If you grew up in a Muslim home, terms like halal
and haram
are ones that you’d be quite familiar with, but for the rest of the non-Muslim population, there may be some confusion about what these words mean – especially when it comes to your chicken.
So what exactly is halal?
Halal is a word in the Quran that refers to what is permissible to eat in Islamic law. You likely are encountering halal more frequently in grocery stores and food establishments as both are becoming increasing aware of the Muslim consumer demand for halal food items.
When using the term halal to describe food – it refers to items which are permissible for consumption based on Islamic law. But it goes beyond just a list of what you can or can’t eat and also refers to the manner in which product is to be handled, processed and cleansed.
On the other end of the spectrum, the word haram refers to what is forbidden.
Items such as alcohol, food products containing swine, product that was not slaughtered according to the Islamic law, blood and blood by-products, carnivorous animals, and birds of prey, are among the many items which are considered haram.
So when it comes to chicken - making a halal claim means that we need to meet certification criteria, which include that the product is:
- Prepared according to approved procedures of Islamic law.
- Free from any component that Muslims are prohibited from consuming according to approved Islamic law.
- Processed, made, produced, manufactured/stored using utensils, equipment/machinery that has been cleansed according to approved procedures.
- Free from contamination while prepared or processed with anything considered Haram.
The market for Halal certified products is vastly growing as our population diversifies and continues to welcome individuals of all faiths.We are committed for producing halal chicken to meet and exceed customer requirements.
For more information on Halal certification please visit: Canadian Halal Food Certifying Agency
