Food items meant for export are exempt from the ban. (Representational)
Lucknow:
The Uttar Pradesh government has recently issued a ban on products with a halal tag. The production, storage, distribution, and sale of food products with the Halal certification has been forbidden with immediate effect, according to state government officials. Products manufactured for export, however, will be exempt from the restrictions.
“Strict legal measures will be implemented against any individual or firm engaged in the production, storage, distribution, buying, and selling of Halal-certified medicines, medical devices, and cosmetics within Uttar Pradesh,” read an official order.
The order emphasized that Halal certification of food products is a parallel system which causes confusion regarding the quality of food items and is not tenable under Section 89 of the Food Law Food Safety and Standards Act.
The move comes after a police case was filed, resulting in action against a company and a few other organisations for allegedly “exploiting people’s religious sentiments” to boost sales by providing “forged” halal certificates.
At the heart of the issue is a large-scale conspiracy to allegedly decrease the sale of products from companies lacking the halal certificate, which is illegal, the UP government stated.
Specifically, halal foods are those that are made, produced, manufactured, processed, and stored using machinery, equipment, and/or utensils that have been cleaned according to Islamic law and are free from any component that Muslims are prohibited from eating.
