Government Issues Guideline for Exports of Halal Meat

Meat products to be exported as halal will be allowed only in a facility having a valid certificate issued by a body accredited by a board of the Quality Council of India (QCI). Till recently, there was no mandatory halal certification system in India regulated by the government.

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New Delhi, April 7: The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry has announced a new norm on the export of ‘halal meat’. On Thursday, it was announced that meat and its products will be allowed to be exported as ‘halal certified’ only if they are produced, processed, and packaged in a facility having a valid certificate issued by a body accredited by a board of the Quality Council of India (QCI).

For the export consignments to countries where there is a regulation on halal, the producer/supplier/exporter would have to meet the importing country’s requirements. However, the norms for exports of non-halal meat remain unchanged. The directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) proposed draft guidelines in January on halal certification for exports of meat and its products. This was done with the aim of streamlining the halal certification process for the export of meat and meat products from India.

The DGFT in its notification had said that all existing halal certification bodies would have 6 months’ time to seek accreditation from NABCB (national accreditation board for certification bodies) for i-CAS (Indian conformity assessment scheme) Halal.

Halal certification is given by many private companies in India which marks the food or products permissible. The major halal-certifying organizations in India include Halal India Pvt Ltd and Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Halal Trust. The global halal food market reached a value of US$ 1978 billion in 2021. It is projected that the might reach US$ 3,907.7 billion by 2027.