"Revolutionary" Halal certification launched in Canada

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"Revolutionary" Halal certification launched in Canada

Toronto, ON - July 20, 2006 - Canadian Muslims can now enjoy their meals without worrying about whether the meat they're consuming is actually Halal, thanks to a unique new Halal certification program launched today.

As part of the program, inspectors belonging to the Halal Monitoring Authority of Canada (HMA) are constantly monitoring the Halal slaughter of chicken at participating slaughterhouses in Ontario.

"This is a revolutionary concept for the Canadian Halal market and now consumers have a true alternative for guaranteed and authenticated Halal meat," said HMA director Shaykh Omar Subedar.

"Consumers buying HMA-certified meat can have peace of mind knowing that trustworthy Muslims hired by a reputable, independent body are witnessing the slaughter of each and every chicken before it is labeled as Halal."

The HMA, a division of the Canadian Council of Muslim Theologians, hires Muslim inspectors who are sent to monitor slaughter at plants that have agreed to the body's rigorous Halal guidelines, which include a ban on stunning and machine-slaughter.

The inspectors witness the slaughter and then label the meat as Halal. Only HMA inspectors have access to tags, tape, and tamper-proof stickers carrying the HMA logo.

Most meat sold as Halal in Canada isn't labeled as such, and whatever Halal certification existed until now relied on random or infrequent inspections.

The continuous-monitoring Halal certification model adopted by the HMA has been in place for several years in France and the U.K. It has been very successful in both countries.

Information on the availability of HMA-certified products is available at http://www.hmacanada.org.

The Halal Monitoring Authority is a department of the Canadian Council of Muslim Theologians (CCMT), an organization representing over 100 Muslim religious scholars in Canada. The HMA is a non-profit body formed in 2005 to monitor, inspect and certify Halal products, in particular meat and poultry, solely as a public service for Halal consumers.

>> HMA Canada: (416) 731-2247



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