Law Regulating Halal Food Still Not Enforced

In July 2000, New Jersey became the first state to pass a law to protect consumers of halal food, but three years later the rules still have not been implemented, to the dismay of many Muslims.

The law established guidelines that sellers and distributors must follow when labeling food halal, the Islamic equivalent of kosher.

Many Muslims viewed the passage of the Halal Food Consumer Protection Act as a major step toward helping place Islamic practices on equal civic footing with those in the Christian and Jewish faiths.

“It was the first [halal] legislation to pass ... so it was a landmark,” said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Washington-based Council of Islamic-American Relations. “We have to protect the landmark by implementing it.”

Genene Morris, spokeswoman for the Division of Consumer Affairs, which is responsible for enforcing the law, said a draft version of procedures is being reviewed by the state attorney general’s office.

Dietary rules for Muslims and Jews are similar. Both forbid pork and regulate the slaughter of animals for meat. In both traditions, the animals to be killed must be free of disease and contamination.