Food

What is Halal and What Caused the Boom of the Halal Food Industry?

Do you support thethriving halal industry? Although this food is mainlyrelatedto the Muslim faith, everyone, regardless ofreligion and creeds, is starting to realize the many benefits that halal food has to offer. If you respect life’s sanctity and are anti-animal cruelty, then it is important to learnwhat halal is all about.

Although this is not a vegetarian lifestyle, halal food undergoes a laborious process to reduce animal cruelty. Here are some interesting facts to know about halal food and why the industry is seeing a significant boom these days.

What Halal Food is All About

The Arabic term halal means ‘permitted’ or ‘permissible’. This is the dietary standard allowed in the Islamic scriptureQur’an. Its contrary term is haram or food that is unlawful or not permitted.

Generally speaking, foods categorized as haram are pig meat, alcohol, and the meat of creatures that died of natural causes resulting from asphyxiation or beating. An animal’s blood is also categorized as haram.

Halal food achieves its credibility by preparingwith the use of the right way of slaughtering an animal. The process is calleddhabiha which involves cutting the jugular vein, carotid artery,and windpipe of the animal.

The animal will then be hung to drain the carcass of all its blood. During the process of slaughter, a Muslim should say “Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim” or “in the name of Allah”.

Halal SlaughterRules and Guidelines

Several other rules oversee the death of animals under the halal certification. The person who performs the slaughter should be an adult Muslim and should say God’s name before making the first cut. It shows that the animalis being slewed for food with consent from God.

The cut should beaccomplished in a single continuous motion with a sharp knife, severing thetwo blood vessels and the trachea. This doesn’t only require skill, but it also reduces the animal’s suffering. It is also indicated the knife blade should be clean, to prevent any infractions or tears that may thwart the wound’s arc.

Lastly, several rules shieldfromneedless distress to the animals. Sharpening the knife should never be done with the animalpresent, nor should the animal see the death of the other animals. Animals should also be treated well before their death and should alsobleed out and be completely dead before additional processing.

What about Non-Meat Halal Products?

You might see the halal certification on various non-meat products. It is because most products use animal derivatives as their base. Most of them are haram since these use pig products.

For instance, anything that hasgelatincontent will most probably have come from pigs andwon’t receive halal certification. There are also times when most products that are halal certified are exactly similartotheir non-halal counterparts. It happens when an item doesn’t contain products that require a halal certification right from the get-go, making this halal safe.

Check out the nearest halal food market Los Angeles and start shopping for your favorite halal products today!