Halal food on verge of boom with rise in Muslim visitors

NAGOYA – Halal food, the only type Muslims are permitted to eat under Islamic law, is in hot demand, say managers at Halal Deli, which delivers boxed lunches to devout Muslims in Tokyo.

“Halal foods are currently delivered only within the 23 wards of Tokyo, but we want to expand the delivery area,” a member of the deli’s staff said.

The shop, based in Koto Ward, opened to meet growing demand for halal food from tourists from Indonesia and other Islamic countries.

A group of about 30 education officials from Indonesia in Japan to visit schools were licking their lips during a recent lunch break as they tried some curry from Halal Deli in a room at the nearby National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation.

“It’s delicious,” one said.

“I want some more,” said another.

Halal Deli signed contracts with three restaurants in April to supply Malaysian, Indonesian and Turkish food. They also decided to expand by launching phone and Internet-based delivery services.

Their most frequent customers are companies that have Muslim employees and visitors, and tourists.

On the menu you can find about a dozen “bento” (boxed lunches) containing chicken, rice and Japanese foods.

The concept of halal does not only prohibit pork and alcohol as most people think. It can also ban consumption of beef, lamb or chicken if the meats are not processed according to Islamic custom.

When this happens, they become “haram” or forbidden — the opposite of halal.

Some seasonings or condiments, like “mirin,” a sweet cooking sake used in Japan, can also be designated haram.

“I didn’t have to worry if what I was eating was allowed or not,” said Fauziah Fauzan, 42, another of the visiting Indonesian officials.

“It would be great if halal foods were available in other areas.”

After visiting Osaka and Nagoya, Tokyo was the first place they found restaurants or dining services that offered halal food, said Fauziah, who by then was resorting to fish or strictly vegetarian meals.

The leader of the team, Mina Hattori, an associate professor at the School of Education and Human Development of Nagoya University, said the last time they had a group of visitors from Indonesia, she had to prepare about 50 halal lunches with only the help of Indonesian students at the university.

“There are many Muslims who would like to visit Japan, but the concern about the food is the main reason why they have second thoughts,” said Hattori, who has conducted research on Islamic education. “I think that if halal became more available, the number of Muslims visiting Japan would increase.”

The Japanese government recently made tourism from Southeast Asia a priority and is preparing to relax visa requirements to lure more people from the region.

“In our primary plan, we estimated about 200 orders monthly, but now we receive over 500 per month,” says the staff member at Halal Deli. “We plan to get more contracts and we hope the service will eventually be expanded to other cities.”

Vets in animal welfare call over halal meat

VETS have called for stricter labelling of halal and kosher meat and immediate post-slaughter stunning of animals being prepared for the religious markets in a bid to improve welfare conditions.

Mr Jones said the BVA wanted to see slaughterhouse conditions improved, particularly in relation to the production of halal and kosher meat, by introducing immediate post-cut stunning.
He said: "We are grateful to the Scottish Government for consulting over these sensitive issues and we look forward to working with you to implement a solution that offers the highest levels of animal welfare, while respecting the views of certain religious communities."
For meat to be halal – or "permissable" – under Islamic law, the animals must be slaughtered with a sharp knife, which is used to cut their throat, windpipe and blood vessels in the neck, causing the animal's death without cutting the spinal cord. The blood from the veins from must be drained completely since blood is a carrier of bacteria and therefore considered unclean.
However, while it is standard slaughterhouse practice in the UK to administer an electric shock to daze the animal before it is killed, the practice is generally resisted as not being halal or kosher – partly from a fear the animal may be accidentally killed by a stungun.

Uniting Islamic finance and halal at conferences

Conferences provide an insight on the road ahead for industries, products, innovations, and services. The speakers are assumed to know more than most on the other side of the podium.

One of the interesting developments in the Islamic finance conferencing arena has been the introduction of topical issues from the 2.1 trillion halal industry. Is it because there is no 'new new' in Islamic finance or the realization that Islamic finance needs to build bridges to new areas linked to the real economy or both?

 

Halal, depositors and alternatives 

There is a realization and recognition that, at one level, halal is demand based, hence, one needs to eat, before one invests in, say, mutual fund or bank/sukuk finance a tower. Thus, halal, being a consumer non-cyclical, is actually less volatile (or more stable) than Islamic finance's traditional area of finance: real estate.

Furthermore, as there are more Muslim depositors than investors (debt culture), there are more participants in halal than in Islamic finance (food over finance). To wit, Islamic finance participants will be almost always be consumers of halal foods, but halal food consumers will not always be Islamic finance participants. The reasons may be due to lack of availability of Islamic finance, especially at retail levels in non-Muslim countries, excessive costs or lower returns, inferior customer service, lack of range of products, etc.

For Muslims, the alternative to halal foods is the acceptable kosher. For example, in the US, Muslims consume more kosher products than Jews, as there are more than 86 kosher products for every one halal product. Thus, halal and kosher are a good example of building bridges of inter-faith dialogue.
The alternative to Islamic finance is the conventional and ethical (which has elements of interest) or cash economy. Obviously, not many ideal choices, but many scholars have invoked 'law of necessity' for allowing Muslims to participate in interest based finance as an Islamic alternative is unable and would cause undue hardship. Furthermore, there are a number of Christian and Catholic funds available for investing, but Shariah scholars have not approved them for investment for Islamic investors.

Thus, the 'acid of purity or authenticity' may be articulated by following observation:

If there are pork traces of DNA found in halal food products and known by the consumer, the consumption of the product would be prohibited. Only caveat is when consumption of pork would save a person from starvation to death. In Islamic finance, the Shariah scholars have allowed 'minor' amount of interest and impermissible income (which must be purified by way of charitable donation) and acceptable amount of conventional debt (screening companies for compliance for investment purposes) as preconditions for participation. Thus, halal can be said to be Shariah based and today's Islamic finance as Shariah compliant.

ConferencesIslamic finance conferences are about awareness, education and networking, but they are commercial undertaking with profit motives. The injection of halal at such conferences is actually a paradigm shift, as Islamic finance has traditionally ignored its much larger brethren: halal. It should be noted that at halal conferences/events, like World Halal Forum, Islamic finance topics are commonplace and, even, Islamic banks sponsor such events.
The time has arrived to present the halal value proposition at Islamic finance events. Thus, I was requested to present on halal at major events like the Kuala Lumpur Islamic Finance Forum (KLIFF) 2012, World Islamic Banking Conference (WIBC) Asia 2013 in Singapore, and at the Brunei Islamic Investment Summit (BIIS) 2013.
Furthermore, after His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, made the historical announcement in early 2013, about Dubai's ambition for an Islamic economy, it has institutions, consultants, and conference organizers scuttling to put together a 'blue print' of the Islamic economy, including halal.

Halal conversation
The conversation on halal must continue to evolve from the academic, certification and research to the practical, immediate and impaction. Put differently, the monetisation of halal needs to entice the Islamic money, as the riba based money has financed halal. For example, one only needs to examine at the balance sheet of, say, publicly listed halal food companies in the SAMI Halal food index for Shariah compliance (financial ratios, especially on debt), and realize quite a few fail the screening process.

 

Aussie’s Baby Royale halal food soon in Malaysian supermarts

Australia's premium branded halal baby food maker Baby Royale will soon put its products on the shelves of 350 supermarkets in Malaysia, reports The Australian.

It believes the rollout of its products in Malaysia's modern supermarkets such as Cold Storage, Giant and Tesco will boost its exports to the Asean region by A$2 million (about RM6 million) over the next 12 months, rising to A$20m a year over the next five years.

Baby Royale managing director Adam Moore said the company, based in the Victorian regional capital of Traralgon, saw the Asean region as being 50 per cent of its within five years, with bigger opportunities in the long term "The focus for food is moving away from being just China-centric.

"It is a lot easier for us to do business here (in Malaysia) than in China. That is the reality.

"There are a lot less barriers to entry and I think we should be taking more advantage of it."

Moore said the company had teamed up with powerhouse local market expansion services firm DKSH, which has developed a reputation for growing brands in the region. It is also listed on the Zurich Stock Exchange and operates through 27 Asean countries.

"They can bring some specialist abilities into what we are doing in terms of brand building and market building. For smaller exporters that is really important," Moore said, noting the deal had taken three years to conclude.

The announcement of the deal was made on the Victorian government's Super Trade Mission to Southeast Asia, which includes 85 food and beverage companies. The trade mission moves today to Indonesia before heading to Singapore.

Research and Markets: UAE Halal Cosmetics Market Opportunity Analysis Report 2013

UAE has emerged as an exceptionally attractive market for cosmetic companies to introduce their new products as it is one of the largest beauty markets in the world and is endorsed by affluent clientele. The demographic variety of consumers that are spread within the UAE translates into a diverse market that allows companies to offer variety of product across varied price spectrum. While the market for luxury products has a large clientele in the UAE, there is also a strong market for regular, value-for-money product lines. Although the cosmetics market is dominated by women's products, spending by men is also on the rise.

Cosmetics market in UAE is witnessing a new drift towards the increasing demand of Halal certified cosmetics products. The exponentially increasing preference for Halal cosmetics products has led to change in the business strategy of the local as well as international companies present in the market. Companies are now changing their product assortment in order to accommodate the growing demand for Halal cosmetics products due to transition in the customer preference for Halal products.

Halal certification and acceptance of Halal products had been widespread in the hospitality, food, packaging, banking and finance industries in the Middle East and specifically in the Saudi Arabia and UAE. In the food sector, Halal consciousness is especially high among consumers as well as the governments. However, the demand for Halal cosmetics and beauty products is not as strong. With increasing consumer awareness and a willingness to pay for quality products, the scenario is changing, thereby transforming the cosmetics and personal care industry into a potential sunrise segment for the region.

Consumers are now verifying the contents of the cosmetics that are most used by them for animal based ingredients that may not be Halal. However, there exist constraints on the supply side. There is a dearth of Halal-certified cosmetics brands in the UAE market. The existing players are small and this has led to a fragmented nature of the market. None of the multinational cosmetics companies present in the UAE offer Halal friendly products. This continues to remain a problem due to the absence of a local certification body.

UAE Halal Cosmetics Market Opportunity Analysis research report is an intriguing text that gives detailed facts and analysis on latest developments in the UAE Halal cosmetics Market. Report discusses various segments of the Halal cosmetics market and analyzes the factors responsible for the growth and the need to resolve challenges to maintain growth momentum in future.

Key Topics Covered:

1 UAE Cosmetics Market Overview

2 UAE Halal Cosmetics Market Opportunity Analysis

3 Halal Cosmetics Market Dynamics

3.1 Favorable Market Parameters

3.2 Market Opportunity Analysis

3.3 Challenges to Overcome

4 Halal Cosmetics Supply Chain Analysis

5 Halal Certification: A Key to Successful Marketing

6 Business Model

6.1 Online Retailing

6.2 Supermarket/Retail Outlets

6.3 Exclusive Outlet

Raid On Halal Slaughtering Company Raises Concerns Over Religious Freedom

A federal investigation by the USDA of the oldest halal meat slaughtering and product company in the United States raises grave concerns for Muslims about the infringement of first amendment rights.

The raid of Midamar Corporation in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on October 16, was lead by US Department of Agriculture enforcement officers. 

In a joint federal operation, agents seized documents, books, records and computer files, freezing $454,000 of assets. 

Midamar has sought an injunction to access the funds, but was turned down by the US District Judge Linda Reade.

A family-owned business run by Bill Aoessey, Jr., and pioneering the halal meat product market in 1974, Midamar is the first halal company to seek USDA approval for its products. 

It conducts the slaughtering of livestock at their facility, creating various halal products that are distributed worldwide.

Currently, Midamar does 70 percent of its business internationally, selling products throughout the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Their hot dogs are popular on ethnic grocery stores across the United States.

Sara Sayed, the spokeswoman for Midamar says, “While the USDA investigation is ongoing and we are cooperating, there has been no explanation as to why this is happening and no means of getting to a resolution.”

According to Salon.com, court documents suggests the government is looking into allegations that Midamar packaged meat as being halal when it was not.   

“The USDA does not have oversight of religious observations like the ritual slaughter of meat, but can investigate mislabeling of products as kosher or halal,” says Rabbi Sholem Fishbane of the Chicago Rabbinical Council.

“The concern here is that the government alleges we mislabeled products,” explains Sayed. “We perform the halal ritual and then make the products, so is the government saying that our process of halal is not acceptable?  Is the government now regulating the religious practice?”

The USDA regulates commercial sales of meat products in the United States, however, the Humane Slaughter Act passed in 1958 exempts Jewish and Muslim slaughtering practices by defining ritual slaughter.

Criminal investigations of mislabeled meat products are rare.

According to the USDA, only 10 such criminal actions were filed against people or corporations since 2011.

The most recent case with the mislabeling of halal meat products was in 2010 involving Super King Market in Anaheim, California. 

The Orange County District Attorney’s office found that the company was selling meat from various sources as being halal, when it was ordinary meat.

Super King Market agreed to pay $527,000 to settle the case.

The investigation of King Market began when the Orange County Health Department discovered meat was being delivered to the store without clear labeling, but once on display, it was “co-mingled with generic meats” and falsely labeled as being halal.

That investigation did not involve the USDA and was carried out under the California Halal legislation AB 1828  that was passed in 2002. 

California is the fifth state in the country to pass such legislation. New Jersey, Minnesota, Virginia, Illinois and Michigan have similar legislation.

Sayed believes the USDA’s actions against Midamar arose out of its import inspection obligations, which they voluntary submit to.

The only documented case of USDA prosecution of halal mislabeling involved the Washington Lamb Company of Springfield, Virginia in 1997.

According to the USDA, Washington Lamb was investigated after compliance officers discovered that in 1993 and 1994, the company had placed false halal stamps on meat and lamb products, used false halal certificates, and made false oral representations to its customers claiming that ordinary meat met halal requirements.

The raised prices cost consumers about $9,000.

According to Washington Lamb’s website, they sold halal meat purchased by outside vendors as well as ordinary meat, unlike Midamar which slaughters and markets its products for the halal meat industry. 

In fact, Washington Lamb currently lists Midamar as its source for specialty halal meat products.

When asked about why Sayed thinks this occurred, she responds that it would be useless to assume the reason for the investigation given the lack of information available.

“If the USDA was going after us for halal, which doesn’t fall into their mandate, the question is why would they go after a purely halal company that specializes in this product and not a mainstream company trying to dabble in halal?” Sayed says.

Attempts to contact the USDA for a response went unanswered.

According to The Gazette in Iowa, seizure of financial assets is often connected to investigations of tax evasion, money laundering or fraud. 

Bob Teig, a retired assistant U.S. attorney in Iowa’s Northern District, says, “It appears to involve more than meat inspection requirements and regulations.”

That perception has community leaders and civil rights advocates worried that this is selective and discriminatory investigation that infringes religious freedom. 

“Midamar can come out and conclusively show that their process is halal, get a consensus from Muslims on this process, case is closed.  But the fact is the government has zero business in defining what is halal and not, that is up to the community. We do that,” says Shakeel Syed, the executive director of Shura Council, which is an umbrella organization representing Islamic Centers and organizations in Southern California. 

There is an ongoing debate on what constitutes halal slaughtering as was recently exhibited in al-Safa foods labeling of food in 2011 when it changed from hand slaughtering to mechanical process.

Syed argues that the government doesn’t step in to dictate between Reform and Ultra Orthodox Jewish community by defining what kosher is. 

He expresses that Midamar might be a case of the “government running after Muslim charity’s at one time, except, now they are running after halal chickens.”

Under the counter terrorism developments that were heralded in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, one systematic change called the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) has had a far reaching affect on the American Muslim community giving weight to Syed’s concern of government investigations of Muslim charities and businesses.

JTTF is a cooperative effort to address the criminal and intelligence gathering short falls of law enforcement agencies at all levels of government after the 9/11 attacks. 

This cooperative model is managed by the FBI, which aims to utilize the JTTF to protect the homeland from terrorist attacks. Among the agencies that actively take part in the taskforce is the USDA.

An early example of this work first appeared in 2003, when Phyllis Fong, then Inspector General regulating the USDA, testified to the US House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture on the cooperation with the JTTF over food stamp trafficking cases involving the transfer of monies overseas.

Operation Green Quest was a national project to identify mechanisms used to transfer funds overseas to terrorist groups and USDA representatives were active with these investigations.

In this working group, the USDA would report to the FBI information on a person of interest from Pakistan, being an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) recipient, and actively engaging in the transferring of funds to Pakistan, without any clear criminal behavior criteria prompting the investigation.

“We regularly encounter officers from various agencies working on the JTTF’s to further FBI’s counterterrorism goals,” says Ameena Mirza Qazi, Staff Attorney for CAIR-LA. “Sometimes when they do not have enough for a terrorism-related prosecution, they pursue charges related to white-collar crimes against Muslims. This raises serious questions of whether these prosecutions are selective and discriminatory.”

In 2002, regulations put into place by the Church Commission hearing of FBI domestic investigations of Civil Rights leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., were eliminated. 

The Church Commission had concluded that the FBI, under COINTELPRO, had been spying on Americans based on politically motivated and flagrantly violating first amendment rights.

Documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act by the ACLU indicate that the JTTF units are similarly investigating Americans given the removal of safeguards. 

Given the seriousness of the allegations against Midamar, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling on US authorities to explain their investigation and Midamar has retained an attorney.

Halal meat demand grows across state's west

A Dubbo based company that processes sheep meat says there is a demand to cater for the growing Muslim population across the state's west.

Fletcher International was set up in 1973, and is now one of Australia's largest suppliers of halal sheep and lamb meat, exporting to countries across the Middle East, Europe and Asia.

Marketer Graham Lyons says the halal industry is a growing market domestically and internationally.

He says the company is expanding it's halal meat distribution in Dubbo.

"We do that also, Dubbo's Muslim population has grown, we have a number of people working with us and also a lot of professionals move to Dubbo and there is a demand for halal slaughtered meat in Dubbo," he said.

Mr Lyons says the halal industry is worth over a billion dollars per year around the world.

He says it is opening up a large market for Australian businesses. 

"Over the past year ten years the halal market in Australia has grown, our understand is that more then 700,000 Muslims in the Australian community now and there has been large markets created in Melbourne and Sydney," he said.

"A lot of the Australian meat industry has based their sales and production on halal slaughter."

Drug firms Eye Halal Certification

MUSHROOMING INTEREST: 39 firms have applied for certification from Jakim so far

KUALA LUMPUR: PHARMACEUTICAL Companies have shown overwhelming interest in obtaining halal certification, introduced earlier this year, from the Department of Islamic Development (Jakim).

Its director-general, Datuk Othman Mustapha, said so far, the department had received applications from 39 companies, of which four have already received the certification.

"Before the launch of MS2424:2012 certification, we used the MS1500:2009 standards where 71 companies that produce health supplements and 141 that produce traditional medicines were given the certification."

He said Jakim now had the expertise to be the main centre for the certification of pharmaceutical products.

"Our halal hub division is not only the centre for certification of eateries, slaughter houses and logistics.

"We now also have experts and specialists to certify pharmaceutical products.

"We have also been exploring new areas to improve our certification process," he said.

Jakim's halal hub division created history when it became the first accreditation body in the world to introduce certification for halal pharmaceutical products.

However, the MS2424:2012 standard only applies to over-the-counter medicines, health supplements and traditional medicines.

"Medicines prescribed by doctors are not given accreditation under this standard," Othman said.

Director-general of health Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said they have been working closely with Jakim in developing a more comprehensive Islamic health management practice.

"We are working hand in hand with them to introduce health management that follows Islamic requirements among medical practitioners.

"We have also discussed the use of doubtful pharmaceutical products and use of products that have received halal certification."

He added that the details were being addressed stage by stage.

Malaysia Medical Association president Datuk Dr N. Tharmaseelan said that the demand for halal pharmaceutical products around the world was increasing rapidly.

"The demand for healthcare and halal-certified drugs and vaccines will multiply as economies in Muslim countries expand.

"Malaysia is a well-known halal hub, thus, it opens up a huge market for the local pharmaceutical industry to fulfil the demand."

He said, in Malaysia, almost all medicines and vaccines were halal-compliant and where it is not possible to use halal medicines, the patients would be informed about it.

"Patients, especially Muslims, need to be assured that what they have been prescribed is derived from halal sources.

"Anxiety about the drug content must be addressed in an empathetic manner as confidence speeds the recovery process for patients."

He added that Malaysia had the expertise to become completely halal-compliant in a couple of years, provided there were adequate funds for research.

DEARBORN: Two McDonald’s outlets stop serving halal chicken after lawsuit settlement

DEARBORN — In the wake of a lawsuit settlement, the only two McDonald’s restaurants in the country that served halal chicken have stopped serving halal McChicken sandwiches and Chicken McNuggets.

The outlets are at 13158 Ford Road and 14860 Michigan Ave. A sign on the door at the Michigan Avenue restaurant tells customers in English and Arabic that the halal chicken is no longer served there. The electronic sign at the Ford Road restaurant was advertising a “buy one, get one free” special on Filet-O-Fish sandwiches Friday morning.

“Halal” refers to meeting Islamic requirements for preparing food. God’s name must be invoked before an animal providing meat for consumption is slaughtered.

On April 17, the final details of a $700,000 class action lawsuit against the Ford Road outlet’s franchise owner, Finley’s Management Co., was approved by Wayne County Circuit Judge Kathleen Macdonald.

Ahmed Ahmed of Dearborn Heights bought a McChicken sandwich at that McDonald’s on Sept. 2, 2011. It was advertised as halal, but apparently was not because the restaurant ran out of halal chicken.

He filed the lawsuit Nov. 23, 2011.

Under the agreement, Ahmed was to receive $20,000, Jaafar & Mahdi Law Group of Dearborn was to receive about $286,941, Health Unit on Davison Avenue Inc. in Detroit was to receive $274,000, the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn was to receive about $115,559 and JPMorgan & Chase Co. was to receive about $3,500 for overseeing an escrow account. The money was to be distributed within a month of the settlement.

Kassem Dakhlallah of Jaafar & Mahdi, lead attorney for Ahmed in this case, said Friday he hadn’t talked to Ahmed about it yet.

“It’s disappointing, if anything,” Dakhlallah said. “Our hope was that it wouldn’t be the message a corporation like McDonald’s would take out of this.”

He added that he figured dropping the halal sandwiches might be a byproduct of the lawsuit, and it isn’t what he wanted.

How One Woman Revolutionized Halal Food in Canada

Some great ideas need just one thing: a person that is dedicated to carrying it out.

That's exactly who Salima Jivraj, the founder of Halal Foodie and the Halal Food Festival in Toronto has become. Being a part of one the largest Muslim community in Canada, Salima has used her food and marketing abilities to bring the Halal food industry, valued at over a billion dollars, to the 21^st century.

Sounds like serious stuff, right? You wouldn't know it if you saw Salima and her team, who seem to be having fun with their brand.

But is it all fun and feasting? Hardly. As the plans are in motion for the only Halal Food Festival in Canada, Salima and her team have partnered up with Muslim Welfare Centre of Toronto, a service center that offers meals on wheels and has an active food bank.

Here is my interview with Miss Halal Foodie herself, who shares how she is giving back to her community with her great idea while still having fun.

What made you start Halal Foodie?

Two years ago, just after having my second child, I wanted to do something that would utilize my years in the marketing industry, give back to the community and focus on something I'm passionate about. All things pointed to halal food so after a bit of research, found a great niche that was currently not being served and decided to start a website that focused on answering the need for more information on the Toronto halal food scene. My plan is to create a central hub for halal food in Toronto first and then spread to other Canadian cities.

You are helping halal food come into the 21^st century.How has social media helped with the growth of Halal Foodie?

Deciding to focus on social media was both an economical decision and strategic one as well. Social media is inexpensive but it's also a skill to execute properly. By utilizing both social media and search engine optimization I've managed to increase traffic to my site with minimal investment, a huge bonus as a mom of two who also has a full time job with very small startup capital to invest. After two years of hard work, I am finally at a stage where I can grow into what I had envisioned.

I've also been blessed with a strong and loyal following -- it's been great meeting new people with their own strong passions; something not so easy to do with other marketing channels. Learning what people want by spending a lot of time just listening has helped shaped the way I provide information to them.

My business model is based on advertising; companies want to advertise with halalfoodie.ca because we are able to draw in large numbers from a very targeted demographic. Social media has helped provide statistics and proof that halalfoodie.ca is a good platform for advertising to anyone that wants to speak to our audience.

How has the industry reacted to your writing and reviews?

Since day one I've had nothing but support, encouragement and shared excitement over halalfoodie.ca. I think people were waiting for something like this and the community has shown a lot of support. Specifically with the industry, restaurant owners tell me all the time that their business has increased and they are really grateful for the exposure. I had a call from one restaurateur recently saying that their business increased by at least 25 per cent and after four weeks is still bringing in new customers. Hearing that I could help a business that was struggling before gives me that push to keep going and it's a huge motivator for me with halalfoodie.ca.

How and why did you come up with the concept of the Halal Food Festival?

There are other cities around the world hosting halal food festivals that are targeted to consumers. I remember thinking to myself after seeing a YouTube video for one that took place over the summer of 2012 in New Jersey, "I wish someone would throw a festival here -- I would totally go to that!" I took some time to think of who could possibly put something together and there was really no one else I could think of that could do it the way I expected it to happen. It had to be professional and reflect the diversity of our city. Halal Food Festival Toronto also has to be interactive and cater to the Muslim demographic so introducing family friendly areas such as a Kids Zone and Baby Lounge was a must. I took the idea to my husband and he jumped on board. After that, we knew we needed more help and quickly brought on four more members who have been an integral part of the organization.

Our key members are all experts in their respected fields and we all share a passion for food and the importance of halal.

On a high level, the festival is a way to showcase what we have and inspire more growth. It also serves as way to educate people and encourage the importance of eating halal in a fun and interactive way.

How is the Halal Food Festival involved with Muslim Welfare Centre?

We really wanted to align ourselves to an organization that focused on the local community. We did some research and loved the amazing programs at Muslim Welfare Centre of Toronto. We were really impressed with their food bank, iftar baskets during Ramadan (iftar is the meal after breaking ones fast after sunset) and their halal version of "meals on wheels". They are a hands-on organization and operate right on the front lines of their programs. We are also going to discuss more ideas on how we can help them through halalfoodie.ca once the festival is over as their needs spread year round and we feel it's imperative to help their cause after the festival as well.

School canteens urged to serve halal food in recognition of Muslim population

MANILA, Philippines – How many schools serve their students “halal” food that Muslims are allowed to partake of under Islamic dietary guidelines?

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) recently raised this question as it urged the education sector to help advance the government’s peace process with Muslim secessionists by teaching students to embrace “inclusivity and diversity.”

OPAPP Assistant Secretary Jennifer Oreta said the education sector should take part in the government’s efforts to attain peace in Mindanao by “changing mind-sets, breaking symbolic and imagined barriers that divide and embracing inclusivity and diversity.”

Oreta spoke recently at a conference of educators nationwide organized by the Asia-Pacific Network for International Education and Values Education (APNIEVE) at the Miriam College.

According to a statement from the OPAPP, APNIEVE is an organization that aims to promote peace, human rights, democracy and sustainable development through values education.

In her address, Oreta emphasized the need for the education of young Filipinos to embrace multiculturalism, inclusivity and diversity.

“How much of the core message of our curriculum actually promotes inclusivity and non-discrimination?” Oreta said.

Oreta noted that teachers themselves should “reevaluate the ‘data’ being taught and the ‘language’ being used” in classrooms as these “can neither encourage or prevent discrimination and exclusivity.”

For example, she said, one uses the label “Muslim terrorist” but not “Christian terrorist.”

“Perhaps that is not the intention of the message; the subliminal message that it creates is also problematic,” Oreta said.

In promoting multi-culturalism in schools, Oreta asked the teachers: “How many of our schools actually have prayer rooms for other religions? How much of our food is halal? This is what we realize when we had some of our Muslim friends come over, they can’t eat anything at the cafeteria.”

(“Halal” is an Arabic word meaning lawful or permissible. Its opposite is “haram.”)

“So again, we talk about inclusivity. We talk about non-discrimination,” Oreta said. “Sometimes we look at them as trivial but these are actually big issues.”

Kosher and Halal Food Act would meet dietary requirements of faith groups needing disaster relief

Late last month, Rep. Joseph Crowley introduced the "Kosher and Halal Food Act of 2013," which "Amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to: (1) provide for the increased purchase of Kosher and Halal food if such food is cost neutral as compared to food that is not from food manufacturers with a Kosher or Halal certification, and (2) modify the labeling of the commodities list under the emergency food assistance program to enable Kosher and Halal food bank operators to identify which commodities to obtain from local food banks." The bill was referred to the House Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, and Nutrition on May 22.
The bill follows the relief efforts during Hurricane Sandy.  William Rapfogel, Executive Director and CEO of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty and Mohammad Razvi, Executive Director of the Council of Peoples Organization observed that "…  an estimated 330,000 Jewish households in New York City and 300,000 Muslim households in the tri-state area live in poverty. Because of the dietary requirements of their faith, many families we serve are unable to rely on the federally funded network of food pantries to feed their families. As social service providers, it is not unusual for us to see dozens of families in a single day who are going hungry because there are no Kosher and Halal options in food pantries. And since the storm, we have had to double our efforts to serve families in the hardest-hit communities while continuing to help those in need outside of Zone A."
Rapfogel and Razvi hope that the bill will decrease the number of New Yorkers going hungry in 2013 and beyond.
So far, the anti-Jew, anti-Muslim conspiracy theorists have been quiet — but as Rational Wiki points out, hysteria has erupted before over foods — like when Campbell's Soup Company test-marketed a line of halal certified products in 2010 and Tea Party types viewed the test marketing as an example of Sharia law creeping into western culture.  In the far right's unending quest to identify strange new conspiracies that supposedly threaten America, Halal foods — that is, foods that that Muslims are allowed to eat under Islamic Sharia — were identified a couple years ago by Pastor Mark Biltz at World Net Daily  as foods that are  "sacrificed to idols" which will make Americans "catch Islam like a virus."  As God Discussion's Dakota O'Leary reported, by Thanksgiving 2011 the conspiracy had grown.  Butterball was accused of "waging a secret jihad on the nation by sneaking halal turkeys on unsuspecting American tables."
Kosher foods are foods that meet dietary laws, based in the Old Testament, on what is fit for people to eat.  According to News 7 in Denver, a growing number of Americans, particularly those who have food allergies or are concerned about food processing, are seeking out Kosher foods for their quality.  Of the consumers who purchase kosher foods, only 14 percent do so for religious reasons.  But anti-Semitic conspiracy theorists complain that the kosher label is a "Jewish tax" – an allegation that the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) refutes. "The bizarre claim by right wing extremists that kosher certification markings on food product labels ("" "K," etc.) cost consumers extra money and represent, in effect, a 'kosher tax' to make rabbis rich, is a striking example of the propaganda used by anti-Semites to trick the uninformed into accepting conspiracy charges and stereotypes about Jews," the ADL writes in a piece that debunks the claim.

No action against halal firm

No action will be taken against a company accused of supplying halal burgers containing pork to schools.

Leicester City Council withdrew a lamb burger supplied to 19 schools by Doncaster firm Paragon Quality Foods last month after tests showed up to 50 per cent pork in a sample.

However, further tests on the company's products conducted at the request of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) have found no trace of pork.

A spokeswoman for the FSA said: "We were notified of the findings by Leicester City Council and instructed colleagues at Doncaster Metropolitan Council to liaise with Paragon.

"We have received the report from Doncaster and are satisfied there are appropriate controls in place and no further action needs to be taken."

Peter Dale, director of regeneration and environment for Doncaster, said: "We have carried out an extensive programme of sampling and so far no traces of meat other than labelled have been detected."

Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO), in Leicester, which tested the original burger on behalf of the city council, declined to comment yesterday.

Paragon is considering legal action against Leicester City Council, saying its reputation has been "unfairly damaged".

A spokesman for the company said: "The test by ESPO wasn't a formal test under controlled conditions and all other results have come back negative for any traces of pork.

"Therefore we're seeking advice about possible legal action."

The city council was understood to be carrying out further tests on the burgers, the results of which are not yet known.

The halal burger had been available on its school menus since January.

A spokeswoman for the council said it was carrying out its own investigation and could not comment any further as this might prejudice any future legal proceedings.

Pat Heslop-Harrison, a professor of molecular cytogenetics at the University of Leicester, said the original sample could have proved positive for pork because of cross-contamination.

"It's a difficult process to get right and ideally tests would be carried out at the site prior to being taken away," he said.

"Cross-contamination can come from numerous sources and it only takes a tiny amount to create different results.

"This could be from a knife, juices dripped from packing or from the lorry used to move produce around. That's why taking further samples is always necessary.

"However, I believe the council did the right thing by removing the burger as a precautionary measure."

Regular tests on school food have been carried out on behalf of the council since February.

All other halal products used in the council's kitchens are supplied by The Punjab Kitchen Ltd. Tests have shown they are halal compliant.

Halal food production on the rise in Balkans

SARAJEVO: Trying to fight back against the persistent economic crisis in the Balkans, food producers here have turned towards halal food, targeting rising demand from markets in Western and Muslim countries.

At a recent three-day halal food fair in the Bosnian capital, the first of its kind in the Balkans, some 30 producers from the region gathered to present their goods—meat products, cheese, sweets, pastry, oils and even halal cosmetics.

“The halal market represents more than one billion people across the globe. It is a young market with an important purchasing power,” said Amel Kovacevic, one of the organizers of a halal food fair in Sarajevo.

The demand for halal products is “growing between 10 and 20 percent per year” globally, he estimated. In addition to low labour costs, he said Balkans-based companies can try to take advantage of their geographical advantage: located in the Mediterranean basin, they are near both European and Middle Eastern markets.

The Brajlovic factory, near Sarajevo, is among some 150 food producers in the Balkans which have obtained halal certificates for a total of 2,000 food products.

“Halal should not been seen as something that will immediately accelerate production and make profit grow in a day,” Asim Bajraktarevic, in charge of production in the processed meat factory, told AFP.

With its capacity to offer some 15 tonnes of products daily, the factory, which obtained a halal certificate three months ago, now aims to “improve product quality and create the conditions for growth once we enter foreign markets,” he said.

Halal, an Arab word meaning “lawful”, refers to all things and actions permitted by the Holy Qur’aan to practicing Muslims.

With regard to food, it notably concerns ensuring that approved types of meat have been slaughtered according to ritual, as well as ensuring that processed foods as well as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics do not contain any non-halal products.

Amir Sakic, head of a halal certification agency in Sarajevo, said that the number of companies getting the license for halal production in the Balkans is now growing by between 30 and 40 percent per year. The number of products they offer is also rising up to 40 percent per year, while annual sales are now estimated at around 550 million euros ($708 million), Sakic said.

The agency, in charge of the whole region, was founded in 2006 with the help of local Islamic community in Bosnia, where Muslims make up 40 percent of the country’s 3.8 million people. Few Bosnian Muslims had been following halal dietary restrictions, and until recently halal products were often not available in shops. Companies from other Balkan countries like Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia, where the Muslim population is tiny, are also seeking halal certifications.

All have the same goal: to try their luck abroad, as purchasing power is low throughout the region, and has been squeezed further by Europe’s economic crisis.

Halal food dishing out radical change in society

HALAL food is now sold at a dozen McDonald's restaurants and bacon is off the menu at some KFC outlets to accommodate the religious sensitivities of Australia's growing Muslim population.

The Muslim population has soared by 40 per cent to 476,291 in just five years - paving the way for a building program of schools, mosques and prayer rooms in the suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne.

Even the country's biggest sports stadiums, including ANZ Stadium and the MCG, have moved to offer multi-faith prayer rooms for devout Muslims.

A KFC spokesman yesterday said three of its restaurants, including two at Bankstown and Punchbowl, are certified to sell halal food prepared in a way that is acceptable to Muslims.

"KFC is mindful of responding to customer demand and cultural sensitivities in a balanced way," the spokesman said.

Eight McDonald's restaurants in Sydney and four in Melbourne offer halal food but, unlike some KFC outlets, they have not taken bacon off the menu.

"We are pleased to be able to offer halal menu items in restaurants where there is strong demand from the local community," media relations manager Skye Oxen ham-Lupul said.

"Our halal restaurants also provide non-halal menu items, however modified storage and food preparation procedures have been implemented to ensure that correct segregation is maintained."

Figures from the 2011 census show a long-term decline in the number of Australians who identify as Christians - down from 89 per cent in 1976 to 61 per cent in 2011.

But it is the push for official recognition of sharia law that worried many Australians who made submissions to the federal parliamentary inquiry into multiculturalism.

More than 200 submissions to the inquiry raised concerns about or discussed the question of Islam in Australia.

Paragon Foods denies halal burgers contained pork

A company accused of supplying halal food containing pork to schools in Leicester has said it is "completely innocent".

In April, Leicester City Council said a lamb burger from Paragon Quality Foods contained between 10% and 50% pork.

But the Doncaster-based firm said the sample tested by the council did not come directly from the factory.

A council spokesman said it would not comment further until the results of a second set of tests were completed.

The company said it was now considering legal action against the city council. 

The original discovery was made on 18 April and the product was withdrawn.

A DNA test found the lamb burger contained between 10% and 50% pork.

Paragon spokesman Metin Pekin said: "These allegations have upset us beyond belief. I am from a Muslim family and we have never ever entertained pork on site.

"It is paramount that we get our reputation restored.

"This initial sample was a customer test... and we did not have a retainer sample and we could not test it anywhere else."

Leicester City Council said in an earlier statement: "Because it was only one burger that was tested and the findings were so wide-ranging, we have ordered further samples of more burgers and when we have these results we will publish them."

The authority said it "hopes to be able to make a fuller statement next week".

Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO), which is responsible for testing the samples, said: "Paragon Quality Foods have challenged the test results and, on behalf of Leicester City Council, we are in the process of seeking verification and a second opinion of the test results."

The lamb burgers were served at 19 schools around Leicester but were withdrawn after the discovery was made.

Halal mark a must for all food products in UAE

Dubai: All food products claiming to be halal need to have a halal mark and certification from next year, a senior official from the Emirates Standardisation and Metrology Authority (Esma) has said.

The announcement comes as part of a halal regulations package, which will also include halal certification for cosmetics and perfumes as well as clothes and accessories.

“It is His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai’s dream to make Dubai the capital of the halal economy and this initiative is part of that project. Through this process we will make sure what people consume assuming it is halal is actually halal,” said Mohammad Saleh Badri, Director-General of Esma.

According to Badri, there is currently a system in place to verify halal compliance of food products but it has very limited scope.

Recently mandated by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to formulate halal codes for cosmetics and perfumes to be implemented in all Islamic countries, Esma hopes the halal food standards will also be adopted by other countries.

“Each emirate has its own system to verify halal compliance at municipal level but there are no general standards and regulations. We will be putting a whole new system in place which will not only be a point of reference for firms in the UAE but also for other Islamic nations,” added Badri.

Currently in the process of ratification, the standards will be in place by early next year, covering all types of food products and outlets.

“Every eatery and food brand that claims its food to be halal will come under the scanner and we will go into details of the ingredients used, the processing, the plantation, chemicals used, the packaging as well as the slaughtering of animals. Every process should comply with Sharia regulations,” said Badri, explaining the certification system.

The announcement comes following recent speculation about Western food chains not complying with halal standards, which led to the withdrawal of certain products in several countries.

“Once we have our system in place, there will be no place for speculation and scepticism. It will be clear to people what products are halal and what are not permissible. We will ban those products that don’t comply with the standards,” Badri said.

Paying attention to detail, the standards will even look into cases of food products being genetically modified or processed using chemicals or fertilizers that have traces of non-permissible products.

Having traces of pork, animals slaughtered in a non-Islamic way or the presence of alcohol in food products among other things is not allowed according to Sharia.

In the next phase, the authority will implement standards to ensure all clothing and accessories are also halal.

Leicester schools halal lamb burger contained up to 50% pork

A halal lamb burger made by a company supplying Leicester schools contained up to 50% pork, the city council has confirmed.

The products were made by Doncaster-based Paragon Quality Foods Limited, which said it had never knowingly bought or handled pork.

The discovery was made on 18 April and the product was withdrawn but details only became public on Thursday.

A DNA test found the burger contained between 10 and 50% pork.

'Criminal procedure'

A spokeswoman for Leicester City Council said: "Because it was only one burger that was tested and the findings were so wide-ranging, we have ordered further samples of more burgers and when we have these results we will publish them.

"The council's view is that whether it's 1% or 99%, it's still impure and unacceptable."

The horsemeat scandal prompted the council to test all meat served in its schools and one burger was taken as a sample.

The lamb burgers were served at 19 schools around Leicester but were withdrawn as soon as the discovery was made.

The revelation prompted outrage among parents and the city's Muslim community.

Suleman Nagdi, from the Federation of Muslim Organisations, said: "For people, this is touching at the very tenet of their faith, the very heart of their faith.

"There needs to be a criminal procedure against the company," he said. "At least it would bring some confidence into the community."

Faz Mulla, from the not-for-profit Halal Monitoring Committee, was at a meeting of imams on Thursday.

"What transpired is the total loss of confidence in the supply chain in Leicester. Imams are at a loss as to what to do about this matter," he said.

A vote was taken by the imams calling for halal meat to be taken off the menu, and for children to become vegetarian until confidence is restored.

Kyrgyzstan to develop halal standards

BISHKEK – Kyrgyzstan is becoming the second Central Asian country to introduce its own broader halal standards. Until recently, the Islamic Centre's Certification Committee had the sole authority to issue halal certificates in Kyrgyzstan. It issued the certification based on Malaysian standards. Conflicts arose when the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kyrgyzstan (DUMK) started to issue its own certificates.

To resolve the conflict, Kyrgyzstan plans to issue uniform standards and to form a National Halal Association.

"We sense the full support and understanding of the state," said Myktybek haji Arstanbek, spokesman for the Eurasian Union for Halal Standardisation.

More products to fall under halal standards

The products now will be tested for halal inside the country because it has obtained the specific equipment. For example, a test will be performed on meat to detect the presence of pork. It is important for Kyrgyzstan to have its own standardisation system rather than just follow the Malaysian one, because Kyrgyzstan uses some products (horse milk, for example) that Malaysia has no standards for.

The move will also help the country expand its halal certification system. Until recently, halal certificates in Kyrgyzstan pertained only to meat products, Arstanbek said. Soon, halal standards will reach across more branches of the economy, particularly pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

For example, insulin for diabetics is one of more than 500 products sold in Kyrgyzstan that contain pork, he said, adding that the possible presence of banned ingredients in medicines puts many believers in a dilemma.

"Almost all of them have various additives that include components of pork and alcohol. … In these circumstances, how can a vendor, even if he is Muslim, guarantee the candy he's selling?" Arstanbek asked.

Protection of consumer rights

Halal certification is becoming important in Kyrgyzstan not only because more residents are turning to Islam and want to make sure they are consuming halal products but also because they in general think that halal products are being more carefully checked and are healthier.

The halal mark is gradually becoming a trademark going beyond strictly religious requirements, Kyrgyz Grand Mufti Rakhmatullah haji Egemberdiyev said.

"Unfortunately, many of our people naïvely believe that, if they buy some product with Arabic writing on it, it must mean it is halal," he said. "But this is not the case."

Kyrgyzstan has no modern laboratory that could quickly ascertain whether a product is halal. Many producers are now going to Almaty for analyses.

To protect consumers' halal rights, the local branch of the Eurasian Union for Halal Standardisation has acquired special testing equipment to determine the extent of a given product's halal standards.

Furthermore, it is going to request certificates from foreign producers of food products and necessities.

Economic benefits

Although halal standards are of a religious nature, the authorities are aware that their development can also help the economy.

"We will help the development of this standard in every way, because the halal industry today is one of the most promising industries ... of many countries," Berdimamat Adanbayev, chief of the Technical Regulations Department within the Economy and Anti-Monopoly Ministry, said.

In the long term, Kyrgyzstan could become an exporter of halal products, observers say.

"We could offer high-quality products for the meat and food-processing industries," Deputy Foreign Minister Askar Beshimov said. "Arab businessmen take halal certification very seriously, and they quite often back out ... when they learn that most of our goods lack halal certificates."

Poland bids to overturn ban on kosher‚ halal meat exports

WARSAW: For some, it was a barbaric way to treat animals. For others, it was great business.

Until January, slaughterhouses across Poland — a deeply Catholic nation — were the unlikely venues for the Islamic and Jewish slaughter of animals, which in both religions involves a swift cut to the throat of a conscious animal and death by bleeding.

Millions of euros were being made exporting the halal and kosher meat to countries like Egypt, Iran and Israel, as well as to Muslim and Jewish markets inside Europe.

In a victory for a growing animal rights movement, activists succeeded in getting a ban on such religious slaughter. But with economic decline deepening and exports seen as a possible salvation, the government faces pressure to get the practice reinstated legally — and is scrambling to do so.

Though Poland's own cuisine is heavy in pork, a meat banned by Jewish and Islamic laws, the country has cut out this niche business for itself in one example of the economic savvy Poland has shown since joining the European Union in 2004. Kosher and halal meat exports have grown between 20 and 30 percent per year in recent years as the largely agricultural country has capitalized on its low labor costs and a reputation for healthy farm animals.

"God gave us good food, good soil and good farm animals, and he gave the Muslim countries what they have under the surface — black gold," said Mufti Tomasz Miskiewicz, the top Muslim leader in Poland. "There are nations with big populations — like Egypt, the Arab countries, Indonesia — that need this food and don't have enough cattle to produce enough meat themselves."

The business has been overseen and encouraged by Poland's Jewish and Muslim communities, minorities that are very small but with a presence going back many centuries. Polish Jews once made up the world's largest Jewish population; though nearly wiped out in the Holocaust, the community is growing. Tatars, a Muslim people, also settled here centuries ago, and have been joined recently by Arab diplomats, businessmen and students.

The kosher and halal business had boomed until January, when the ban took effect following a ruling by the Constitutional Tribunal. Though the actual slaughter was carried out by specially trained Muslim and Jewish officials, the industry also created thousands of supporting jobs for others.

Animal rights activists argue that killing animals without stunning them first causes unnecessary suffering to the animals. Jewish and Muslim leaders strongly disagree, and insist that their method is actually more humane, in part became it causes the animals to lose consciousness very fast. They argue that standard industrial slaughter involves pre-stunning that is sometimes not effective, leading to even greater suffering.

Poland's chief rabbi, Michael Schudrich, says Jewish tradition has always been concerned with the welfare of animals, noting, for instance, that it bans hunting and any senseless suffering.

"For close to 3,000 years, Jewish slaughter practices have been followed that minimize pain to the animal," Schudrich said.

Polish meat industry officials are hesitant to take sides on which slaughter method causes more suffering, with their focus firmly on economics.

The pro-market government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk is also eager to get the business going again and has recently drafted a law that would reinstate religious slaughter while also adding some new protections for animals.

The law's fate now rests with parliament, which is due to debate and vote on it in the coming weeks. It is expected to pass since the government enjoys majority support in the assembly, but probably not without some heated debate. Lawmakers are under pressure from all sides, including from an animal rights movement that has grown stronger as the ex-communist country grows increasingly Westernized.

In the meantime, industry leaders warn that millions of euros and thousands of jobs could be lost if Poland doesn't re-legalize religious slaughter soon.

"Banning ritual slaughter was a cardinal mistake with huge consequences," said Witold Choinski, the head of Polskie Mieso, or Polish Meat, an organization that represents the interests of meat producers.

Choinski said there are no official figures on the financial losses so far, but the number is high: the industry is worth about 500 million euros ($650 million) per year to the Polish economy and it has been largely frozen for nearly half a year. About 100,000 tons of kosher or halal beef and 100,000 tons of poultry were exported annually before the ban — making up between 20 and 30 percent of Poland's beef exports and about 10 percent of poultry exports, Choinski said.

He says there is currently no production at all of the religiously slaughtered meat, though Miskiewicz and others say there is some small-scale production taking place in a legal gray zone.

Many of the Polish meat facilities which handle kosher and halal meat — usually in addition to traditional slaughter — have had to limit their overall production because of the ban, while major contracts with traders from the Middle East have been suspended, Choinski said.

Poland had been close to sealing major long-term contracts with Saudi Arabia, but these were abandoned because of the unclear legal situation. Meanwhile, many Polish companies that produce halal and kosher meat are on the verge of bankruptcy, and up to 6,000 workers could lose their jobs, he said.

"Poland can't afford this. Most meat production facilities are in small places without other places for people to work and this is dooming the economic prospects of people," he said. "But I think there will be a resolution because no government can allow 6,000 people to get laid off during an economic crisis."

For now, business is being picked up by producers in nearby countries, including Latvia, Hungary and the Czech Republic, Miskiewicz said.

Bosnia is also working hard to position itself as an exporter of halal products. The country opened its first halal fair Wednesday in Sarajevo, welcoming representatives of the Islamic world to take a look at Bosnian products. Erdal Trhulj, Bosnia's regional industry minister, said the halal industry is growing worldwide, and that his country "aims to become a hub for halal industry in this part of Europe."

The debate surrounding the issue has lacked any overt anti-Jewish or anti-Islamic tones, though religious rights are also pressing concern for the minorities and a government that wants to maintain good ties with them.

Miskiewicz says there is a degree of unfairness in banning Jewish and Islamic slaughter when so many Polish Catholics follow a similar practice themselves at Christmas, when carp are slaughtered in homes across the nation without any pre-stunning.