ESMA — Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology
UAE government halal certifier. Mandatory for food imports into the Emirates.
ESMA (now part of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology) is the UAE's national standards body and the regulator for halal products entering the country. Any food, cosmetic, or pharmaceutical product imported into the UAE must meet ESMA's halal requirements, either through ESMA certification directly or through a recognised foreign body (JAKIM, MUI, IFANCA, and others are accepted).
ESMA's standards align closely with the OIC/SMIIC halal standard, which most Gulf states have adopted. Pre-stunning is permitted under specific conditions; machine slaughter is case-by-case.
In supermarkets across the UAE, you'll often see multiple halal logos on imported products — the original certifying body (JAKIM, IFANCA, etc.) plus the ESMA mark indicating it has cleared UAE entry standards.
Slaughter policy at a glance
- Stunning: allowed
- Machine slaughter: case-by-case
- Slaughter must be by: a Muslim, invoking Allah's name (Bismillahi Allahu Akbar), via a single cut to the throat severing the windpipe, food-pipe, and both jugulars.