We’ve all experienced the convenience of the food products on supermarket shelves, all readily arranged to be taken home, prepped, and made into meals for the rest of the week.
In a country like Malaysia where food is widely available, chances are you don’t think too much about how the food you eat makes its way into the shelves. However, there is a meticulous process that occurs between the food source and the store, one that is even more complex for halal-certified food products.
In Halal Food logistics, it is really the concept of combining consumable products that are deemed permissible under Syariah Law with Logistics.
“Halal” is the Arabic word for lawful or permitted, the opposite of which is “Haram” (non-halal), meaning unlawful or prohibited. The food products within the grey areas are called “Syuhbah” meaning doubtful or questionable. These phrases span across all facets of a Muslim’s life, though more commonly in relation to food, meat, cosmetics, personal care, pharmaceutical products and even in banking or lifestyle.
It is written in the Hadith (the book containing the words of Prophet Muhammad), that the consumption of what is haram results in the rejection of a person’s prayer by Allah, which is why the differences bear such significance.
At the beginning of the supply chain, the food prepared cannot be done by just anyone, so here is some insight into how the halal food industry begins its process. For meats, trained slaughtermen and service managers who are able to separate and identify non-halal products are crucial when preparing the food before it is processed.
The reason lies in Islam’s emphasis on how an animal’s life ends because all life is considered sacred and not to be taken lightly. This means any life taken is to be done in the name of Allah, so there are certain rules as to how the slaughter of the animals is done. That is only the beginning as throughout the whole process from farm to plate, food that is considered halal must be separated from food that does not meet the requirements of Syariah Law. I think this portion can be shortened! Since the essay is more so focused on the logistics!
The requirements of Halal Food Logistics, which lies under the bigger umbrella of the Halalan Toyyiban Supply Chain (Halal Supply Chain), covers the whole process from sourcing, manufacturing, transportation, warehousing, ports, and freight handling. The reason for its existence is to upkeep the Halal integrity and to provide educated consumers with a sense of transparency in terms of their food source.
The Halal Food Logistics industry faces many challenges in order to keep to their standard, the first being the issue of improper segregation of food items due to a lack of proper classification of halal services/products, questionable sources, or difficulty in detecting compromised food. In short, Halal Food logistics take extra measures to ensure separation between haram products with halal products to prevent contamination.
The last issue is a lack of traceability along the supply chain. There are a number of risks that can occur along the supply chain that may result in contamination of the products. Potential risks include contaminated transport vehicles, tools, or contamination due to personnel negligence. Here are some issues Halal Food Logistics have to take into account for quality assurance:
- Hub: Dedicated storage and packaging along with warehouse distribution.
- Transport: Dedicated liners/transport in order to avoid cross-contamination en route.
- Route: Dedicated route for a faster turnaround.
- Management: Supervises all aspects of the supply chain from the manufacturer
to the distributor to prevent contamination.
The existence of varying standards for halal food worldwide due to a vast number of certification bodies presents another challenge. What may be acceptable in certain countries may be deemed haram in others. Halal Food here in Malaysia is represented with certification from JAKIM (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia) and its purpose is to verify that the food produced and consumed is up to the standard of being considered halal. The categories required for such certification include ensuring it passes all points in the supply chain process including manufacturing, distributing, repacking, any subcontract manufacturers, and the premises up until the slaughterhouse.
Nevertheless, the global halal food market was worth US$ 1.8 trillion in 2019, despite the challenges it has faced. Both Muslims and non-Muslims opt for halal food regularly for various reasons including the assurance of food safety, hygiene, and reliability. Thus, the halal food market is predicted to grow up to US$ 624.52 billion at a growth rate of 7%!