Rules for Halal Food
On 1 March, Europe’s first normative document was published for food considered to be pure/permitted (“halal”) under Islamic law. The ON Rule ONR 14200 is to facilitate access to the Islamic market.
Vienna (ON/prm, 2009-03-02). In Islam, the food sector is governed by specific rules - just like other basic aspects of life. Dietary rules for Muslims are laid down in the Koran and Sunna. On principle, all foodstuffs are permitted except for those that have been explicitly forbidden. All objects and actions allowed or permissible under Islamic law are referred to as “halal” (pure/permitted). Its opposite is “haram” (forbidden).
On the initiative of the Islamic Information and Documentation Centre in Austria (IIDZ Austria), the ON Rule ONR 142000 “Halal food - Requirements for the food chain” was developed at the Austrian Standards Institute in order to support Austrian companies interested in entering the Islamic food sector. This ONR is the first document of its kind in Europe and is also available in English in order to facilitate international trade.
Its purpose is to provide guidance on the measures necessary to fulfil food safety requirements from the halal perspective and to complement them by appropriate monitoring and control criteria.
The ONR can also serve as a basis for halal certification. All over the world, more and more companies, including non-Muslim enterprises, make efforts to be awarded halal certificates. The halal food market is estimated to amount to twelve to fifteen billion euro in Europe alone.
This ON Rule was prepared in the workshop ON-W 1143 “Halal products and services”. In addition to IIDZ Austria, representatives of the Austrian Economic Chamber and renowned Austrian food producers participated in this work.
Press Breakfast
HALAL Certification: Opening up New Markets for Austrian Companies.
Date: Thursday, 26 February 2009, 9:30 a.m.
Place: Presseclub Concordia, Bankgasse 8, 1010 Vienna, Austria
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Panellists (from left to right):
Günther Ahmed Rusznak
Secretary General of the Islamic Information and Documentation Centre in Austria
Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Karl Grün
Director Development, Austrian Standards Institute
Dr. Johannes Stern
Director PR & Media, Austrian Standards Institute
Dr. Axel Kutschera
Spokesman of the CSR Experts Group of the trade association “Management Consulting & IT” at the Austrian Economic Chamber
Hans Moser
Managing Director of Moser & Co GesmbH
August Staudinger
Managing Director of Alpruf Handels-GesmbH
Mag. Doris Stiksl
Messner KG
Dipl.-Ing. Agnes Steinberger
Wiberg GmbH
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Company representatives present their halal certificates |
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Order
ONR 142000 Halal food - Requirements for the food chain
available at the Webshop of Austrian Standards plus
More information
Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Karl Grün
Director ON Standards
ON Austrian Standards Institute
Phone: +43 1 213 00-714
E-Mail: karl.gruen(at)on-norm.at
Contact PR & Media
Dr. Johannes Stern
ON Austrian Standards Institute
1020 Vienna, Heinestrasse 38
Phone: +43 1 213 00-317
Fax: +43 1 213 00-327
E-mail: johannes.stern(at)on-norm.at
Internet: http://www.on-norm.at