Can I Eat This?

As I meticulously scanned the ingredients on the bright packaging of some gummy straws, a word caught my eye: “gelatin.” I groaned as I put the candy back on the shelf and looked for my next possible option. This has been my experience for most of my life in America when looking for foods that fit my dietary restrictions. 

Halal means “permissible,” and in the context of cuisine, it refers to approved foods. As a Muslim, I am to stay away from certain ingredients that harm more than help us. Pork, non-Islamically slaughtered meat, and alcohol are in ways more umbrella terms than specifics. Most of the time, we are forced to further evaluate the ingredients to see if they contain anything that is a byproduct or contaminated by something haram (non-permissible). Some examples of this are carmine, a coloring that comes from cochineal beetles, and pork byproducts. 

In addition, there is an Islamic-preferred butchering process called “zabiha,” in which a Muslim adult quickly slashes the animal’s throat. This is seen as the most humane way to kill animals, as it causes little to no pain. This was proved by a study conducted by the Hannover University’s School of Veterinary Medicine, which used electroencephalography and an electrocardiogram to read the pain levels of the livestock. The results showed that zabiha slaughtering caused a loss of consciousness before any potential pain could be experienced. Like halal guidelines, zabiha-processed meat is a method that thousands of Muslims choose to follow. However, the lack of options for us often makes the simple task of finding food quite difficult. 

Most of the time, Muslims have to manually scrutinize food products for “haram” ingredients, which shouldn’t be the case. Personally, I spend large amounts of time scouring the internet for lists of halal brands and searching over and over again “is ___ halal” to see if the new item my parents picked out contains anything prohibited. Halal food should be much more accessible to the growing number of Muslims in New York City. 

Halal certification is something brands should acquire for the products they sell that do not violate any of the Islamic restrictions. Some restaurants have halal signs outside, which helps us identify places we can eat from without having to do tons of prior research. It would be helpful if more places and products had this label to let us know if what they are selling aligns with the Muslim faith. In fact, lots of items in grocery stores would be halal if one were to pick apart the ingredients, but without the certification, we can never completely erase the doubt from our minds. Walk into just about any store, and you’ll see the labels “vegan,” “vegetarian,” or “kosher.” We can see that companies are trying to be inclusive when it comes to dietary restrictions. With that logic, it is only fair that more places try to achieve a certification that pertains to the Islamic faith, which would mean the world to Muslim foodies. 

The New York City Department of Education has a similar issue—halal meals for kids have been promised but never fully implemented. Students who are looking for halal food are left questioning if they can eat that burrito. A chart in every school or designated labels for halal food would be effective solutions.  

A couple of brands argue that halal certification is expensive. However, it only costs $200 to apply to be certified. This is a small sum when compared to the daily input costs of most corporations and would lead to high profits in the long run due to the high number of Muslims who would consume these products. 

Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world, yet as its number of followers increases, the options for halal fine dining and processed foods tend to stay the same in the West. In New York City alone, Muslims make up around nine percent of the population, yet we rarely get to experience the tastes of heavily advertised foods. On nearly every block, there are giant posters showing juicy hamburgers and the latest new flavors of gummy bears. With every glance, I get a little more hopeful that, soon, I will be able to enjoy these foods as well. A little time, effort, and education can make all the difference.