Barakahبركة
Sign in
Plain guide

Halal certifying bodies, explained

A plain, neutral guide to the major halal authorities around the world. What each covers, where they differ on stunning and machine slaughter, and how to verify a product through the source itself.

Jump to region
North America
3 bodies
UK and Europe
3 bodies
Southeast Asia
3 bodies
Middle East
2 bodies
Oceania
1 bodies

Four concepts to know first

Zabihah / Dhabihah

Islamic hand-slaughter with tasmiyah (the name of Allah) said over a sharp, swift cut. This is the Prophetic standard. Strict certifiers like HMC accept nothing less.

Mechanical slaughter

A rotating blade slaughters birds on a moving line. Some certifiers accept it with conditions (tasmiyah recorded, sharp blade, intention). Stricter scholars require hand-slaughter per bird.

Stunning

Electrical, gas, or mechanical stunning before slaughter. Reversible stunning (animal would recover) is accepted by some certifiers. HMC and several strict scholars reject all stunning.

Traceability

Good certifiers require a paper trail from animal to shelf. When you see a logo, the strength of its audit and chain-of-custody is what it really means.

North America

United States · est. 1982

IFANCAIslamic Food and Nutrition Council of America

Official site

Founded in 1982, IFANCA is the most widely recognised US halal certifier. Their crescent-M logo appears on thousands of products from global brands. They have a large network of auditors and maintain a public product search on their site.

Scope
  • •Packaged food (snacks, dairy, confectionery, meat)
  • •Beverages (excluding alcoholic)
  • •Flavourings, enzymes, and food additives
  • •Pharmaceuticals and supplements
  • •Restaurants and commercial kitchens
Positions
  • •Accepts mechanical slaughter when done according to specific conditions (clear intention, name of Allah, sharp blade, swift cut).
  • •Permits reversible stunning under strict conditions.
  • •Takes a relatively inclusive scholarly position, broader than HMC's zabihah-only stance.
United States & Canada

ISNA HalalISNA Halal Certification Agency

Official site

ISNA Halal is a respected certifier in Canada and parts of the US, closely affiliated with the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). Their crescent-and-book logo is widely recognised at Canadian grocery chains.

Scope
  • •Packaged food and meat
  • •Restaurants and kitchens
  • •Supplements
Positions
  • •Permits manual zabihah slaughter; mechanical slaughter accepted under specific conditions.
  • •Requires clear traceability documentation from producer to consumer.
United States

HFSAAHalal Food Standards Alliance of America

Official site

HFSAA is a newer alliance formed to harmonize halal standards across US certifiers. Focus on muslim-consumer-facing clarity and shared audit protocols.

Scope
  • •Meat and poultry
  • •Packaged goods
  • •Restaurant chains
Positions
  • •Zabihah-preferred for meat.
  • •Publishes standards publicly for community review.

UK and Europe

United Kingdom · est. 2003

HMCHalal Monitoring Committee

Official site

HMC was founded in 2003 by a group of UK scholars concerned about lax halal labelling. It is the preferred mark for many strict zabihah observers in Britain. If you see a green-and-white HMC logo on meat, it is hand-slaughtered, un-stunned, traceable from animal to till.

Scope
  • •Meat and poultry (their primary focus)
  • •Prepared meat products (burgers, sausages, ready meals)
  • •Restaurants and butchers
Positions
  • •Does not accept stunning of any kind.
  • •Does not accept mechanical slaughter. All animals are hand-slaughtered with tasmiyah said on each.
  • •Publishes an active approved-business directory.
United Kingdom · est. 1994

HFAHalal Food Authority

Official site

HFA is older and broader than HMC, covering more products including branded fast food chains. More controversial in the strict zabihah community because they permit pre-slaughter stunning (reversible, not killing the animal). Supermarket chains often carry HFA-labelled meat.

Scope
  • •Meat, poultry, and fish
  • •Packaged food
  • •Fast-food chains and restaurants
Positions
  • •Permits pre-slaughter reversible stunning of poultry and lamb.
  • •Accepts mechanical slaughter under defined conditions.
  • •Broader reach than HMC but considered less strict by some scholars.
United Kingdom / EU

HCEHalal Certification Europe

Official site

HCE audits food manufacturers in the UK and across Europe, with a focus on packaged goods and ingredient suppliers. Logo often seen on European chocolate, biscuits, and dairy brands.

Scope
  • •Packaged food manufacturers
  • •Ingredient and flavouring suppliers
  • •Meat processors
Positions
  • •Accepts reversible stunning under specific conditions.
  • •Focus on documentation, traceability, and facility audits.

Southeast Asia

Malaysia · est. 1968

JAKIMDepartment of Islamic Development Malaysia

Official site

JAKIM is a Malaysian federal agency and issues the MS 1500 standard, which is among the most stringent halal certifications in the world. Its logo is widely recognised across Southeast Asia and accepted by many other national regulators as a gold standard.

Scope
  • •Food products (all categories)
  • •Cosmetics and pharmaceuticals
  • •Logistics, warehousing, and slaughterhouses
  • •Restaurants, hotels, airlines
Positions
  • •Comprehensive MS 1500 standard covering raw materials, processing, packaging, and logistics.
  • •Permits only halal-compatible stunning under strict conditions.
  • •Requires separate halal production lines in mixed-facility plants.
Indonesia · est. 1975

MUIMajelis Ulama Indonesia

Official site

MUI is the top Islamic authority in Indonesia. Halal certification is now mandatory for food products sold in Indonesia under a 2019 law. MUI certification is recognised globally and especially across the Muslim-majority Southeast Asian market.

Scope
  • •All food and beverages sold in Indonesia (mandatory)
  • •Cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, personal care
  • •Restaurants, hotels, slaughterhouses
Positions
  • •Very strict ingredient traceability required.
  • •Operates through BPJPH (Halal Product Assurance Agency) under the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
  • •Recognised bilaterally by many non-Indonesian certifiers.
Singapore · est. 1968

MUISMajlis Ugama Islam Singapura

Official site

MUIS is the statutory body overseeing Muslim affairs in Singapore, including halal certification. Its logo appears on thousands of products and restaurants across the island and is widely trusted internationally.

Scope
  • •Food manufacturers
  • •Restaurants, hotels, eateries
  • •Caterers and supermarkets
Positions
  • •Strict zabihah standards for meat.
  • •Active enforcement with public lists of certified premises.

Middle East

United Arab Emirates

ESMA / GCC UAE.SEmirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology

Official site

ESMA (now under MOIAT) sets the UAE national halal standard. Products sold in the UAE must comply with the UAE.S 2055 halal standard and are audited via accredited certification bodies. The GCC region generally recognises this standard.

Scope
  • •All food sold in the UAE (mandatory)
  • •Cosmetics and personal care
Positions
  • •Part of the Gulf-wide GSO framework for halal standards.
  • •Relies on a network of accredited third-party certifiers.
Saudi Arabia

SFDASaudi Food and Drug Authority

Official site

SFDA oversees halal compliance for all food and drug products imported into or manufactured within Saudi Arabia. All imported meat must be halal-certified by an SFDA-approved foreign certification body.

Scope
  • •All food and drugs entering Saudi Arabia
  • •Imported meat (mandatory halal compliance)
Positions
  • •Maintains a whitelist of approved foreign halal certifiers.
  • •Strict enforcement at borders.

Oceania

Australia · est. 1963

AFICAustralian Federation of Islamic Councils

Official site

AFIC is Australia's national Muslim council and has been certifying halal meat for export since the 1970s. Australian beef and lamb exported to the Middle East and Southeast Asia are typically AFIC-certified.

Scope
  • •Meat for export (beef, lamb, poultry)
  • •Packaged food
  • •Restaurants and butchers
Positions
  • •Requires hand-slaughter with tasmiyah.
  • •Exported meat must meet destination-country standards.

Which one should I trust?

There is no single right answer. A muslim who follows the Prophetic zabihah description strictly will prefer HMC or JAKIM. Someone who accepts the broader scholarly position on mechanical slaughter and reversible stunning will be comfortable with IFANCA or HFA. Your context, scholar, and country matter. The point of this page is to let you choose from a place of knowledge, not confusion.

Scan a product

Barakah's halal scanner reads the barcode, looks up the ingredients, and flags common haram and doubtful ones. It also detects when a product carries a halal mark from the bodies listed here.

Open the scanner