What payments are required for food to be halal?

I don't think there is a 'payment', just an inspection/check....

Quote:

Mr El-Mouelhy told me that he is the sole shareholder of the organisation Halal Certification Authority Australia. He said that the “Authority” is a proprietary limited company. He politely declined to speak about the financial details – how much money organisations pay to receive accreditation from his “Authority” and what he does with the money. He said that it’s his private business. http://www.4bc.com.au/blogs/michael-smith-blog/halal-certification/20090807-ece3.html

Does money paid for halal certification find its way to the muslim brotherhood or OBL's troops? Things that make you go mmmmmmmm.

That's the last time I buy halal bacon.

I'd say it probably does cost something.

But I think you'd better examine the reasons why food is certified as halal in Australia, before you go espousing the kinds of dead head arguments you ultimately must have stored up in that little head of yours fd..

Food is usually certified halal here for one reason only, increasing profits. Companies that export food to Muslim countries have made their food halal for decades, but nobody every mentioned it, and now they realise there's a domestic market for it growing too, so they've begun labelling for it, hence the publicity surrounding it.

Quote:

Does money paid for halal certification find its way to the muslim brotherhood or OBL's troops?

Yeh I'm sure it does. No doubt it was passed onto them via their links with Saddam Hussein, as part of his mobile WMD program.

Half wit.

Are there legal restrictions on labelling food halal? That is, can anyone go into business as a certifier?

Abu, I usually argue against people complaining about halal food, but the money angle caught my attention. I have no arguments stored up as it would obviously depend on the facts surrounding halal food.

Halal certification costs between about $1000 and $3000 (cost varies) and lasts 2 years. It's pretty much the same costs as obtaining Kosher certification (or other food certifications such as "Organic").

There's no legal restrictions on labelling food Halal, Kosher, Organic etc etc as long as you don't use an existing certification body's logo or trade mark.

People look for the logo or trade mark that they know and trust.

So it's an entirely private thing? I could set up my own brand for certifying halal bacon and use the proceeds to fund whatever I want?

It's not government regulated.

As far as I know, you can make money any way you please and use the proceeds to fund whoever you want. It doesn't have to be through Halal certification.

I don't know what you expected - government halal inspectors?

I assume they'd share an office with the Kosher guys, just down the hall from the Organic inspectors and next door to the Heart Smart bods.

A friend of mine works for the government as some kind of food certifier.