Kosher and Halal:  How they affect Muslim and Jewish dietary practices

Abstract

The Jewish kosher dietary laws and the Muslim halal dietary laws are an integral part of each religion as part of their larger legal frameworks.  However, as food and drink are so central to people’s daily life, these laws often taken on a greater significance. Therefore, it is useful to understand these laws, and how they function to meet the daily needs of their adherents. The kosher (kashrus) dietary laws determine which foods are “fit or proper” for consumption by Jewish consumers who observe these laws. The halal dietary laws determine which foods are “lawful” or permitted for Muslims. For both religions, the food laws are a small part of a comprehensive system of religious laws that cover many aspects of daily life. However, these laws establish a framework, but how an individual Jew or Muslim will live their life is a personal matter often influenced by the standards of the local community and often not necessarily following all of the laws. And the laws themselves will vary as there is no central body currently in a position to harmonize these laws. Although these variations in practice may at times be frustrating for those making products to serve these markets, it is also a great strength internally to be able to respect differences within the group and to learn to celebrate this diversity.

Introduction

The Jewish kosher dietary laws and the Muslim halal dietary laws are an integral part of each religion as part of their larger legal frameworks.  However, as food and drink are so central to people’s daily life, these laws often taken on a greater significance both for adherents and for the larger society. Therefore, it is useful to understand these laws and see how they function in the broader society and it is helpful to understand some of the dietary preferences/cultures that help these systems meet the daily needs of their adherents.  (For a more detailed discussion of these laws, please see the open-access paper Regenstein et al. (2013).)

Understanding Kosher and Halal Dietary Laws

The kosher (kashrus) dietary laws determine which foods are “fit or proper” for consumption by Jewish consumers who observe these laws. The halal dietary laws determine which foods are permitted for Muslims. For both religions, the food laws are a small part of a comprehensive system of religious laws that cover many aspects of daily life.

The Kosher and Halal Markets

Both kosher and halal are important specialty markets in many countries. Briefly, the deliberate consumers of kosher food, i.e., those people who specifically look for the kosher mark, are estimated to be over 12 million Americans (of which 2/3 are not Jewish) and they are purchasing almost 15 billion dollars of kosher products (Lubicom, 2012). Other users include consumers who may find kosher products helpful in meeting their own dietary needs, such as Muslims, Seventh-Day Adventists, vegetarians, vegans, people with various types of allergies – particularly to dairy, grains, and legumes – and general consumers who, for one reason or another prefer kosher products. By undertaking kosher certification, companies incrementally expand their market, i.e., increased incremental sales. In the US, this means that about 40% of packaged goods in a typical supermarket in the northeastern US are kosher.

On a global scale, the halal market is a significant component of food trade. The number of Muslims is estimated to be between 1.3 and 1.8 billion people (i.e., 20 to 25% of the world’s population!) and inter-country trade in halal products continues to grow. In many countries, halal certifications acceptable to the national government have become necessary for products to be allowed to be imported. In the US, this market is now emerging and slowly increasing the number of domestic products.  In Europe, because of immigration, the halal market is expanding rapidly, but hard numbers are difficult to obtain.

The Kosher Dietary Laws with References to the Halal Dietary Laws

The Jewish dietary laws predominantly deal with three issues, all focused on the animal kingdom with a fourth set of laws dealing with the holiday of Passover that are added to the regular laws but focus more on the plant kingdom.

There are also many additional laws dealing with special issues such as grape juice, wine, and alcohol derived from grape products;

The Muslim dietary laws cover much of the same territory as the first two kosher issues but not the last two and they bring in issues such as alcohol and live animal feed. On the other hand, their dietary laws remain constant throughout the year.

What is allowed in Kosher/Halal Dietary Law?

• Ruminants, traditional domestic birds and fish with fins and removable scales are generally permitted. The most controversial fish is probably the swordfish (Govoni et al., 2004). Determining which birds are kosher and halal is a bit more complicated because the original scriptures are not as specific. Animals that spend their entire life in the water are permitted according to the Quran.
• Pigs and camels are not permitted, although the latter is halal. The rabbit, among commercial food animals is also permitted in halal as are other generally “vegetarian” animals.
• Most insects are not kosher. A few types of grasshoppers/locusts are kosher and halal. Modern IPM (integrated pest management) programs that increase the level of insect infestation in fruits and vegetables can cause problems for the kosher consumer, who must inspect produce suspected of having insects and then remove any insects found.

What is prohibited by the Kosher/Halal Dietary Law?

• Ruminants and fowl must be slaughtered according to Jewish law by a specially trained religious person (shochet) using a special knife (chalef) designed for the purpose. Both communities are concerned with animal welfare. Some Muslim scholars permit pre-slaughter stunning of an animal and some rabbis permit post-slaughter stunning.
• Meat and poultry must be further prepared by properly removing certain veins, arteries, prohibited fats, blood, and the sciatic nerve.
• Eggs and milk from permitted animals are also permitted for Muslim consumption. Unlike kosher, there is no restriction on mixing meat and milk. For kosher there is a strict separation of milk and meat products that extends to all food processing and handling equipment. Eggs from permitted animals, permitted fish and insects, and honey along with all plant materials are neither milk nor meat and are referred to as pareve.
• To further remove the prohibited blood, red meat and poultry must then be soaked, salted and rinsed within 72 hours of slaughter.
• Any ingredients or materials that might be derived from animal sources are generally available in a kosher and/or halal form derived from plants.
• Consumption of alcoholic drinks and other intoxicants is prohibited for halal.

Kosher and allergies

Many consumers use kosher markings as a guideline to determine whether food products might meet their special needs including allergies. There are, however, limitations that the particularly sensitive allergic consumer needs to keep in mind. The kosherization procedure may not yield 100% removal of previous materials run on the same equipment.

In a few instances where pareve products contain small amounts of fish (such as anchovies in Worcestershire sauce), this ingredient may (but not always) be marked as part of the kosher supervision symbol as fish cannot be used directly with meat.

Other Products

Wine: The traditional kosher wine is made with Concord grapes and added sugar.  It is a totally different product from the normal wines and is more closely related to a very sweet dessert wine. To be kosher, all grape juice-based products can only be handled by Jews from grape-pressing to final processing. If the juice is heated (mevushal) to at least 140^oF (or 60^oC, some rabbis require a higher temperature), then it can be handled by any worker as an ordinary kosher ingredient. Thus, preparing a quality wine is more difficult after heating.  In recent years, such wines have been produced successfully and won wine-tasting awards even when competing with non-heated wines.

Although there is no allowance for added alcohol in any beverage like soft drinks, small amounts of alcohol contributed naturally from food ingredients may be considered an impurity and hence ignored by some halal supervising agencies. Synthetic or grain alcohol may be used in food processing for extraction, precipitation, dissolving and other reasons, as long as the amount of alcohol remaining in the final product is very small, generally below 0.1%.

Jewish cheese: For aged cheeses only, a Jew needs to add the coagulating agent, i.e., the agent such as chymosin that causes curd formation. Any ripened cheese that does not meet this requirement is unacceptable by the normative mainstream supervision agencies.

Kosher whey can be created more easily than kosher cheese. If all the ingredients and equipment used during cheese making are kosher, the whey will be kosher as long as the curds and whey have not been heated together above 120°F (49°C) before the whey is drained off.

Equipment kosherization

There are different ways to make equipment kosher or to change its status back to pareve. Rabbis generally frown on regularly going from meat to dairy or vice-versa. There is a range of processing procedures to be considered, depending on the equipment’s prior production history.

After a plant or a processing line has been used to produce kosher pareve products, it can be switched to either kosher dairy or kosher meat without a special equipment kosherization step. It can also subsequently be used for halal production (from pareve or dairy lines, not always from meat lines), and then, finally, for non-kosher products. In many cases, a mashgiach (the rabbinically approved kosher supervisor), is needed on-site for equipment kosherization, so it normally is beneficial to minimize the number of changeovers from one status to another. Muslims also have a procedure for changing equipment that generally involves a supervised washing.  In a few cases, when pork was used, they might require that contact surfaces be sandpapered.

The simplest equipment kosherization occurs with equipment that has only been used for cold products. This requires a good liquid caustic/soap cleaning, i.e., the type of cleaning done normally in most food plants. Materials such as ceramics, rubber, earthenware, and porcelain cannot be koshered.

Most food processing equipment is operated at cooking temperatures, generally above 120°F (49°C), the temperature that is usually rabbinically defined as “cooking.” These require a normal cleaning, a 24-hour wait, and then flooding with boiling water.

In the case of ovens or other equipment that uses “fire,” or dry heat, kosherization involves heating the metal until it glows. If kosherization of an oven is needed, this often requires the use of a blow torch to heat surfaces to “red hot.”

Both kosher and halal

The distinction between Jewish food and kosher food is important to understand. Kosher food adheres to the technical requirements of Jewish religious laws, as interpreted by individuals and religious advisors. Similarly, halal food meets the religious requirements of Muslims. However, what is considered religiously acceptable does not necessarily reflect what most people of these faiths actually eat, especially in recent times. Thus, Jewish food may not be kosher, e.g., the Ruben.

In countries where Muslims are the majority, the dominant food style tends to influence the population’s diet. For example, countries like Pakistan, Malaysia, Morocco, and Egypt have their own unique cuisines, and while halal practices are observed, they have a limited impact on the overall cuisine. The main difference may lie in whether alcohol is included in meals.

In contrast, Jews, as a historically dispersed people, have incorporated foods from various countries into their cuisine, adapting them to their religious requirements, cultural holidays, and often limited resources. Only in modern times has this historically humble food gained recognition and celebration. In Christian-majority countries, where pork and the mixing of milk and meat are common, Jewish food has been distinct both in daily life and during holidays. In Muslim-majority countries, the dietary distinctions between Jews and Muslims were less pronounced, as both avoided pork and had limited access to dairy, allowing for similarities in their diets. In many cases, religious Jews and Muslims could share meals, with the primary difference being the type of meat consumed.

For more information you can visit the extended article of the author here.

References and suggested readings.

Blech, Z. (2004) Kosher Food Production. Ames: Iowa State Press.

Chaudry, M.M. (1992) Islamic food laws: Philosophical basis and practical implications. Food Technology 46(10): 92.

Chaudry, M.M. and Regenstein, J.M. (1994) Implications of biotechnology and genetic engineering for kosher and halal foods. Trends in Food Science and Technology 5: 165–168.

Chaudry, M.M. and Regenstein, J.M. (2000) Muslim dietary laws: Food processing and marketing. Encyclopedia of Food Science 1682–1684.

Govoni, J.J., West, M.A., Zivotofsky, D., Zivotofsky, A.Z., Bowser, P.R. & Collette, B.B. (2004) Ontogeny of squamation in swordfish, Xiphias gladius. Copeia 2: 390–395.

Grunfeld, I. (1972) The Jewish Dietary Laws. p. 11–12. London: The Soncino Press.

Kashrus Magazine (2019) Your Guide to the 1,427 Kosher Agencies Worldwide, 2019-2030 Edition. Brooklyn, NY: Yeshiva Birkas Reuven.

Khan, G.M. (1991) Al-Dhabah, Slaying Animals for Food the Islamic Way. p. 19–20. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: Abul Qasim Bookstore.

Jackson, M.A. (2000) Getting religion for your product, that is. Food Technology 54(7): 60–66.

Larsen, J. (1995) Ask the dietitian. Hopkins, MN: Hopkins Technology, LLC., http://www.dietitian.com/alcohol.html. Accessed April 24, 2003.

Lubicom Marketing Consulting (2012) Kosher Statistics.  http://www.lubicom.com/kosher/statisics (accessed 12 November 2012).

Ratzersdorfer, M., Regenstein, J.M. & Letson, L.M. (1988) Appendix 5: Poultry Plant Visits. In: A Shopping Guide for the Kosher Consumer, edited by J.M. Regenstein, C.E. Regenstein, and L.M. Letson for Governor Mario Cuomo, pp. 16–24. Albany, NY: State of New York.

Regenstein, J.M. (1994) Health aspects of kosher foods. Activities Report and Minutes of Work Groups & Sub-Work Groups of the R & D Associates. 46(1): 77–83.

Regenstein, J.M. (2002) Study room: Halal and kosher: The Muslim and Jewish dietary laws. http://cybertower.cornell.edu (accessed 28 March 2013).

Regenstein, J.M. (2012) Hot Topics: The politics of religious slaughter – How science can be misused. Proceedings of the Reciprocal Meat Conference 2012, American Meat Science Association, 7 pages, in press.

Regenstein, J.M., Chaudry, M.M., and Regenstein, C.E. (2003) The kosher and halal food laws. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety 2(3):111–127.

Regenstein, J.M. and Grandin, T. (2002) Kosher and halal animal welfare standards. Institute of Food Technologists Religious and Ethnic Foods Division Newsletter 5(1): 3–16.

Regenstein, J.M. and Regenstein, C.E. (1979) An introduction to the kosher (dietary) laws for food scientists and food processors. Food Technology 33(1): 89–99.

Regenstein, J.M. and Regenstein, C.E. (1988) The kosher dietary laws and their implementation in the food industry. Food Technology 42(6): 86, 88–94.

Regenstein, J.M. and Regenstein, C.E. (2000) Kosher foods and food processing. Encyclopdedia of Food Science 1449–1453.

Regenstein, J.M. and Regenstein, C.E. (2002a) The story behind kosher dairy products such as kosher cheese and whey cream. Cheese Reporter 127(4): 8, 16, 20.

Regenstein, J.M. and Regenstein, C.E. (2002b) What kosher cheese entails. Cheese Marketing News 22(31): 4, 10.

Regenstein, J.M. and Regenstein, C.E. (2002c) Kosher byproducts requirements. Cheese Marketing News 22(32): 4, 12.

Riaz, M.N. and Chaudry, M.M. (2003) Halal Food Production. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

Additional Resources

Food Marketing Institute: http://www.fmi.org

Kashrus Magazine – The Online Source for Kosher Information: http://www.kashrusmagazine.com

Kashrut.com – The Premier Kosher Information Source on the Internet: http://www.kashrut.com North American Meat Institute: http://www.meatinstitute.org

Salaam Gateway: [email protected]