Since the turn of the 21st century, there have been efforts to create organizations such as the Muslim Consumer Group that certify food products as halal for Muslim consumers.
Since 1991, some mainstream manufacturers of soups, grains, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, prepared foods, and other products, as well as hotels, restaurants, airlines, hospitals, and other service providers have pursued the halal market. These companies purchase halal-certified products. Halal certification tells Muslims that their ingredients and production methods have been tested and declared permissible by a certification body. It also allows companies to export products to most Middle Eastern countries and South East Asian Countries. The oldest and most well-known halal certifier in the United States is called the "Islamic Services of America". Something that companies which intend to export halal products must keep in mind, when choosing a certifier, is whether or not the certifier is recognized by foreign governmental bodies.
In 1986, the "Islamic Meat & Poultry Company" was founded in Stockton, California. Islamic Meat & Poultry is a halal-only, U.S. Department of Agriculture inspected, hand slaughtering and meat processing facility. This company follows the principles of slaughtering and meat processing according to the Islamic Shariah.
- In 2011, Halal Products Certification Institute was established in California and became the first worldwide corporation that certified halal consumer products such as cosmetics, personal care products and perfumes & fragrances. The institute was established by Islamic intellectual scholars and Muslim scientists to assure the dissemination of halal consumer products.
- Also in Europe, several organizations have been created over the past 20 years in order to certify halal products. A survey recently published by a French association of Muslim Consumers (ASIDCOM) shows that the market of halal products has been developed in a chaotic way. The certification organizations do not have a common definition of "halal" nor agreed upon control procedures and traceability. The controls implemented by individual agencies are all very different: it can go from an annual audit of the slaughterhouse to checking each production with permanent controls in place.
In South Africa, most chicken products have a halal stamp. The South African National Halal Authority (SANHA) issues certificates and products bearing this logo range from water, snacks, and even meat-free products (which may contain non-halal ingredients). The South African National Halal Authority also licenses the usage of the Halal logo in restaurants where the food is halal in addition to no alcohol or pork products being served.
One of the first halal food companies in the USA is Midamar Corporation, established in 1974 and located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.[11] It is also one of the first companies in the USA to sell USDA approved and Halal certified US protein products to the Middle East and South East Asia.The certification agency Islamic Services of America (ISA) was established in 2004 and located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.Islamic Services of America certifications are recognized by some Islamic countries.
Some questions have been raised about the authenticity and practices of ISA and Midamar. An investigative article documents the conflict of interest between ISA and Midamar. At least four members of the Midamar owner's family are on the board of directors of ISA. Midamar's vague differentiation on the slaughtering methods has also generated controversy.
In Dearborn, Michigan, the home of one of the largest Muslim and Arab populations in the United States, some fast food restaurant chains such as the McDonald's Corporation have introduced halal chicken nuggets and chicken sandwiches.
In the United Kingdom, China, Malaysia or Singapore, halal fried chicken restaurants having thousands of outlets serve halal foods, such as the ChicKing Fried Chicken, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Brown's Chicken, and Crown Fried Chicken companies. As of February 2009, Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants in the U.K. began to sell halal meals in several restaurants.
Also, in New York City there are numerous halal food carts in business which serve gyros, chicken platters, and other halal fast foods, whereas in Europe, there are many of the Muslim-owned Döner kebab shops.
A law passed by a county in Michigan in 2005 bans the sale, distribution, or production of food mislabeled "halal," when county authorities determine that the food does not meet Islamic dietary standards. Similar laws protect kosher foods in most of the United States, and in many other countries, states, or provinces.
In 2008 and 2009, twelve stores in the Mary Brown's chain in Ontario and Alberta became 100% halal.Numerous halal meat markets also exist in Southern Ontario and Metro Vancouver.
Popeye's Chicken in Ontario is halal-certified, however, a legal dispute broke out between a group of 14 Muslim franchisees and the chain over the company's decision to use machine slaughtered birds. The 14 Toronto area outlets are instead using hand slaughtered halal birds and are suing the company so that they can continue to do so.
Thailand and Philippines also has a noticeable population of Muslims and Halal-meat shops country-wide.
Within the People's Republic of China, which has a sizable Hui Muslim minority population, halal food is known as "Qingzhen" (pinyin: qīngzhēn; literally "pure truth"). Halal restaurants run by Hui Chinese resemble typical Chinese food, except that they do not serve pork. Dishes specific to Hui Chinese are known as Chinese Islamic cuisine.
