Why India Has Dropped The Word 'Halal' From Red Meat Export Label And What It Means
The halal tag on food products has been a divisive topic in India and every so often has run into controversies.
As the debate continues, red meat exported from India will no longer be specified as 'halal', instead, it will be mentioned as "The animals are slaughtered to the requirement of importing country/importer.¡±
It was previously described as "The animals are slaughtered strictly according to ¡®Halal¡¯ method to meet the requirement of Islamic countries¡±.?
But on Monday, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) under the commerce ministry updated the manual to remove halal from the description.
It had earlier said that?Halal Certification agencies are accredited directly by respective importing countries. No government agency has any role in this.
This however doesn't mean that the meat is not halal certified.
The move however is likely to make it difficult for meat exporters in India, as some of their biggest markets are in Islamic countries, where a halal certificate is mandatory.
A halal certificate implies that the meat was slaughtered as per Islamic laws and Muslims are allowed to consume it.
Controversies galore
However, it has been attacked by other religious groups including Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims who allege that halal meat is being forced up on them.
Recently, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) had cleared a proposal that asks?restaurants or shops to "mandatorily" display?whether the?meat being sold or served is cut using the ''halal'' or ''jhatka'' method, officials said on Friday.
The order will also be applicable to?shops selling raw chicken or meat also.?
The resolution, tabled by Chattarpur councillor Anita Tanwar last month, a copy of which states that consuming halal meat is ¡°forbidden and against religion in Hinduism and Sikhism¡±.
Recently, a Christian group in Kerala had launched a campaign ahead of Christmas to boycott Halal meat and products saying they cannot consume food items which is against their religious ethos.
Last week, a bakery in Kerala¡¯s Ernakulam was forced to remove ¡®halal¡¯ sticker by Hindu Aikya Vedi activists.
They had alleged that the ¡®halal sign¡¯ was discriminatory in nature and amounted to segregation of food in the name of religion which is ¡°criminal¡±.
