Halal

Halal is the Arabic word referring to the preparation of food following Islamic dietary laws and regulations that determine what is permissible, lawful and clean. The food must come from suppliers who use halal practices. This entails the prescribed process of slaughter according to the Islamic method. The permitted animal requires the utterance of the Islamic prayer ‘Bismillah’ (‘in the name of God’) at the time of slaughter, that the animal is aligned with the Qiblah (direction of face in prayer towards the Kabbah in Mecca), and that a quick movement of a sharp blade severs the veins and arteries of the neck to permit the drainage of blood and minimize suffering for the animal.

The government of Canada has amended the food and drug regulations to provide consumers with more information regarding the production, packaging, and labelling of halal food products. Any food item claiming to be halal must now include the certifying body. This provides assurance that the food items meet the certifying body standards and allow consumers to obtain specific information about the standards the food has met.

Chicken is the only halal meat offered on campus. The HALAL label helps to increase awareness of the halal foods available on campus.