HALAL SLAUGHTER
According to the Koran, the sacred text of the Muslim religion, food is considered to be “Halal”
– meaning fit for consumption – when it has been obtained in accordance with the rules and
norms laid down in the Sacred Koran and Islamic Jurisprudence. These foods may not contain
prohibited ingredients, not even part of them.
Sharia prohibits the consumption of any type of food that has been genetically modified, and
also mineral and chemical products that cause danger to health.
It should be emphasized that Halal slaughter and processing aim to produce safe products that
bring benefits to the health of those who consume them. Thus, hygiene and good sanitary
conditions are essential prerequisites for slaughterhouse employees and for their clothing,
equipment and utensils used in the process, thus avoiding contamination with non-Halal
substances.
It is for this reason that all preparations, processing, conditioning, storage and transportation
must be exclusively for Halal products, which shall be necessarily certified and label according
to Sharia law.
The label must contain the name of the product, the SIF number, the name and address of the
maker, importer or distributor, the brand of the factory, ingredients, identifying code number
and date, stamp or label for Halal identification and country of origin.
KOSHER SLAUGHTER
“Kosher” is the definition given to foods prepared in accordance with Jewish Law as relating to
foodstuffs. The Torah requires that beef cattle and chickens be slaughtered in accordance with
these laws, in a ritual called Shechita. Only a trained person called a Shochet may perform the
ritual, before which a special prayer called Beracha must be uttered.
The aim of the ritual is to slit the throat of the animal while still alive, and so provoke
instantaneous and painless death. The cut must be made with a specially sharpened knife and
sever the trachea, the esophagus and the principal veins and arteries of the neck, so provoking
massive bleeding. After slaughter, an inspector verifies the internal organs of the animal to spot
any signs of physiological abnormality that would render the meat non-Kosher.
These days the entire Kosher process, including salting, is carried out in the meat packer’s
establishment under the supervision of a rabbi, who guarantees that the food is Kosher.
Products also carry a seal certifying that the entire process for production of the foodstuff was
in compliance with the Torah.
