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Tag: halal

  • “Halal” Butcher in Switzerland Sold Pork to Muslims for 3 Years

    “Halal” Butcher in Switzerland Sold Pork to Muslims for 3 Years

    A “halal” butcher has been taken to court after selling pork to Muslim customers for over three years.

    According to Morocco World News, the Swiss butcher reportedly sold 3.1 tons of pork to his Muslim customers, telling them it was halal and trying to pass it off as calf meat.

    Upon inspection of his facility, it was discovered that what he was selling as calf meat looked nothing like it should.

    “If customers had known it was pork, they would not have bought it because Islam forbids the consumption of this type of meat,” the prosecutor handling the case said.

    Now, the man is facing six months of jail time and is being fined 18,000 Swiss francs, which equates to roughly £11,880.

    He was charged with “fraud and misrepresentation.”

    As Morocco News noted, the butcher was engaging in two-fold deception in selling pork as if it were veal.

    Firstly, Muslims were buying and consuming pork, which is against their religion.

    Secondly, he was making higher profits since pork is cheaper than calf meat.

     

    Source: www.5pillarz.com

  • French Company Produces Halal Test-Kits

    French Company Produces Halal Test-Kits

    PARIS: A French start-up is hoping to take a slice of the multi-billion Halal food market with a device allowing diners to find out within minutes whether a dish contains pork.

    Capital Biotech has received orders from as far afield as Turkey, Chile and Indonesia for its “Halal Test” which tests within 10 minutes whether a food contains pork meat, forbidden for Muslims and Jews.

    Launched only a fortnight ago, the company has won nearly 100,000 (US$135,000) in orders, a “surprise” according to co-founder Jean-Francois Julien.

    The company acknowledges that the test, a one-use device costing 6.90 euros (S$11.16), does not constitute a complete “Halal” test, which also requires information about how the animal was slaughtered. But it “allows you to dispel a one-off doubt, for example when you are on holiday or when a new “Halal” product hits the market,” said Julien.

    To use the device, the cautious diner mixes a small amount of food with hot water and inserts a small strip into the mixture. The strip tests for pork proteins and takes less than 10 minutes.

    France’s five million Muslims (the largest population in Europe) have been hit with food scandals – in 2011, “Halal” sausages were discovered to contain pork – and want to be sure they are not eating forbidden food, said Abbas Bendali from marketing firm Solis.

    Capital Biotech believes however that 70 percent of its sales will eventually come from professionals who want a quick way of testing whether food is suitable for non-pork eaters.

    Bendali said the cost of the device would inevitably deter individuals “at a time of economic crisis.” “It’s difficult to invest seven euros to test a bowl of pasta that costs three,” he said. Muslims are more reassured by “a genuine Halal certificate,” he said.

    A FIRST, BUT CAUTION

    But the firm is not limiting itself just to pork, hoping to make itself the firm of reference for tests on all types of food allergies. It intends to launch soon a range of tests for soya, egg or almonds – all potential allergens – in ready meals.

    The firm will then roll out tests for gluten, peanut or milk. In the long-run, the start-up plans to extend its quick-fire testing to pharmaceutical products. However, Faycal Bennatif, marketing director of the world’s top biological analysis group Eurofins, told AFP it was not down to the consumer to perform quality tests on food products.

    In the wake of the horsemeat scandal that rocked Europe last year, Eurofins has been inundated for requests to test meat products but has not developed a quick-fire test. “We work with DNA sequencing in the lab which is not at all the same method,” said Bennatif, adding he was “dubious” as to how efficient the new quick tests were.

    Capital Biotech’s “Halal tests” do not require authorisation to be launched on the market, estimated at 5.5 billion euros (US$6.8 billion) in France alone, although authorities will examine the reliability of the testing method.

    Expert in allergens, Jocelyne Just said the tests were a “first” but should be treated with caution “in the sense that a patient can be allergic to one food form but not another, for example to raw milk but not pasteurised.”

    As for Capital Biotech, the start-up already has its eye on the next market by securing domain names for “kosher tests”.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Picture of Hindu Deity Beside Halal Logo on Water Bottle Labels Creates a Stir in Malaysia

    Picture of Hindu Deity Beside Halal Logo on Water Bottle Labels Creates a Stir in Malaysia

    KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 — A mineral water company said today it will remove all bottles with labels featuring Hindu deity Lord Murugan near its “halal” logo, but urged for understanding that the slip-up was not meant to offend Muslims.

    Chuan Sin Sdn Bhd, the firm that bottles the Cactus Natural Mineral Water, explained in a statement here that the photograph was actually of Batu Caves and was selected as part of the company’s promotion of tourism hotspots in Malaysia in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2014.

    Chuan Sin Sdn Bhd deputy general manager Chong Mee Yoong said as a “proudly” homegrown Malaysian brand, the company has been leveraging on Malaysian events through its packaging in order to establish a connection with its local consumers.

    “We have been promoting the wonders and attractions of Malaysia and have been working with Tourism Malaysia for this purpose for more than 20 years.

    “This year, Cactus has been proud to support Visit Malaysia Year 2014 by featuring a new series of well-known attractions in Malaysia on its bottle pack label,” Chong said.

    She said Batu Caves was chosen as it is an “awe-inspiring” landmark and a major tourism draw in Malaysia.

    “We would like to stress that it was never our intention to be disrespectful, cause unease or to offend anyone,” Chong said, before thanking members of the public for raising the issue to the firm’s attention.

    “We deeply value the relationship between Cactus Natural Mineral Water and Malaysians, and we take pride in ensuring our customers’ satisfaction,” she added.

    As added reassurance, Chong said all mineral water bottles featuring the Batu Caves photograph will be removed from the shelves.

    The firm will also cease production of bottle with that particular label, she said.

    “Moving forward, we will ensure that more viewpoints are consulted before producing a similar series to prevent such a misunderstanding from recurring,” Chong said.

    Yesterday, the Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia (PPIM) accused Chuan Sin Sdn Bhd of offending Muslim sensitivities by placing the image of Lord Murugan, a Hindu deity, near the “halal” logo on the labels of its Cactus brand bottled water.

    Earlier today, both PPIM and another Muslim group, Pejuangan Warisan Islam Melayu Malaysia (PEWARIS), demanded that the police investigate the mineral water bottler for sedition, among others.

    “We want the police to investigate this matter and take the appropriate action, may it be the Sedition Act or any relevant act.

    “This matter is sensitive to the Muslims of the country,” said PPIM head of monitoring and financial services Sheikh Abdul Kareem after lodging a police report here today

  • World’s First ‘Halal’ Whisky Goes on Sale

    World’s First ‘Halal’ Whisky Goes on Sale

    Scottish whisky manufacturers are in disagreement over an ‘alcohol free’ product, which is going to be the first of its kind to hit the market.

    ArKay-Halal-Whisky

    The whisky brand ArKay is said to have an exceptional taste of whisky without the ‘alcohol content.’

    It is also being promoted as ideal for teetollars or those worried about drinking and driving.

    More importantly, the new product has a possibility of huge sales around the world in Muslim countries and in the Middle East as it has been declared as Halal certified, reported Daily Mail.

    However, the Scotch Whisky Association’s spokesperson said ‘it is not possible to make alcohol-free whisky.’

    ‘This company is trying to exploit whisky’s reputation with highly irresponsible marketing,’ added the spokesperson.

    Real Scotch whisky is a simple creation of water and barley, which grows well in the cool climate and summer rains that are common north of the border.

    Source: Tribune Online Report

  • The Expanding Halal Economic Pie

    The Expanding Halal Economic Pie

    Sixty million yen (S$700,000) and six months: that’s what TFK Corporation recently spent on renovating a kitchen in Tokyo’s busy Narita airport and preparing it for halal certification.

    The prize for its pains? A chance to grab a bigger slice of the lucrative and burgeoning Muslim travel market.

    TFK, the Japanese unit of Singapore inflight food catering group Sats, had been supplying halal meals to the Narita Airport Authority for transit passengers since December.

    But it had done so without halal certification, which provides an added layer of reassurance for Muslim diners.

    Muslims now represent nearly a quarter of the world’s seven billion people, and the value of Muslim tourism globally is expected to balloon to US$192 billion (S$245 billion) by 2020, from US$126 billion last year, according to figures cited by TFK.

    Yet many countries that Muslims are eager to visit may not have offerings that can meet their needs, such as prayer rooms and halal food options.

    More than two-thirds of Muslims travelling overseas for leisure say their most important requirement is halal food, noted TFK president Makoto Fukada.

    “As Muslim visitors to Japan are expected to reach one million a year by 2020 – tripling the 2013 level – the availability of certified halal food will be of great importance to meet the needs of these travellers,” Mr Fukada added.

    The potential of the global Muslim tourism industry has not gone unnoticed in Singapore, where companies can capitalise on their familiarity with Muslim customs to tap these opportunities.

    One such firm is CrescentRating, which caters to Muslim travel needs. It was set up in 2008 when founder Fazal Bahardeen noticed a lack of such services while on business trips for his former job at a multinational firm.

    Mr Fazal, 51, decided to strike out on his own to educate the hospitality industry about the “huge opportunity” in the Muslim travel market and to help Muslim travellers make educated choices.

    CrescentRating offers research, consultancy and training services on Muslim travel. It also issues reports on the global industry and has created a rating system for the “halal friendliness” of travel and hospitality services, based on their availability of halal food and prayer information, among other things.

    Last year, Mr Fazal launched travel website HalalTrip to help Muslim travellers put together a comprehensive itinerary – including flights, hotels and tour packages – for their needs.

    “There are three key outbound Muslim travel markets in this space: the Gulf countries, Southeast Asia and Western Europe,” he told The Straits Times.

    Tourists from these areas are keen to visit countries that may not be familiar with Muslim traditions, such as Japan and South Korea, he added.

    More Muslims are holidaying in Japan these days after visa rules were recently relaxed for tourists from countries including Malaysia and Thailand. Japan is also planning to do away with visa requirements for Indonesian tourists.

    Singaporean Raudaa Razak, a Muslim who works in Tokyo teaching English, said she quickly realised the lack of halal food outlets when she recently moved to the country. For one thing, most Japanese eateries serve alcohol, making it impossible for them to obtain halal certification, she said.

    Singapore firms can aid countries like Japan in understanding and meeting Muslim travel requirements, said trade agency IE Singapore, which helped Mr Fazal gain a foothold in Japan and clinch a consultancy project with the Fukuoka government.

    Describing Muslim travellers as “the largest under-served niche market for the tourism industry”, IE Singapore’s regional director for North Asia Pacific, Mr Lee Hoi Leong, said multi- ethnic Singapore has “an innate capability to cater to the lifestyle of the Muslim community in a Muslim-minority country”.

    It also helps that Singapore’s halal certification, established in 1978, builds trust in halal food products, Mr Lee said.

    TFK’s halal certification was awarded by Warees Halal, a division of Warees Investments, which in turn is wholly owned by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis).

    “In such a large economy like Japan, Warees Halal can empower Muslims globally to continue to keep up with their lifestyle,” said Mr Zaini Osman, chief executive officer of Warees Investments.

    He said Warees Halal also aims to be a “springboard for more Singaporean Muslim or halal certified companies to venture into such economies”.

    By: Fiona Chan

    Source: business.asiaone.com