Context:
Recently, Uttar Pradesh government has ordered a state-wide ban on products being sold with halal certificates.
What does ‘halal’ mean?
- Meaning – ‘Permissible’ in English.
- Associated with Islamic dietary laws to refer to food that is procured, processed, and traded in compliance with Islamic belief.
- Indian context – “Slaughtering technique” used by Muslims
- Coverage – Consumables (meat, fish, shellfish and vegetarian food) including medicines, personal care products, packaging materials, animal feed, etc.
- Criteria –
- In case of meats, it must satisfy requirements relating to their source, the way of animal killing and processing.
- For example, animals must be alive and healthy at the time of slaughter and it must be done through a single cut to the jugular vein, carotid artery and the windpipe.
Halal certificates:
- Assures the legitimacy of product and doesn’t have anything to do with meat.
- India – No official regulator for the certification
- Halal certifying agencies provides companies, products, or food establishment’s halal certifications.
- Their legitimacy lies in their name-recognition among Muslim consumers and from regulators in Islamic countries.
- Halal India’s certification –
- Recognised by: Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health, the UAE’s Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Malaysia’s Department of Islamic Development, among others.
‘Jhatka’ method is preferred by many Hindus and Sikhs while Kashrut dietary rules are followed by orthodox Jews.
Source: Indian Express
Previous Year Question
Consider the following statements:
DNA Barcoding can be a tool to:
1. assess the age of a plant or animal.
2. distinguish among species that look alike.
3. identify undesirable animal or plant materials in processed foods.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2022 Prelims]
(a) 1 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 1 and 2
(d) 2 and 3
Answer: (d)
