Halaal Certification In Tanzania.
In 2012, The Supreme Council of Islamic organizations and Institutions
of Tanzania in the course to fulfil its religous and social roles
established Halaal Bureau Ltd for a number of purposes including but not
limited to promote awareness to the general public on the need to use
of Halaal branded goods voluntarily, to certify goods for Halaal
certificate in order to protect consumers from flimsy goods among
others. Goods with Halaal certification are increasing in the Tanzanian
market, some are locally produced and others are coming from as far as
South Africa, Kenya, UAE, China, Thailand among others in order to bully
Muslims and general public to believe that these goods were prepared in
line with acceptable Sharia (Islamic rules) standards.
Those produced
in Tanzania could hardly stand validity challenge of being Halaal due to
absence of Halaal certification agency in the country to validate their
claims and audit the production process until it reaches the ultimate
consumers. However, now things are expected to change with the
establishment of Halaal Bureau Ltd. The 'Halaal Industry' as referred to
to day is vast and it includes finacial services like Islamic Banking
and Insurance as well as Manufacturing Industry among others. Despite
its significance it is not free from defects and challenges which must
be worked upon to ensure Halaal brand stands to its expectations. Below
are some assertions which Halaal Bureau Ltd must devote its resources to
address as explained by Rashid Siddique in his recent article 'Halaal
Industry-Fact, Fiction and 'Faction'? Assertion: The halal industry,
like Islamic finance, is only for Muslims. Halaal is for all mankind,
but the [religious] reality is the term confines its reach and usage
only to Muslims. Thus, halal faces similar challenges as ‘Kosher,’ food
only for Jews. Yet, it’s only the Muslims that are saying ‘Halaal’ is
not just for Muslims. Assertion: Halal is just about religious
slaughter. First, halaal, lawful or permissible, is about a holistic way
of life as prescribed by the Koran and Hadith. Second, it entails the
seven sectors (Islamic Finance, Food/Beverage, Pharmaceuticals,
Cosmetics, Fashion/Clothing, Travel, Media/Entertainment and Travel),
including ingredients that form the final product.
Third, relating to
livestock stock slaughter, it’s about ‘farm to fork,’ from humane
treatment of animals (no factory farming), including free range grass
fed (non-GMO feed), to slaughter (invocation of Creator’s name), to
non-cross contamination with impermissible animal (pork) during
distribution, hence, it’s about organic, accountability, transparency to
minimize leakage. Assertion: Muslims control the halal food supply
chain. It’s estimated the 80-90% of halal food is manufactured by
non-Muslim owned companies, hence, perceived integrity risks for
complying with halal certifications.
Putting in context, Islamic finance
allows minor amounts of interest or impermissible income (with
purification), whereas if a DNA spec of pork is found in say, halal
burger, it cannot be consumed by Muslims. Assertion: Halal is hygienic (meat shops monitored), healthy and provides uniform taste ‘Faction’:
Tina Jamaluddinn, halal industry expert, recently stated ‘food quality
and food safety means it's fit for human consumption, but not
necessarily that it's good for your health, i.e., breakfast cereals that
are high in sugar, soda, processed products, etc.’ Assertion: Halal is an investable asset class In
2011, the SAMI Halal Food Index was launched in Malaysia, and recent
press release from Dubai Exports is talking about a Halal Index for
Dubai.
Its well accepted indexes are DNA for investing, from funds to
venture capital to private equity. This is innovation in halal, and it
extends to R&D, i.e., finding alternatives to pig-based gelatin,
vaccines, etc. Finally, i salute BARAZA KUU for this initiative and call
upon Halaal Bureau Ltd despite it is infancy to join hands with local
and global players to address these challenges. Insha Allah, good
efforts taken will yield positive results.
Non-Muslims especially Christians have so far suffered a lot from the Government that denied this Society the right to observe Christianity tenets upon animals slaughtering contrary to the Secular Constitution.
Non-Muslims especially Christians have so far suffered a lot from the Government that denied this Society the right to observe Christianity tenets upon animals slaughtering contrary to the Secular Constitution.
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