certified halal under the Malaysian standard, the food must fulfill the following requirements:
-Does not contain any parts or products of animals that are non-halal to Muslims or products of animals which are not slaughtered according to Shari’ah law
-Does not contain any ingredients that are Najs (filth or unclean) according to Shari’ah law
-Is safe and not harmful
-Is not prepared processed or manufactured using equipment that is contaminated with things that are Najs according to Shari’ah law
-The food or its ingredients do not contain any human parts or its derivates that are not permitted by Shari’ah law
-And during its preparation, processing, packaging, storage or transportation, the food is physically separated from any other food that does not meet the requirements stated in a, b, c, d, or e or any other things that have been decreed as Najs by Shari’ah law .

Modern-day Halal Issues

In Islam, the consumption of halal food and using halal consumer products are obligatory in serving Allah. Living in the era of modern science and technology creates halal issues for the modern-day Muslim consumer that were considerably less pervasive previously. In terms of halal food this evolution comes with the introduction of various new additives and ingredients to meet demands for improvement and innovation in food production, for example convenience food, better varieties and flavours to suit different tastebuds, methods of food production that can address food safety concerns and so on. This increasingly creates grey areas in Halal as the application of genetic engineering, and the usage of synthetic ingredients and hormones, for example, become more widespread in related industries. Due to these advancements in food technology and biotechnology, Muslims are now more exposed to various ingredients and processed foods that may be of questionable Halal status, particularly in secular or non-Muslim communities and societies.
Different types of food offered in the market often confuse the consumers and it is important to facilitate consumers in purchasing the right food, and especially facilitating Muslim consumers in purchasing food that is fully Shariah compliant, both in terms of its ingredients as well as the way it is produced. It is thus of great importance for the modern-day Muslim to be educated and to be aware of such ‘grey areas’ between Halal and Haram.

Why Malaysia?

Among the objectives of the Third Industrial Master Plan (IMP3) 2006 – 2020, is to make Malaysia the “Global Halal Hub” for the production and trade in Halal products and services. There is great potential for developing and promoting Halal products and services in the global market;
-The Muslim population is about 1.6 billion and spread across the world. It is estimated by 2010, the global Muslim population will be approximately 3.0 billion;
-Halal products and services are also gaining increasing acceptability among non-Muslim; and
The global value in trade for Halal food and non-food products is estimated at USD1.2 trillion annually. This market has created interest among food producing countries, both Muslim and non-Muslim.
-The growing interest in the potential market has hasten the move towards the development of global standards as well as expanded the coverage of standards to include activities such as logistics and packaging.
-Malaysia has the edge in the development of the Halal industry as it is a modern Islamic country with an open economy and a well developed physical and institutional infrastructure, capable of supporting initiatives and programmes to develop and promote the industry.