I was sent an image of a Halal Certificate this morning and was asked if they were legit.

A simple google search showed otherwise! Becareful.

The certificate I was sent was from North London.

Source of above image http://www.halalmalaysia.net/ 

From the Supplier's website

Halal Food Guide

You may have heard of the term halal many times, but not have much idea of what it means unless you’re a Muslim. The word halal comes from an Arabic word which means ‘lawful’. The opposite of halal, and therefore unlawful or prohibited, is haram.

This is a guide for those with no knowledge, and are using halal meat for the first time, perhaps you’re a restaurant and you’re catering to a Muslim audience, or perhaps you’re entertaining friends at home and you need halal food, if this is the case, then our specially prepared guide will give you a good idea of what is acceptable and what is not. You’ll be able to prepare and cook the food with confidence giving both you and your guests peace of mind.

Meat

Meat is probably the one item that you may be concerned with if you’re preparing a meal for Muslim guests. Halal meat needs to have been slaughtered in a particular way prior to cooking, this is by cutting its jugular veins and not its spinal cord. Strictly speaking you don’t need to know this, but we do, because it’s our job to know, all you need to be assured of is that when you buy halal meat from us it will have followed these strict guidelines.

Animals to be slaughtered are herbivorous but this does not include horses, and no omnivorous animals including dogs, pigs or any carnivorous or scavenger animals.

Seafood

Basically, what is allowed under halal? To start with most vegetables and fruit are allowed but not those which have been mixed with alcohol. Fish products are acceptable except for amphibious ones, such as lobster, crab, shrimp and prawns.

Dairy products

All dairy products can be eaten and are considered halal, as long as they don’t contain any animal content which has come from a non halal source. Cheese will be prohibited, because it may contain rennet from a non-halal calf. Eggs are halal as long as they’ve been cooked in a halal substance.

With that in mind, it’s seems natural then to assume that anything that’s suitable for vegetarians will be considered halal unless it’s been cooked in alcohol. Vinegar is halal too, although it’s been fermented in alcohol, this can be confusing, but if in doubt don’t use it.

Cooking substances

If you cook halal food in a haram substance it will make the food haram. As an example, if you were to cook halal meat in a vegetable oil which had been previously used to cook with non-halal meat then it renders it haram. Basically, be careful of any substance or implement you use to cook your halal food, because whatever it’s been used to cook with before may have been used to prepare food and substances which are considered haram. It’s best really then to only use fresh implements which haven’t been used on anything else, and the same with oils and sauces, freshly prepared specifically for a halal meal is the safest option.

Competitive pricing on a full range of halal meats

Here at IMS of Smithfield we pride ourselves on all our freshly prepared meats. Our halal meats meet all the required guidelines for Muslim halal prepared foods, so you know that when you buy this type of meat from us, you’re buying meat that has been prepared especially according to Muslim requirements and is authentically halal.

That means you can buy it with confidence for your guests and prepare a meal safe in the knowledge you’ve bought your meat from a reputable and trustworthy meat provider.

Awaiting response for clarification on certifiers etc etc.