A food vender in the coastal town of Khor
Fakkan, United Arab Emirates (UAE) was recently fined after officials found “chicharon crackers,” a Filipino product made of pig skin, on supermarket shelves, according to news reports.
After receiving a complaint from a resident who suspected the product contained pork, authorities investigated, testing the
product and eventually extracting a pledge from the vendor to avoid selling any similar
products in the future.
Fawzia Rashid Al Qadi municipality director of the coast town, said action will also be taken against the supplier.
Industry reports show that officials in the UAE have been taking a more focused approach to halal product
enforcement in the last few years as the country’s population grows. A 2014 report
from Global
Meat suggests that imports and other issues have led the nation’s
leaders to analyze how they can restrict the
availability of unapproved or haram products such as pork snacks.
In the UAE,
supermarkets need a permit to sell pork products, which can only be stored in
specific non-halal sections of the stores. Controlling the sale of non-halal products can be difficult.
The Khor Fakkan case, for its part, is extraordinary given news reports that allege that the snack packaging contained a
picture of a pig’s head.
“If you’re claiming to be selling a halal product and you’re
not, you’re subject to fines.” Mukaram Syed, a member of the board of trustees
at the Islamic Community Center of Lancaster,
Pa., told the Gulf News Journal.
He said the issue can often become
complicated, particularly with the use of gelatin in medical products or
consumer products like ice cream.
Consumers, he said, especially those outside of
traditionally Muslim communities, may have some responsibility to call and ask
a company about how its products are prepared.
In other cases, he said, manufacturers are on the hook for
being truthful about what’s in their products.
“If a manufacturer is not aware, there could be recall.” Syed
said, citing instances when other companies have been taken to task for
mislabeling non-halal foods.
“Halal is pretty easy as long as you’re aware of these
things,” Syed said, adding that some businesses employ an inspector ensure compliance with standards.
The mechanics of halal inspection are complex. Still, stories like these show that officials in
the UAE are focused on supporting important cultural and religious
traditions in the country by separating halal and non-halal food products.
