Standards and Regulations

Halal is an Arabic word that means "lawful" or "permitted." Any food or drink that is halal is permissible. Most foods and drinks are considered halal unless they are prohibited or non-halal under halal law, such as pork, lard, alcohol, and meat not specifically slaughtered according to halal regulations.

Halal certification is the recognition by an independent Muslim organization or authorized agency that a product/food is suitable for use and consumption by Muslims.

In the halal certification, except for the following six types, the rest can obtain halal certificates:

1. Alcohol and drugs

2. Blood (liquid or coagulated)

3. Carnivorous animals and birds

4. Dead animals and birds (referring to natural deaths)

5. Food used for sacrifice

6. Pigs and their derivative products

The halal status of food is generally determined by its ingredients (internal factors) and the production, storage, and distribution processes (external factors). To ensure a product truly meets halal standards, all ingredients must be halal. Furthermore, the product must not come into contact with any non-halal items during preparation, production, storage, and distribution.

Rennet is an enzyme used in cheesemaking. There are two types of rennet: bovine rennet and microbial rennet. Bovine rennet comes from the cow's stomach and is therefore considered suspect. If bovine rennet comes from a cow slaughtered according to halal law, it is halal. Otherwise, it is not halal. Microbial rennet is generally halal.

If the origin or halal status of an ingredient is uncertain, the ingredient is questionable.

Generally speaking, products bearing the Halal certification mark are safe for Muslims to use. Even if a product contains questionable ingredients, the halal certification body will confirm the product's halal status beforehand. If you require further confirmation, you can contact the halal certification body or the product manufacturer.

Emulsifiers are a widely used additive. They are primarily used to stabilize mixtures and ensure consistency. Emulsifiers generally fall into the E400 series (e.g., E400 to E495). Emulsifiers can be of either plant or animal origin. Depending on their origin, they can be classified as halal, non-halal, or questionable.

a) Halal emulsifier

Emulsifiers of plant origin or from halal animals slaughtered in accordance with halal law.

b) Non-Halal emulsifiers

Emulsifiers derived from non-Halal animals or animals not slaughtered in accordance with Halal laws.

C) Suspicious emulsifiers

It is not possible to determine whether the source of the emulsifier is Halal or non-Halal.

Enzymes are commonly used as processing aids in the production of a variety of products, including cheese, juice, cooking oil, and food ingredients. Enzymes may be extracted from plants, animals, or microorganisms.

Enzymes of plant and microbial origin are generally halal. However, enzymes derived from animals are only halal if the animal is halal and slaughtered according to halal law. Bovine rennet is often used in cheese making. The slaughtering method of the cow from which the rennet is derived is crucial for producing halal cheese. Only rennet from cows slaughtered according to halal law is halal.

Rice wine is a sweet, golden-yellow liquor made from freshly steamed glutinous rice. The most famous Japanese rice wines are sake and mirin. Although most rice wines have a low alcohol content, they are still classified as alcoholic beverages. Therefore, rice wine is not suitable for Muslims and is considered non-halal.

Many people think of chocolate liquor as an alcoholic beverage, but chocolate liquor, also known as cocoa liquor, is actually the liquid obtained from grinding cocoa beans into cocoa powder. It transforms cocoa powder and cocoa butter into the final product and is an essential ingredient in the chocolate manufacturing industry. Chocolate liquor is halal.