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Author: Faheema Mahomed Ali Date: 07 October 2022 he words “dates” or “date palms” is mentioned 22 times in the Holy Qur’an.Sayyidah Aishaرَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهَا reported that the household of the Prophet Muhammadﷺ never ate two meals in a day but that one of them consisted of dates (Sahih Bukhari)Dates are mainly composed of carbohydrates (70% fructose and glucose). This reservoir of natural sugars and its low glycaemic index makes dates the ideal food to consume when in need of immediate energy and to maintain stable blood sugar levels. It is for this reason it is recommended to eat dates to break ones fast.Dates are also high in dietary fibres thereby promoting a healthy digestive system. It also contains proteins which are required for metabolic functioning. It also consists of numerous minerals and vitamins.Dates contain a high potassium content and low sodium content which is beneficial in the regulation of blood pressure. It is also known for having properties that protect against the build-up of cholesterol and promotes effective muscle contraction. It also supports a healthy nervous system and efficient metabolism in the body.Dates are high in Iron and is effective in the management of anaemia.Dates also have antioxidant properties due to its high phytochemical and tannin content. It has been shown in a few scientific studies that the antioxidant activity of dates are possibly higher than that of ascorbic acid, thus making dates ideal to strengthen and support the immune system. It also plays a role in preventing cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Download

Author: Faheema Mahomed Ali Date: 04 October 2022 Every devout Muslim is ingrained with the knowledge that alcoholic drinks are forbidden. The consumption of alcohol has many detrimental physiological effects on the body and has been linked to countless social and economic ills in society. The knowledge of the harms of alcohol consumption is widely publicized and the number of teetotallers, even amongst those that do not have religious restrictions, are increasing steadily. With this in mind, many alcohol beverage companies have introduced new ranges of non- alcoholic wines, beers and champagnes. Non- alcoholic wines are marketed as a “healthier alternative” for the health conscious consumer and also an innovative way to “accommodate” for those who have religious restrictions.Non- alcoholic wines are produced by extracting the alcohol after the fermentation process during wine making. Using this method, wine companies have promised consumers the true, “sophisticated” taste of wine. There is however, a division amongst the Ulema with regards to the permissibility of non- alcoholic wines. Some scholars state that due to the final product having an ABV (alcohol by volume) of less than 0.5% it would be considered non-intoxicating and therefore Halaal. However, we need to remember that wine, irrespective of alcohol content, is explicitly forbidden by Allah (SWT) in the Holy Quran. Unlike vinegar, which undergoes a complete chemical transformation when produced, wine, in its essence, does not change even though the alcohol content has been removed.Some Muslims who feel that non-alcoholic wine is permissible have applauded its production stating it as a positive move towards inclusivity of Muslims into modern society. They also state that it can help reverts to better adapt and to curb the curiosity of young Muslims living in a western society. However, we should remember, Muslims have been advised by the Messenger (SAW) that, “Whoever imitates a certain people becomes one of them.” (Abu Dawood). In almost all Non- Muslim societies, drinking and “popping the champagne bottle” is the customary way of celebrating and socialising. Although non- alcoholic wines may not have the intoxicating properties that are so detrimental, they still carry the ideals of the secular society which made it so popular. Moreover, the notion of creating inclusivity and curbing the curiosity of Muslims could lead to a spiritual crises and cause heedlessness in the prohibitions of Islam.The permissibility of non-alcoholic wines will continue to be debated amongst Muslims worldwide. However, as Muslims we cannot go against the clear commands in the Qur’an and Sunnah. Finally, we should be mindful of the Hadith narrated by ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said; “Wine is cursed from ten angles: The wine itself, the one who squeezes, the one for whom it is squeezed, the one who sells it, the one who buys it, the one who carries it, the one to whom it is carried, the one who consumes its price, the one who drinks it and the one who pours it.”(Ibn Majah). Download

Author: Faheema Mahomed Ali Date: 22 August 2022 The food industry has rapidly been evolving and has experienced exponential growth in recent times. A large increase in world population initiated the development of original and innovative ways to keep up with the demand for food. Furthermore, socio-economic changes, competition within the food industry and exposure to diverse culinary cultures are all factors contributing to the growth of the food industry. This led to major advancements in food processing. The evolution of the food industry has also seen an evolution in the consciousness of the Muslim consumer. As a Muslim consumer, one needs to be aware of the different food manufacturing and preservation techniques, and several food additives. Determining whether an item is Halaal or not can be a daunting prospect for the general Muslim consumer. Almost all processed food items have either preservatives, enzymes or flavour enhancements. It is clear that if a substance is produced from a source/raw material that is Haraam (unlawful) then the end product will be considered Haraam. There are however, instances where an item is considered Halaal after it has gone through a chemical change. A well-known example is the production of Vinegar. Vinegar is produced when ethyl alcohol (which is intoxicating) is oxidised and becomes acetic acid (vinegar). The ethyl alcohol naturally undergoes a complete chemical transformation which no longer makes it intoxicating and therefore Halaal.As Muslim consumers, it would be almost impossible to ascertain if something is permissible or impermissible with our own limited knowledge and we continue to rely on certification bodies to guide us when choosing permissible items used in our daily lives. Halaal certification allows Muslim consumers to use and consume products with the peace of mind that product has undergone rigorous tests and audits. Halaal certification bodies use the expertise of scientists, food technologists and the ulema, and consider raw materials, processing techniques and final packaging. This ensures that the product you eat, as a Muslim consumer, is free from contamination from any unlawful sources throughout the food production process. Download

Author: Faheema Mahomed Ali Date: 14 July 2022 The growing concern over the increase in chronic diseases affecting young and old, has led to a greater awareness of eating healthier food world-wide. Research has shown that the type and quality of food we eat has an immense effect on our overall health. This has subsequently led to a greater appreciation for halaal food, especially by Non-Muslims. As Muslims, it is our religious duty to eat halaal and tayyib (pure) food, but how many of us understand the hidden health benefits of following this manner of eating? Halaal food has become increasingly popular in the Western world today, resulting in not only non-Muslims knowing what halaal food is, but also many non-Muslims preferring halaal food over non- Halaal food.What makes halaal food healthier to consume? The term “halaal” is no longer merely seen as a religious duty Muslims have to fulfil and is fast becoming synonymous with safe food production and high quality standard of food. Due to the rigorous hygiene standards enforced by halaal certification bodies, halaal food has been found to have a lower risk of food pathogen contamination, and therefore, very low incidences of food poisoning and other food-borne diseases. The Quraan and Sunnah not only stipulate what food is not allowed, but also the appropriate ways of production. Let’s consider the halaal method of slaughtering as an example. The guidelines of upbringing, preparing and slaughtering the animals for consumption is one of the most ethical methods employed by the food industry today. Islam considers animal welfare as an important factor in food production. The animal must be well-fed, healthy and disease-free before being slaughtered. Not only is this of benefit to the animals but also us as consumers. Studies have also shown that if animals experience high levels of stress and anxiety before being slaughtered, excessive levels of the stress hormone cortisol is released by the adrenal glands. Furthermore, it has been found that high levels of cortisol increase the acidity of the meat. The high acidity present, not only results in meat that is not tender but also when consumed may have detrimental effects on our bodies. It is well known that an increase in acidity has been linked to various chronic diseases. Another critical aspect of the halaal method of slaughtering is the complete drainage of blood after the animal has been slaughtered. Blood is often the ideal medium for microorganisms to grow, and therefore the complete drainage of blood results in a low likelihood of microbial growth and spoilage of food. Remarkably, because care is taken for the animal to be in as much of a relaxed state as possible, this stimulates the parasympathetic system conserving the body’s natural state and ensuring ideal blood flow. This results in both safer, disease-free, more tender and better quality meat. It is these scientific and research-based health benefits of halaal meat that has contributed to the increasing popularity of halaal food. There is a growing trend of people of various religious faiths preferring halaal certified meat and food products. Today the consumption of halaal food transcends many ethnical and religious backgrounds and is fast becoming known as a major contributor to the healthy, wholesome lifestyle. Download

Author: Aisha Mahomed Ali Date : 14 July 2022 There is an increasing trend to leading a healthier lifestyle, and today more people are turning to changing their diets and seeking more plant-based or alternative meat-free products. Early plant-based meat products were developed with vegetarians in mind, providing a vegetarian option for your typical meat-based products. Today, concerns such as food security, sustainability, climate change and impacts of industrial animal agriculture are the main factors that stimulated innovation in developing plant-based meat products that try to replicate or bio mimics conventional meat products. Another trending topic is the benefits of plant proteins on health and chronic diseases. For these reasons, scientists continue to research plant-based proteins to develop products that have the same appearance, texture, flavour, and nutritional properties as regular animal meat, fish, dairy, and egg products. With increased plant-based meat options available in supermarkets today, do we know how these are made? How is plant-based meat made? Animal meat is made up of muscle tissue, and in its simplest form, this consists of protein, fat, vitamins, mineral and water. Plants do not have muscle tissue, but they do contain protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water. To try and replicate the protein, fats or functional components in animal meat, a replacement is sought in plants.The well-known texture of animal meat is because of its unique special arrangement of proteins in the muscle tissue. Often plant-based ingredients have different compositions, structures, and physicochemical properties, making it more challenging to mimic animal meat products. However, minced meat has a simpler texture making it easier to replicate, and most of the current plant-based products are mimic minced meat derivatives.Plant-based ingredients are made similar to meat products through mechanical, chemical, or biological processing.When making plant-based meat products, these general production steps apply Crop Development With proteins being the main ingredient in meat products, the starting point for developing plant-based meat products is finding and optimising the suitable crop sources containing the right protein mixtures that would have the closest structures and functionalities to animal proteins. This results in less costly, energy-intensive, complex downstream processing and, in turn, less effort to create a plant-based meat product with the desired functional and sensory properties of animal meat products. This can be done by finding the right crop sources and growth conditions. Finding the genes that provide the desired properties can be controlled by selecting and breeding crop cultivars. Ingredient optimisation Once crops are harvested, they need to be processed to isolate the proteins. The protein concentrates or isolates serve as the base ingredient for plant-based meats. Some crops, such as jackfruit and mushrooms, require minimum post-harvest processing when preparing plant-based meats, but most plant-based products rely on plant protein concentrates or isolates as raw materials. This can be then further processed to obtain desired functional attributes.Although obtained from the same plant source, Fats and starch are usually sold as separate fractions and are then recombined during the manufacturing of plant-based meat products. This allows manufacturers consistency and reproducibility of the ratios within the final formulation. It is also easier for manufacturers to store ingredients as shelf-stable dry ingredients. End product formulation and manufacturing The formulation and manufacturing of plant-based meat combine culinary art and science. This complex process looks at the interactions between ingredients and testing for desired texture and sensory attributes. The formulation also looks at the nutritional properties of the final product to make it as close as possible to animal meats or to enhance its nutritional properties, to include fibre, for example.After the formulation, the mixture is structured into appropriate shapes and forms. This is done through manufacturing processes such as stretching, kneading, shear-cell processing, press forming, folding, layering, 3D printing, and extrusion. These processes result in different forms and textures of plant-based meat products that we currently see in the market. Although the number of plant-based meat products in the market is increasing, research is still ongoing to develop new healthy, nutritional products that taste, looks and feels just as great as animal meat. Download

Author: NIHT Media Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral disease of humans caused by a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). An outbreak of the disease first occurred in early December 2019 in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. The China Health Authority alerted the World Health Organization (WHO) of an unknown respiratory illness in patients. On 7 January 2020 the virus (later named SARS-CoV-2) which caused the disease, was identified from the throat swab sample of a patient. On the 11 March 2020 the WHO declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic. To date countries are actively fighting to control this pandemic. The SARS-CoV-2 virus is a member of the family of viruses known as Coronaviridae. It is a Betacoronavirus that belongs in a group together with two other highly pathogenic viruses, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome human coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped and positive-sense single-stranded RNA (+ssRNA) virus. COVID-19 is a mild to severe respiratory illness that causes flu-like symptoms such as dry cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, chest pain or fever. The complete clinical picture with regard to COVID-19 is still not fully understood. Reported illnesses have ranged from infected people with little to no symptoms to people being severely ill and dying. People can catch COVID-19 from others who have been infected with the virus. This happens when an infected person sneezes or coughs, sending tiny droplets into the air. These can land in the nose, mouth, or eyes of someone nearby, or be breathed in. People also can get infected if they touch an infected droplet on a surface and then touch their own nose, mouth, or eyes. Currently there is no cure, treatment or vaccine for the disease. Treatment of infected patients involves symptomatic care. This care includes isolation and supportive care including oxygen for patients with shortness of breath, fluid management, treating the fever and antibiotics treatment for any secondary bacterial infections. Many researchers are investigating new drugs and vaccines for treatment and prevention of the disease. This may take a while before they are proven to be safe and effective and before they can be made available to the public. The best way to protect yourself from the disease and to prevent it from spreading is to avoid contact with those who are sick with COVID-19. When visiting infected areas or public spaces, wash hands often with soap and water or a hand sanitiser and avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes. Maintain a distance between you and other individuals (at least 1 meter) in places of gathering. Avoid other people, especially those who are sick, and busy places until the outbreak is under control. Remember, COVID-19 can spread before a person has symptoms and even when someone has no symptoms. Cough into a flexed elbow, or cough or sneeze into a tissue and throw it away. If you need to go out wear a cloth face masks. Use a household cleaner or wipe to clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that people touch a lot. First Published: 11/05/2020 Download

It’s estimated that there are somewhere between 800 000 and 1.5-million observant Muslims in South Africa. Which isn’t a particularly large segment of the population — especially when you compare it with other religions or demographic groups. But commercially Islam punches far above its weight. There are places of worship and butchers and retail outlets dedicated to Muslims, owned by Muslims and usually operated by Muslims. In addition every McDonald’s outlet in South Africa is also halaal certified and every supermarket has a number of halaal products on its shelves. For these producers and stockists there is, more often than not, no religious motivation unless one counts the pursuit of profit as a spiritual quest. The global market for halaal food (excluding everything from cosmetics to vaccines, which can be found in halaal variants) is estimated to run to somewhere between $600-billion and $700-billion a year, maybe even as high as R5-trillion. More than 90% of that is controlled by companies such as Nestlé, which have simply extended their existing operations to cover the needs of Muslims. The remainder is still more than sufficient to keep a small or medium-sized venture in business. ‘The business growth from the new markets it has opened up has probably been around 25% to 30%,” says Wynand du Plessis, the founder of the Extreem Kwizeen, a catering company that operates from Cape Town. That figure is about three times what could have been expected, given that Muslim attendance at the average Western Cape banquet will typically be about 10%. But 18 months into its halaal certification, and after more than seven years in business, Extreem has discovered the halaal multiplier effect. ‘We couldn’t before, but now we market to the Muslim community,” says Du Plessis, who is not Muslim. ‘We do selective ads and flyers and stuff and we now do some Muslim weddings. We’ve gained a little bit of market share there.” What the company also gained is greater traction among its existing client base: large corporations which want to impress big groups of people. Extreem and its 25-odd staff members serve meals to groups of up to 3 600 people. Fail to provide the average of 360 Muslims among them with a good meal and you disappoint all of them — their partners and friends and the acquaintances they just met at the table, the hosts, as well as everybody else who notices. Before it became certified, Extreem would buy special halaal meals from other suppliers and suffer for it, Du Plessis says. ‘It was always embarrassing. We’d have these beautiful meals we’d do, but the plate for the Muslim guest would not be It would be this blob heated up in the microwave. People complained.” What finally drove the company to throw out the wines in its sauces, which Du Plessis finds old-fashioned anyway, and the bacon served at breakfast functions, was the sheer embarrassment. Like the function for 2 800 people, with the 40 who specified halaal meals receiving their (somewhat unappetising) third-party plates — and the remaining 100 unexpected Muslims eating takeaway chicken hastily bought from the halaal Nando’s outlet down the road. Some time after that incident is when the company learned the value of discretion. ‘It’s like vegetarians; the worst thing is to draw attention to it,” says Du Plessis. ‘You don’t want to be asked why your meal looks different or have to explain your religion at the table. We want that food to blend in, so that the two Muslims at the table of 10 don’t get questioned about their food and their beliefs and end up talking about that all night. So now all the meals look the same because each one is actually prepared for those two Muslims.” Extreem has discovered a niche in providing halaal meals to other caterers and hotels. Sometimes it receives a photo of the dishes to be served and constructs the equivalent, or nearest possible copy. For Extreem the transition to halaal was relatively easy and the maintenance of its status is made painless thanks to the 26% shareholding by a practising Muslim chef and a number of other employees of the religion throughout the organisation. Aside from occasional site inspection from representatives of the Islamic Council there are no further requirements. But companies with no Muslim shareholders or employees can be certified almost as easily, according to the bodies responsible for maintaining halaal standards. Certification can take as little as three weeks, according to Moulana Abdul Wahab Wookay of the National Independent Halaal Trust. ‘It differs from business to business and depends on the infrastructure and processes that may already be in place, but we have food services companies and restaurants that have been certified by us in less than a month,” he says. For restaurants or fast-food outlets, the two major requirements are that no alcohol or pork are used or sold other premises. For businesses owned by non-Muslims the alcohol prohibition can mean some complicated calculations to determine whether the potential new income from Muslim customers will outweigh the substantial margins that can be charged on alcoholic beverages. But Wookay says removing pork from the menu is not nearly as fraught. ‘We’ve had big and small companies applying for certification and they usually tell us that pork is a small part of their business. People don’t seem to be buying as much pork anymore; I don’t know if that is because of the perception of swine flu. Usually they don’t have aproblem opting to remove the pork.” In small businesses with single premises and straightforward requirements the trust appoints two supervisors to ensure probity if there are no Muslims in food management positions. These supervisors report to the trust and remain on its payroll, which means that business owners do not negotiate salaries directly. The benefit is that the training and placement of the supervisors is up to the trust, as is liability for failure. Wookay says that businesses are not expected to employ

Author: Paul Cochrane, Dinarstandard South Africa has a long halal – or as it is known locally ‘halaal’ – heritage. “Certification began in the 1940s, so South Africans are pioneers in halal certification,” Moulana Abdul Wahab Wookay, CEO of the National Independent Halaal Trust (NIHT), told SalaamGateway. Until the 1980s, certification was primarily for meat, then it expanded into other food segments. “Certification has evolved to there being an adequate range of halal products on supermarket shelves, with around 80 to 90 percent halal-certified, compared to 10 to 20 percent in other (African) countries,” said Wookay. He added that all major abattoirs are halal-certified, as are major dairy producers. There are no official statistics on halal food production or sales, but the South African National Halaal Authority (SANHA) estimated that in 2012, 60 percent of all food products were halal-certified. SANHA estimates that the country’s halal industry is worth 45 billion Rand ($3.22 billion), while in the rest of Africa it is worth more than 1 trillion Rand ($71.7 billion). Sales are disproportionally high compared to the Muslim population, estimated at 1.7 percent or 860,000 in 2010, according to Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, and forecast to rise to 1.9 percent, or 1.01 million by 2020. Unofficial estimates are over 2 million Muslims, out of 55 million people, according to the latest census. The wide availability of halal food throughout the country can be attributed in part to traders. “Being a minority Muslim population in South Africa it is phenomenal that we have this many halal-certified products. When we consider how many transporters are Muslims, the trader is playing an important part in this industry,” said Wookay. Such high retail sales is indicative of a wide acceptance of halal by South African consumers, bolstered by major multinational and South African brands being halal-certified, such as Nando’s, Bokomo, Beefmaster, Oros, Royco, Tiger Brands, and Cerebos. “Locally there’s a great understanding of halal and there’s not any opposition to it. Many non-Muslims prefer to eat halal due to the quality, and we put that at about 11 million people,” said Wookay. CERTIFIERS There are four major halal certifiers in South Africa, with SANHA having certified 1,793 outlets, and NIHT active beyond its borders, in 47 countries throughout the continent. Certification has spiked in recent years. “The number of applications coming in has increased constantly. Over the last six years, from NIHT’s perspective, we have had tremendous growth; we’ve more than doubled,” said Wookay. CHALLENGES “At moment the sector is flourishing, and in terms of challenges we don’t foresee many. The fact is, halal has become a major brand,” said Wookay. That said, there are areas for further development. One is in the meat sector. In 2011, foot and mouth disease (FMD) was detected in KwaZulu-Natal province, and restrictions were put on meat exports, only ending in 2015 when South Africa was declared FMD-free by the World Organization for Animal Health. As a result, meat exports have only started to rise over the past year, while there has been a rise in demand for halal meat products to be certified, according to Wookay. Halal tourism could also be developed further, which would bolster restaurant certification. “We now have Muslim-owned game reserves, and halal tourism is starting to develop,” said Wookay. Currently, the establishment of halal parks is being discussed at the provincial level, particularly to develop small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), as while there are over 1,800 food production companies in the country, the top 10 manufacturers account for around 70 percent of the industry’s turnover, according to Flanders Investment and Trade, which has an office in Johannesburg. South Africa has not overly developed other halal segments such as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, which could bolster the overall halal ecosystem. “Pharmaceuticals are starting to grow but cosmetics is not really where it should be as the concentration has been mainly on food. There are a lot of opportunities in those sectors,” said Wookay. OPPORTUNITIES While around 10 percent of South Africa’s halal produce is exported, the country plans to expand on its strong agricultural position, being virtually self-sufficient and exporting 30 percent more agricultural goods than it imports, according to Flanders Investment and Trade. South Africa is well positioned to expand its exports beyond its borders, especially as South African traders account for 50 percent of Africa’s fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, of which 35 percent are Muslim, according to SANHA. “South Africa is the gateway to Africa. Over 50 percent of the continent’s population is Muslim, around 500 million people, and we find numerous South African companies that are investing in supermarkets throughout the continent,” said Wookay. Export aside, there are domestic opportunities. “We believe that there is an opportunity in the agro processing and tourism sectors given South Africa’s reputation for quality, the high standard of halal products, Islamic banking sector services, proficiency in the English language, and pricing, which is about half the price of two years ago due to the fall in the Rand,” Ebi Lockhat, SANHA’s Public Relations Officer, told SalaamGateway. – Source: Salaam Gateway First Published: 04/01/2017 Download