Halal certification needs to be busted says top officials in Uttar Pradesh government
Uttar Pradesh’s ban on food products with halal certification is meant to crack down on those who are illegally minting money in the name of halal certification, top officials in the state government told News18, questioning why vegetarian products need such certification. The yogi adityanath government had on november 18 banned the production, storage, distribution and sale of food products with halal certification with immediate effect while exempting products manufactured for export. In a statement, the state government had alleged “malicious attempts” to discourage the use of products lacking a halal certificate not only seek “unfair financial benefits” but also form part of a “pre-planned strategy to sow class hatred, create divisions in society, and weaken the country” by “anti-national elements”.“This crackdown has nothing to do with the exporters… But this certification is unnecessary. It is hurting the sentiments of the Hindu community where even vegetarian products have this certification. Why unnecessarily pay for the certification? For example, there is no meat in sunflower oil. So why does it need halal certification?” an official toldThe UP government statement had said strict legal measures will be taken against any individual or firm engaged in the production, storage, distribution, buying, and selling of halal-certified medicines, medical devices, and cosmetics within Uttar Pradesh. There are also fears that the “unfair advantage” is being passed onto “anti-social or anti-national elements”, the government said. However, products manufactured for export will not be subject to the restrictions, it clarified. According to the statement, the UP government recently received information which indicated that products such as dairy items, sugar, bakery products, peppermint oil, salty ready-to-eat beverages, and edible oils are being labelled with a halal certification.