ADFCA Role in Controlling HALAL Food in Abu Dhabi Emirate

1. ADFCA Role in Controlling HALAL Food in Abu Dhabi Emirate Eng . Samia A.; Dr. Rola S.; Dr. Mutasim I.; Dr. M. S. Salim; Waheed Al Awadi ;Dr. Hamid Rajab & Dr. A. Eldaw

2. Addressed Titles • Compliance with Halal requirements. • Current status of Halal regulations. • GSM role. • Controlling HALAL Food in Abu Dhabi Emirate. • Laboratory role in Halal food verification. • Reported cases of Non Compliance. • Some observations in Abu Dhabi Abattoirs. • Problems Need to be Addressed.

3. Approaches to Implement & Ensure Compliance with Halal Requirements Participation: drafting regulations recognition of Halal certification bodies verification of Halal processes including certification .

4. Awareness education Enforcement of regulations . Amend regulations & standards of Halal food. • Approaches to Implement & Ensure Compliance with Halal Requirements

5. Regulations that Govern Halal Food in UAE: • Standards issued by the Emirates Standardization & Meteorology Authority (ESMA) or issued as Gulf standards (GSO).http://www.esma.ae • Decrees, manuals and requirements issued by the General Secretariat of Municipalities ( GSM). http://www.baladiat.gov.ae • Decrees and policies issued by Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority(ADFCA)http://www.adafsa.ae

6. Standards issued by (ESMA) or issued as Gulf standards (GSO): • General requirement of Halal food • Halal slaughtering requirements. • Requirements for accrediting centers involved in Halal food certification. • Methods for testing pork and lard in food products. • Halal food issues in all the vertical standards for food commodities that may contain ingredients of meat, alcohols, gelatin , fat ….etc.

7. Decrees: Pork & Lard and their derivatives. Halal slaughtering (Dhabh) requirements as part of the Good Hygiene Practice (GHP) . Requirements for Animal Feed. Requirements for the import of Meat. • GSM Legislations:

8. Decrees: Procedures for accreditations of Islamic associations & abattoirs. List of authorized signatures, recognized slaughterhouses, Islamic centers and food factories. Permitted levels of alcohol in juices & drinks • GSM Legislations:

9. Manuals: Assessment of slaughterhouses and animal farms . Inspection of meat at borders checkpoints . Assessment of Islamic associations. Inspection of Meat in butcheries. • GSM Legislations:

10. Requirements: Animal Feeds Specifications of animal feed (free of Pork and blood, animal origin & Halal slaughtering), (Decree 22/49/98). Laboratory report and Halal certificate, (decree 30/56/2001). Shelf life for different types of animal Feed). • GSM Legislations:

11. Requirements: Meat Importation Requirements for the exporting slaughterhouses & certifying Islamic association), (Decree 4/3/1982-4-3). Requirements & procedures for the accreditation of the Islamic associations involved in Halal certifications, (Decree GSM/32) • GSM Legislations:

12. GSM Roles: Managing and Preventing Halal Problems Pork & Lard: Problem Management Banning contaminated products, initiate recall of products and permit importation following compliance with Halal regulation. Preventive measures i.e. mandatory declaration to indicate fulfillment of Islamic slaughtering .

13. GSM Roles: Managing and Preventing Halal Problems Pork & Lard: Problem Management Mandatory reports “Pork & Pork derivatives- Free” Gelatin (if included) should be of animal that is Halal for Muslim

14. GSM Roles: Accreditation of Islamic Associations & Slaughterhouses Mechanism for accrediting Islamic Associations. Assessment Visits. Authorization of UAE Embassies to monitor Halal processes. List of accredited slaughterhouses, and Islamic centers.

15. GSM Roles: Setting limits of the accepted Permitted Alcohol levels in Juices & Drinks • Permitted level of naturally occurring alcohol provided that the detected alcohol is not added and not present as a result of industrial fermentation) .traces of alcohol may be detected within permitted levels in commodities such as • Fruit juices, Drinks, Vinegars,…etc

16. Controlling HALAL Food in Abu Dhabi Emirate

17. Controlling HALAL Food in Abu Dhabi Emirate • Food available at any point of time in Abu Dhabi Emirate is either produced locally {in Abu Dhabi Emirate or in another Emirate of UAE} , imported through the different control check points of Abu Dhabi Emirate or is in transit move to another country. • Any food containing additives of animal origin (e.g. gelatin, enzymes…..etc )should have Halal certificate before it is permitted into Abu Dhabi.

18. Controlling HALAL Food in Abu Dhabi Emirate • Food produced locally {in Abu Dhabi or in other Emirates} is usually produced following the Islamic rules and regulations that are set by GSM and other local authorities.

19. Controlling HALAL Food in Abu Dhabi Emirate • Meat origin, type and status should be identifiable by Abu Dhabi inspectors during the routine inspection . • Any meat bearing no stamp is condemned, referred to courts (fine, closure or revocation of license).

20. Controlling HALAL Food in Abu Dhabi Emirate • Imported food (carcass and meat cuts), Halal certificate showing that the animals or birds: • Are of species permitted for Muslims as source of meat. • Slaughtered in a plant (approved list) that only slaughters species permitted for Muslim food. • Slaughtered under the supervision of an approved Islamic association.

21. Controlling HALAL Food in Abu Dhabi Emirate • The Certificate should also show: • Exporter name, dates, amounts of meat, status of the products (fresh, frozen, vacuumed ). • Amount and type of meat stated in the certificate should exactly match the consignment. • Date of issuance of the certificate (testified by UAE embassy or of other GCC country or Arab country in case there is no UAE embassy in that particular country).

22. Laboratory role in Halal food verification. Importance of having laboratory tests for Halal food Chemical and Biochemical techniques. Currently ADFCA tests for alcohol and pork and in process of developing molecular techniques to detect non-halal animal species We face no HALAL food problems for all food produced locally.

23. Reported cases of Non Compliance Difference in slaughtering dates and amounts between that stated in the HALAL certificate and that in the carcass tag or packing list . Arrival of a consignment from a non approved abattoir or from an abattoir that is temporary not permitted to export to UAE due to any reason.

24. Reported cases of Non Compliance Arrival of meat with different status (fresh, frozen or vacuumed ) from that approved (by the GSM) for a particular abattoir. Health certificate number is not stated (in HALAL certificate) , different or unidentifiable

25. Reported cases of Non Compliance Information required is not complete . Providing copies of certificates rather than the original ones. HALAL certificate not accompanying the consignment. ADFCA usually rejects any consignment that arrives separately from its HALAL certificate.

26. Reported cases of Non Compliance Correction and re - correction of information and dates usually complicate situation and never solve problems. Trust is usually jeopardized when correction and re correction is so easy. Our experience proved beyond doubt that some companies are ready to produce endless number of certificates trying to correct a situation that requires rejection due to valid HALAL reason.

27. Some observations in • Abu Dhabi Abattoirs • Islamic methods of slaughtering (Halal slaughtering) is quite consistent with GHPs and welfare aspects (facilitate efficient bleeding, ease skinning, watering of animals prior to slaughtering dilute of gut and minimize contamination) . • Cutting of spinal cord is prohibited . • Poultry slaughtering strictly follows Islamic rules and regulations.

28. Problems Need to be Addressed: • Products containing meat or additives of animal origin produced in a country , shipped to another , re-labeled and exported to UAE. • Products of Islamic countries but contain additives or ingredients of animal origin from another country

29. Problems Need to be Addressed: How far should we go tracing additives of animal origins ???? A Big Challenging Question:

30. Thank You