FAQS about Halal restaurants in Cardiff

As a Halal restaurant in Cardiff, we are often asked questions by our non-Muslim customers about what Halal means.  So, we thought it would be useful to answer common questions about this topic.

What is meant by the term Halal?

In Arabic, Halal means lawful, permissible, allowed, legal or legitimate.  It is used to refer to food and drink that Muslims are allowed to consume.  It is also used as a way to refer to how a person lives their life.

What does Halal mean when referring to food?

In general, ‘Halal’ means any food and/or drink that is: 

1. Free of, and not made of, or containing any part or substance taken or extracted from animals which are forbidden (in Arabic we say HARAM), according to Islamic law.
2. Not containing any substances, declared filth according to Islamic Law.
3. Not prepared, processed, produced or manufactured using utensils, equipment and/ or machinery which is not free from filthy substances as directed by Islamic Law, and food or drink that has:
4. During preparation, processing or storage, come into contact or been close to any food that does not meet the requirements of Islamic Law.

In our restaurant in Cardiff we only serve Halal food. 

What does Halal mean when referring to animal meat?

Halal is used to refer to any animal that has been slaughtered in accordance with Islamic law.  Muslims can only consume meat that has been slaughtered in a particular way.

Is ‘Halal’ for Muslims only?

Anyone (irrespective of faith, gender, ethnicity, nationality, race or age) can eat ‘Halal’ food and lead a ‘Halal’ lifestyle.

What does Haram mean 

Haram is the opposite of Halal. Haram means prohibited by God, unwholesome or foul.

What foods are Haram?

Muslims are not permitted to consume the following:

• Pork and its by-products (e.g., gelatin)
• Meat from animals not slaughtered according to the Islamic law
• Alcohol and foods prepared with alcohol
• Foods made with pure or artificial vanilla extract (as vanilla is prepared with alcohol)
• Foods containing blood and blood by-products (e.g., black pudding)
• Foods made with any of the following: whey prepared with non-microbial enzyme, rennet, animal shortening, monoglycerides and diglycerides from an animal source, sodium stearoyl- lactylate, L-cysteine.

Why are some foods Haram?

Meat that has not been rendered Halal by Islamic slaughter or that is liable to cause ill health, (e.g., meat that is contaminated and unfit for consumption), cannot be considered Halal.  Meat also cannot be considered Halal if it is past its “minimum durability marking”. If a Muslim is sold Haram food, it is viewed very seriously, because this type of food is prohibited in Islamic law.

How does your food business ensure that food and drink is Halal?

For any food or drink to be classed as Halal and lawful for Muslims to consume, our staff carry out checks during the supplier appraisal process.  In particular, we check that:

• All food and drink that we purchase is described as Halal on the product label and/or on the product specification.
• All the ingredients are Halal.

Do you permit Halal and Non-Halal food to be consumed on your premises?

At Deli Fuego, we only offer Halal food and drink to be prepared, stored and consumed on our premises.  We do this because it would be very difficult for us to ensure clear separation of Halal and Haram food and drink.

Is there a legal requirement to label food as Halal?

There is no legal requirement to label food as being Halal. If a description “Halal” is made, then it must be clear which product the description refers to.  Otherwise, our business may run the risk of committing an offence of misdescribing food on sale.
In the UK there are few recognised systems that certify Halal food.

Do Local Council Officers carry out checks on Halal foods?

An Environmental Health Officer or Trading Standards Officer may check whether a food claiming to be Halal is actually Halal. This could happen during a routine inspection, or when investigating a complaint or as part of a sampling programme. In all cases, officers will routinely check who food businesses buy their meat from.

Is a breach of Halal Principles an offence?

If an officer finds a business is describing Halal foods incorrectly, they would consider taking some form of action. A contravention of Halal principles can also be a breach of UK food law. For example, if a food is described as Halal but is found to contain pork, then this would be considered Haram to a Muslim and contravenes food law for composition and labelling. Taking samples and sending food for analysis is one way that an officer can check composition and therefore the Halal claim. An officer may consider taking further action which could potentially lead to prosecution.

Is Halal food readily available in food establishments in Cardiff?

Yes, Cardiff, being a multicultural city, and the capital of Wales, has a wide variety of restaurants and fast-food outlets that offer Halal food. Dishes, for example, from the Middle East, Turkish cuisine, Pakistani and South Asian foods. You can find plenty of Halal food premises in City Road, Albany Road, Cardiff City Centre and Cardiff Bay. It’s best to check whether a food premises is Halal before visiting.

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We hope you have found this article helpful.  If you think of any questions that we haven’t asked, please do let us know and we can expand this article further.

Send your questions to info@ delifuego.com