Why Us Halal HAQ certification
We come to the table as a partner rather than a service provider, combining our business expertise and professionalism with the well-established and profound services of Halal Certification Services (HCS) along with its trustworthy network of authorized auditors all over Europe and recogniotion all over the world . Greekexports is the partner you are looking for the international expansion of your company.
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Halal HAQ certification What is it
Halal is an Arabic term designating any object or an action which is permissible to use or engage in according to the Islamic law. The term is widely used to designate food seen as permissible according to Islamic law. In contrast to Halal, Haram means forbidden. Haram designates prohibited objects such as actions and food products.
The countries in the Gulf area have special rules and preconditions for permitting halal food, especially halal meats, to enter the area. The key prerequisite is that the manufacturers comply to the strict guidelines of standards UAE.S 2055-1, GSO 2055-1, OIC/SMIIC-1 and MS 1500, which are controlled in fact by the Halal Certification Body that certifies the production.
Only a few HCB’s from around the world have till now received the accreditation needed to provide this opportunity to their clients.
In addition, for meats the HCB must be local in the same country as the slaughterhouse and the meat processing unit – however, if there is no local HCB the manufacturer can choose one that is in the closest country.
Halal HAQ certification The certifier
To fulfill the above mentioned requirements, Halal Assurance and Quality Greece (HAQ Greece) SMPC https://halalaq.gr was set up in Greece in 2020, and was the first Greek Halal Certification Body that succeeeded in receiving the accreditation in September 2021. Halal Assurance & Quality Greece SMPC htpps://halalaq.gr is a company with the sole aim to provide Muslims the access to authentic Halal meat and meat products through Halal certification.
Its purpose is to build awareness among Muslims and the meat industry for the process of Halal slaughtering and permissibility of meat products. They advise, train, and regularly inspect slaughtering houses on how to ensure Halal suitability for their products and award them a Halal certificate.
Its careful vetting allows them to vouch for the permissibility of the Halal meat and meat products, either for local consumption or exports to halal markets of the world.
To facilitate your exports to U.A.E. and the Gulf area in general, HAQ Greece has obtained the accreditation from Emirates International Accreditation Center and received the accreditation certificate Nr HB-CB-063. In fact, it also covers the cases of slaughterhouses aiming to export to Gulf area, thus being the only Halal Certification Body in the Balkans that can provide you with this level of certification.
As HAQ Greece has partners in neighbouring countries and those countries do not have an accredited certification body, the manufacturers in those countries can be serviced by HAQ Greece. Those countries include Romania, Cyprus, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo and Egypt where HAQ Greece has local partners.
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Halal HAQ certification What is it
Halal (meaning: allowable, acceptable, permitted) covers all aspects of life that need to be adhered to by its followers, including food consumption. For a product(s) to be Halal (compliant with Islamic Shari'ah) it must meet the requirements of Shari'ah as found in its sources. The two most important sources of Islamic Shari'ah are the Holy Quran and the Sunnah.
The Islamic dietary law stated that all foods are permitted to be consumed or traded (therefore halal), under normal circumstances, except for foods that are categorially being quoted in the Holy book of the Quran and the Hadith. The foods which are forbidden or prohibited are referred to as haram foods.
Haram – Forbitten food for human consumption
- Corps or inappropriately slaughtered Halal animals,
- Domesticated donkey, mules and elephants
- Swine or pork and its by-products
- Alcohol and intoxicants
- All plants which are poisonous
- Carnivorous animals with fangs such as lions, dogs, wolves or tigers
- Birds of prey such as eagles, falcons or owls
- Snakes
- Pests such as rats and scorpions
- Insects Blood and blood by-products
- Foods which are contaminated with the above products
For example, the reasons for forbidden dead animals and carrion are unfit for human consumption due to their decaying process leads to the formation of chemicals which are harmful to humans. Blood that is drained from an animal contains harmful hormones, bacteria and toxins, which are harmful to metabolism of human.
Meat is the most critical food category. A necessary condition to qualify the meat (which does not belong to the haram categories) as halal is that it has not come from a halal slaughter. In general, halal refers to the slaughter done by a Muslim butcher, with specific cuts and under specific conditions. Meat and slaughterhouses as special categories need special treatment, hereto an export to the Gulf countries where legislated criteria (GSO 993, GSO 2055) should be followed.
More information on GSO standards you can find here
Significance Why is it Important
Consuming Halal products is an important obligation of Muslims wherever they live. A large number of Muslims is living in countries, where Islam is not the dominant religion, such as India, Australia, Egypt, Bangladesh, China, the European countries, United States and Canada. Thus, the Muslim population provides a considerable market segment in modern food market.]
In 2021, out of the world’s total population, 1.9 billion (2021 World Population by Country), are Muslims, and Halal food is one of their main needs, which is being fulfilled through the Halal industry. Over time, the Halal industry is developing rapidly and gaining the confidence of non-Muslims due to its food safety, hygiene, and quality control. It is observed that Asian countries are more active. Still, Middle Eastern countries, and Western countries, especially in Europe, are also participating as major stakeholders in the Halal industry.
Ιn 2019 globally, Muslims spent about $ 1.13 trillion on food products, which is expected to increase by 3.5% annually. From 2019 to 2024, these expenditures are projected to reach $1.38 trillion (Malaysia, 2021).
To sum up, a halal certified industry could be able to gain space in a competitive market and establish itself to an international level.
Frequently Asked Questions
Meat, meat products
Dairy products
Olives, Oils, fat, currants
Pies, pittes, fyllo, dough, salty snacks
Pastry, sweet snacks
Sauce, dressings, spreads, salsas, marmelade
Carbonates drinks, soft drinks, ice tea
Vegan, non-dairy, non-meat products alternative products
Aromatic compounds, premixes
Ready to eat meals
Canned food
Coffe and cocoa products
Spices, essential oils
If you are seeking out for ways to expand your export activities, the halal certification could be your passport to new markets. Not necessarily only Muslim markets, but also other markets where Muslim consumers are a big part of the population (more that 5% in many western countries) and play an important role on the local economy. Halal Certification Servises guarantees halal quality and deservedly has earned the trust of so many consumers worldwide.
Specifically for exports to Gulf countries, the halal certification is important in order to facilitate the beginning of a new cooperation and the customs import procedures. For specific food categories (e.g. meat, soon also for dairy) there is a legal obligation, whereas in other food categories it is recommended by the imports in order to sign the deal.
The Gulf area is an important market for Greek products because of the size and various other reasons described in the following articles about the UAE market, about the Saudi Arabia market and the Guld area market in general (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApjXgm7aPww) . By following the latter link, you will get the chance to view the recorded session presented by Mr. Thomas Vassaras, CEO of Greekexports, on the descriptive webinar hosted by EBETH and Halal Trade and Marketing Center (HTMC) of Dubai regarding the halal market of the Gulf Area.
No, those products cannot be certify as halal and cleaning is not an option. Halal products production should be completely seperated from porcine containing products.
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First of all, you need to supply meat from a halal certified slaughterhouse whose halal certification body is based on the same country. The halal certification body should be accredited on the UAE. Same applied for your meat processing units. Halal Assurance & Quality Greece is the first Greek certification body accredited on the UAE.
Similar requirements are set for the rest of the GCC.
Following the link to read an extensive article about the legislation and the UAE market
Based on the corresponding legislation of Saudi Arabia, the requirements and also the procedures are similar to those needed for exports to UAE (see previous questions) and Halal Assurance and Quality Greece is required accredited to support you.
As of June 2023, there is no bilateral agreement between Greece and Saudi Arabia for meat products meaning that exporting meat from Greece to Saudi Arabia is not feasible.We highly anticipate such agreement between the two Veterinary Services until the end of the year, but this is by no mains certain.
When the bilateral agreement is signed, the certified clients of HAQ-Greece that are based in Greece would be ready to export to the large market of 35 million consumers, that is the Saudi Arabia market. HAQ-Greece certified clients that are based in other countries (e.g. Albania) are already exporting with great success.
Following to link to read the extensive article about the legislation and the market of Saudi Arabia
According to GSO standards, food labels are not allowed to contain claims, symbols, logos or marks that refer to Halal without carrying Halal certification. However, in some Mulsims countries there is special legislation with specific condition. In any case, GrX team is always available to provide you with more information.
As long as there is no accredited - from UAE and SA - halal certification body, then you can proceed to certification with the Greek body Halal Assurance & Quality Greece.
You can find more questions and answers regarding halal certification here