South African Halaal Debate Divides Public Over Food Certification Logos
A debate in South Africa over the halaal logo on food products has intensified after a viral video claimed Muslims were dictating national eating habits. Legally, certification is voluntary, and commercial demand is a major driver of its spread.
A debate over the halaal logo on food products in South Africa has gained momentum since October, fuelled largely by social media. The discussion was amplified by a TikTok video from Sokhana Saliwa that drew nearly 100,000 views. In it, Saliwa claimed Muslims were "dictating" national food practices. She pointed out that Muslims make up 2.6 per cent of residents and argued that the presence of the halaal logo is disproportionate to that share of the population.
The legal framework is clear on several points. The South African Constitution declares no official religion, but guarantees freedom of religion and the right to practise it. The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights holds that the right to food includes culturally appropriate food. Crucially, certification is voluntary and not a government mandate. A halaal logo means only that the manufacturer has chosen to meet Islamic standards. The absence of the logo does not mean that a product is non-halaal, a distinction that critics of the logo often overlook.
The main certifying body is the South African National Halaal Authority, known as Sanha. Its communications manager, Ebrahim Lockhat, is the organisation's public voice. The standards exclude alcohol, pork and carnivorous animals, and equipment must be cleansed in line with Islamic law. These requirements apply to the production process rather than to the entire food supply, and they are the reason the logo appears only on products that have been submitted for certification.
Slaughter practice has become a particular point of contention. Anthropologist Shaheed Tayob has commented on halaal slaughter, and critics often describe it as a "sacrifice" to a deity. In the halaal method, the jugular veins are severed while the spinal cord is left intact. The method allows the blood to drain, which is linked to the longevity and purity of the meat. Supporters of the practice treat it as a matter of food standards, while critics frame it in religious terms that the certification process itself does not describe.
The debate also tends to blur two distinct practices. Qurbani is a separate religious sacrifice performed during Eid al-Adha. Its meat is distributed to the poor rather than sold, which sets it apart from commercially certified halaal products. Public perception often merges the two, even though the commercial certification system has no connection to the ritual sacrifice of Qurbani.
The commercial dynamics of the halaal market are central to the story. Growth in halaal products is driven mainly by commerce rather than by an expansion of religious observance. Large corporations pursue certification to reach a growing consumer market. Multinational firms often need only minor changes to their recipes, such as replacing gelatine or lard, to qualify. Transparent labelling also appeals to non-Muslim buyers, which helps explain why the logo has spread beyond the Muslim community.
The gap between public perception and the legal and commercial reality remains unresolved. Those who see the logo as a sign of religious influence over national food culture are responding to its visibility, while the certification system itself rests on voluntary participation, constitutional protections and market demand. How South Africans reconcile those positions is the question the debate has yet to answer.
Source: english.pravda.ru
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