Muslims prefer eating Halal meals due to the reason that it is meeting requirements in which they believe to be suitable for consumption. Basically, Halal has originated from rules that are set out in Qur’an and Hadith, which for generations, being followed by Islamic practice. Among Muslim consumers, being able to know how the food is being produced is a vital consideration. As concept, Halal doesn’t just pertain to foods but also, this means that it’s permissible and thus, it could be referred to any aspect of life that’s covered by Islam teachings.
Halal is part of the Sharia as system of morals in guiding behavior and actions of Muslims. On the other hand, this must not be confused with Halal as part of the codified system of the Sharia Law. Halal prescriptions may be deemed by observant Muslims to be a religious obligation. Much like with any other aspects of the Islam lifestyle, the definition for Halal foods is a long contested issue. To give you an example, there’s disagreement within Muslim community regarding whether stunning animals before slaughtering them in order to produce the meat. Both sides are drawing on traditions and Islamic teachings as a mean of supporting their position. Disputes similar to this are putting emphasis to Halal certifications, which is extremely important among Muslim consumers.
There are several methods of certifications for Halal foods actually. Among the three is when individual products could be certified. What this mean is, the production process as well as the ingredients in that product is Halal. For this reason, a consumer may buy Halal yogurt from stores that are selling non-Halal yogurt. The production facilities could be certified as well. This way, any products as per the certification standards may be claimed to be Halal. To give you an example, in abattoir that’s certified in producing Halal meat, the meat would be Halal regardless of the cut or the final shape of the meat. On the other hand, it might not be labeled as Halal once it reaches the market. Retail premises could be certified too so by that, all of the meats and other products sold will be Halal.
As for the process of certifying products to become Halal, it will vary as per who is doing the service. This is where some things become uncertain. Muslim consumers are not entirely capable of finding out exactly the process that’s been followed in process of certification and to what standards have been followed by certification provider.
There are reasons why Halal certification is needed. First of all, it helps local Muslims to decide what product to buy. Modern food processing as well as globalized markets are making it difficult among Muslims to know how the food was produced and at the same time, to where it originated. To be able to get around this, consumers who like to buy Halal foods should get a system that’s checking whether the products have met Halal requirements. That way, Muslims can know which are Halal meals and not.