N1 Restaurant Suppliers offer a wide range of quality, Halaal-certified meat, frozen vegetables and fish products. Their separate Halaal production factory with onsite HACCP managers ensure that the strictest hygiene standards are followed at all times and this, along with their focus on quality, service and delivery, have helped N1 become a leading wholesale supplier of high-quality Halaal end products.

In ‘Halaal Meat South Africa’ we examine the history and principles of Halaal, and in our follow-up blog, ‘Halaal Certified Meat’ we will cover the slaughter process and various certification councils.

Let’s begin with etymology, the word ‘Halaal’ is an Arabic word literally meaning ‘permissible’ and when used in regard to food it means ‘food sanctioned by Islamic law as fit for eating’ – the opposite of Halaal is Haraam or ‘forbidden by Islamic law’. There are a number of factors imperative in the selection and preparation of Halaal food and these factors all stem from the Quran, the central religious text of Islam. According to the Quran food that is “forbidden is carrion, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that over which any name other than God's has been invoked, and the animal that has been strangled, or beaten to death, or killed by a fall, or gored to death, or savaged by a beast of prey, save that which you [yourselves] may have slaughtered while it was still alive.” (5:3)

While there might be minor differences in interpretation from one Islamic School of Thought to another, the basic principles as derived from the Quran remain intact. In 1997 The Codex Alimentarius Commission, a commission established by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations or FAO and the World Health Organisation issued its ‘General Guidelines for Use of the Term “Halal”’ and it provides a comprehensive overview of what constitutes Halaal food, both in terms of selection and processing. To begin with, it specifies the foods considered unlawful or Haraam – these include pigs and boars; dogs, snakes and monkeys; carnivorous animals with claws and fangs; birds of prey with claws; pests such as rats and other vermin; animals forbidden to be killed in Islam i.e. ants, bees and Woodpecker birds; animals considered repulsive like lice, flies or maggots; animals that live both on land and in water such as frogs and crocodiles; mules and domestic donkeys; all poisonous and hazardous aquatic animals; any other animals not slaughtered according to Islamic Law, and finally the blood of any animal.

In ‘Halaal Certified Meat’ we will examine the slaughter process and the two bodies that N1 adhere to, to ensure delivery of the best-quality, Halaal-certified end products possible. In the interim, should you have any questions with regards to the N1 range of Halaal and Non-Halaal products, be sure to call or send us a mail.