Food products intended for export are free from the embargo.
Today, the Uttar Pradesh government outlawed food items bearing the halal label. The Food Commissioner’s office issued an order saying, “A ban is imposed on the manufacture, storage, distribution, and sale of products with immediate effect.” It further stated that food products intended for export are not prohibited.
According to the order, the halal certification of food goods is a parallel system that raises questions about the food items’ quality and is not permissible under Section 89 of the relevant Act. “The right to decide the quality of food items lies only with the authorities and institutions given in Section 29 of the said Act, who check the relevant standards as per the provisions of the Act” , it continued.
The action was taken in response to a police report that was made against a business and several other organizations for allegedly “exploiting people’s religious sentiments” by offering “forged” halal certificates in an attempt to increase sales.
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The UP government said in a statement that organizations including Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Halal Trust in Delhi, Halal Council of India in Mumbai, Halal India Private Limited in Chennai, Jamiat Ulama Maharashtra, and others have been named in the case for allegedly taking advantage of religious sentiments to increase sales by offering halal certificates to clients who practice a particular religion.
The UP government stated that the complainant expressed worries about a widespread conspiracy, including attempts to purportedly reduce the sale of goods from businesses that do not hold a halal certificate, which is prohibited.
According to the statement, these businesses allegedly gave false halal certificates to different businesses in order to profit from them, inciting social unrest and betraying public confidence.
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The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Halal Trust described the accusations as “baseless” and said that it will take “necessary legal measures to counter such misinformation” in a statement.
The food commissioner’s office stated that several food products, such as dairy products, sugar-filled bread goods, peppermint oil, salty ready-to-eat savouries, and edible oils, have halal certification listed on their labels.
