What is behind the Halal certificate ban in U.P.? | Explained

The story so far: On November 18, the Uttar Pradesh Government’s Food Security and Drug Administration banned the “manufacture, sale, storage and distribution of halal-certified products with immediate effect”. Halal certificates are given by the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind’s Halal Unit and the Halal Shariat Islamic Law Board, both of whom have been cleared by the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies. Our Halal unit has been giving certificates only for export purposes,” a Jamiat official said, adding, “It is a misconception that we give Halal certificates for vegetarian products. It is aimed at maligning us.” Meanwhile, the retailers, whose business was thrown into a chaos due to the hastily imposed ban, revealed that while many vegetarian food items carry Halal certificates when exported to Muslim countries, at times, the packages exceeded the number of export items.