UP govt bans production and sale of halal-certified food products
Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday passed orders banning the production and sale of certain halal certified food products while calling for action against organisations associated with production and sale of halal certified drugs and cosmetics in what officials said was a bid to discourage unauthorised private bodies granting halal certificates to certain non-meat products driven by a «malicious attempt to exploit a specific religious sentiment and potentially incite discord among communities».
The government in its orders passed by the food safety and drug administration department said that while information regarding halal certification on labels of drugs and cosmetics amounts to «misrepresentation» and is thus punishable under The Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940 as the act has no provision for halal certification; for food items, halal certification on non-meat products like dairy items, sugar, bakery products etc is akin to a system «parallel» to the standardisation provided by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), creating a situation of «confusion» and is thus also liable to be punished for misrepresentation under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
The union commerce ministry had earlier this year notified guidelines for certification of halal meat products saying that only bodies accredited by the NABCB (national accreditation board for certification bodies) can issue valid halal certificates.
