The term ‘Halal’ is an Arabic which literally means ‘lawful’ or ‘permissible’. In Islam, this term refers to many aspects of daily life, but in relation to the production of products such as food, drink, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, it refers to the composition of the products and the environment in which they are produced.
The ingredients used must be judged to be lawful according to the principles of Islamic law. The most important principle relates to the slaughter of meat. Briefly, for slaughter of an animal to be considered ‘Halal’, the name of God must be invoked before the slaughter is carried out. It must be done with a sharp knife in one movement, severing the trachea, oesophagus, both jugular veins and both carotid arteries. The animal must then be allowed to bleed out completely. Throughout the process, pain to the animal must be minimised.
Certain products are considered as ‘Haram’ or strictly forbidden. These include:
Pork
Animals which have not been slaughtered using the Halal method
Animals which were dead before slaughtering
Carnivorous animals and birds of prey such as eagles
Alcoholic drinks and intoxicants
Any animal which has been contaminated with any of the above
Haram E Numbers
Click here to view detailed list of halal, haram and doubtful E Numbers.
