New inspection plan will standardise halal products in UAE

A new halal inspection scheme would boost consumer confidence about products being halal, a Government publication has said.

ABU DHABI // A recently approved scheme to inspect products labelled as halal would ensure standardisation for consumers, a Government magazine has said.

The Cabinet recently approved the scheme, which covers UAE-made and imported products and determines whether they are halal.

“The initiative will be a major step towards ensuring that Muslims will no longer have to doubt the halal nature of food or non-food products that they consume or use as common standards will be applied to products produced or imported across the board, in all Muslim countries,” said Lt Colonel Awadh Saleh Al Kindi, editor-in-chief of 999 magazine.

The magazine is published by the Ministry of Interior and Abu Dhabi Police. It explores the issue in its March edition.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, issued a Cabinet degree last month on regulations for monitoring halal products.

The Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (Esma) is responsible for implementing the new regulations, which would control the halal process and make sure all ingredients are from halal sources, according to 999.

“Within the UAE, we at Esma are the sole body for issuing all the standards and technical regulations including the halal,” said Farah Al Zarooni, director of standards at the authority.

Products that could require inspection could include food and meat products, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. The magazine called the lack of unified standards identifying products as halal the “biggest” challenge facing the sector.