Over the past two years, plant-based food consumption has grown by 49% across the EU, reaching a total sales volume of €3.6 billion.
Halal food certification mechanism in the United States
2025-05-15
Halal food legislation in the United States is relatively general and general. Government regulation of halal food primarily focuses on guidance and awareness, as well as preventing fraudulent practices by businesses. According to American Muslim community groups, only the New Jersey state government has specifically implemented halal food regulation and oversight. While other states with halal legislation have established law enforcement agencies, they haven't systematically implemented halal food regulation. Currently, the day-to-day management, industry regulations, standards, and product certification of halal food in the United States are handled by non-profit organizations and Muslim community groups, such as the American Islamic Food and Nutrition Association and the American Muslim Consumers Association. Among these, the most influential certification body, recognized by many Muslim countries, is the American Islamic Food and Nutrition Association. Founded in 1982, the association has certified 1,500 halal food products worldwide (including approximately 30 Chinese products), and has offices in Europe, Africa, India, Malaysia, and China, making it an international certification organization. These organizations primarily carry out the following tasks:
(1) Establishing systematic and rigorous certification standards. Although product quality standards and requirements vary among certification organizations, such as the American Muslim Consumers Association (AMCA) requiring that its certified halal foods contain no alcohol at all, while the American Islamic Food and Nutrition Association (AINA) has established clear regulations on the maximum alcohol content in raw materials and finished products, these certification organizations have established systematic and standardized certification standards. For example, the AINA categorizes foods into six categories: halal, permissible for Muslims, and prohibited for Muslims. First, it requires that halal foods contain minimal alcohol. However, for foods where alcohol is unavoidable in the production process, it specifies that the alcohol content in raw materials and semi-finished products must not exceed 0.5%, and in finished products must not exceed 0.1%. Furthermore, chemical analysis is conducted on certain food additives that may be prohibited to Muslims, such as gelatin, bone meal, leavening agents, animal fats, triglycerides, and animal enzymes. If these products contain pork or lard, their use is prohibited.
(2) Certification upon application is non-mandatory. Based on the application submitted by the halal food company, the certification body arranges for professional technicians to conduct an initial and re-examination, verifying the ingredients of the product. Upon compliance with halal food quality standards, the certification body issues the certificate. In addition to regular annual reviews, spot checks are also conducted periodically to ensure the quality of halal food. Because these certification bodies maintain close partnerships with halal food certification bodies in Southeast Asian Muslim countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, as well as in Europe and Africa, a significant number of Muslim countries also recognize their halal food certification. Therefore, all halal food exporters from the United States must obtain certification from these certification bodies.
(3) Conducting Halal food publicity and education activities. Certification bodies should widely publicize Halal food knowledge, laws and regulations, and the distribution of Halal food outlets through establishing websites, publishing periodicals and books, compiling promotional materials, and organizing Halal food production and distribution companies to participate in various exhibitions and trade fairs. These platforms also promote the certification bodies themselves, strengthen communication and interaction between the certification bodies and the Muslim community, and enhance the certification bodies' visibility and credibility.
(IV) Certification agencies have played an important role in standardizing the management of halal food in the United States and promoting the development of halal food companies. Halal food certification agencies such as the American Islamic Food and Nutrition Association have gradually become advisory agencies to the parliament and the government on Muslim issues, especially halal food issues, by using various forms of halal food promotion and research. By persistently lobbying members of parliament, they have accelerated and facilitated the halal food legislation in many states of the United States. By establishing a systematic and rigorous product quality standard and certification system, and carrying out halal food certification work carefully and meticulously, they have also won wide recognition from many Muslim countries, other halal food certification agencies, and Muslim citizens of the country. After more than 20 years of hard work, these halal food certification agencies have played an important role in standardizing the management of halal food in the United States, promoting the development of halal food companies in the United States and internationally, and promoting the implementation of halal food laws in various states of the United States.