AUTOMATED HALAAL SLAUGHTERING®

Imam Qamrul Khanson

July 07 2022

Introduction:

The Canadian Halaal Food Certifying Agency (CHFCA) follows stricter Islamic laws which requires that Zabeeha poultry intended for the human consumption be slaughtered in most humane application from handling to the actual Halaal slaughtering of each bird. Halaal slaughter is one of the most humane methods available to the meat industry and the only method acceptable for Muslim consumers. The protocol of Halaal conditions followed by CHFCA shall be applied and verified accordingly.

The Zabeeha poultry to be slaughtered must be from the categories that are permitted for the Halaal eating community to consume as food.

Step: 01 - The poultry must be alive at the time of slaughter and for the purpose a special arrangement / process must be in application to cull the birds which are Dead on Arrival (DOA).

               The very first important aspect of Haraam Hazard Critical Control Point (HHCCP) is to absolutely assure that all the chickens received in the receiving dock for the purpose of Halaal Slaughtering shall be alive, healthy, and free from diseases and without injuries of any kind to make it eligible for the Halaal food.

               A tabulated record shall be maintained as how many birds were DOA out of the total volume shipped and received by the processing plant. The same procedure shall be applicable to any plant either processing poultry or cattle. This information would be needed by the CHFCA team to verify day-to-day basis to pre-empt the entry of DOA into stunning chamber either CAS or Electrical.

Step: 02 - The stunning of the poultry after the DOA cull-out is needed as per the recommendation of Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Although the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) came into force on January 15, 2019, certain requirements are being phased in, over the following 12 to 30 months. 

               Determining if there are Haraam Hazard Critical Control Points (HHCCPs) in the Halaal Slaughtering process is the utmost important principle beside the CFIA regulated HACCP in the development of a Halaal food safety system based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP). It follows the HACCP principle described in the document conducting a hazard analysis which involves identifying the hazards for the processing steps, inputs, or the traffic flows. CHFCA takes it in priority to HHCCP identification in the Halaal Food chain.

               The CHFCA protocol requires that the Zabeeha birds could be stunned with no more than 80% CO2 stunning dosages under any circumstances where the time gap between stunning and the rotary blade Halaal Slaughtering shall be as less than a minute so that the birds are slaughtered while clinically alive with the heart beats still pumping the blood.

Step: 03 – A multistage CO2 dosage monitoring in all the operational lines shall be observed continually for the stricter control so that the stunning dosages do not exceed the 80% CO2.

               Observing chickens for the heartbeat is the 2nd most important aspects of Haraam Hazard Critical Control Point (HHCCP) by which personnel trained and appointed to check the viable heartbeat through the beat/stiffness/temperature, shall be attentive and shall be quick to cull out the chickens without any sign of life as non-edible for the human food and non-acceptable for further processing as Halaal.

Step: 04 - The Zabeeha birds before and during the Halaal Slaughtering, shall be recited upon with the Islamic phrase of Bismillahi Allohu Akbar continually by the decided number of Muslim Blessers and Slaughterers stationed to slaughter the birds on each line of the slaughtering process.    

The birds shall be slaughtered using a sharp rotary knife automated in the conveying line followed by the handheld sharp knife for the emergency cut where the automated knife fails to do the job. When needed, the cut shall be on the same spot and by the Muslim Blessers and Slaughterers only. The slaughtering must be done in one stroke without lifting the knife.

Offering blessings before and during the Halaal-slaughtering of Zabeeha Chickens is the 3rd most important aspect of Haraam Hazard Critical Control Point (HHCCP) after making the assurance that the chicken is alive after CAS / electrical stunning. The recitation of Tasmiah in Arabic (Islamic Phrase – In the name of God – God is The-Greatest) signifies the basic Halaal process meeting the essential component of Islamic Jurisprudence in the Automated Halaal Slaughtering (AHS) Process.

It shall be continually supervised in terms of training and when needed a direct supervision that the incision of neck is from the front side where oesophageal, carotid, pulmonary and jugular channels are severed at once properly meeting the Halaal conditions and compatible with the Islamic jurisprudence. A strict monitoring and supervision on the ground is necessary to meet the Halaal validity. Supervisor name shall be mentioned in this tabulated record.

Step: 05 – Though it is natural to expect that the incision of neck from the front side where oesophageal, carotid, pulmonary and jugular channels exist, such are severed at once properly meeting the Halaal conditions and it is compatible with the Islamic jurisprudence.  Such a cut should be observed with a profuse bleeding from the bird which would be indicative of life in bird after CAS / electrical stunning.

               Though most slaughtering plants are dominantly based upon Automated Halaal Slaughtering (AHS) where operators are humans with their hand on the switches to regulate Halaal slaughtering yet continual presence of personnel with sharpened knife assures that all chickens are properly slaughtered.

The essential part of the process is to incise manually where needed, exactly on the same spot and observe for the profuse bleeding for the bird. The head of the animal must not be cut off during the slaughtering but later after the bird is completely dead, even the knife should not go deep into the spinal cord.

This is an important Humane as well as Halaal authentication directive in the process of Halaal slaughtering which is the 4th important Haraam Hazard Critical Control Point (HHCCP).

               It shall be continually supervised in terms of training and when needed a direct supervision that the profuse bleeding is observed without fail after the severance of oesophageal, carotid, pulmonary and jugular channels meeting the Halaal conditions and compatible with the Islamic jurisprudence. If the slaughtered bird does not show bleeding except few drops, it shall be culled as non-Halaal. A strict monitoring and supervision on the ground is necessary to meet the Halaal validity. Supervisor name shall be designated for the shift/line in record.

No live bird shall be allowed to the scalding water chamber where the removal of feather commences. The first four HHCCP would assure that such a fault never happens, and this shall be the 5th important Haraam Hazard Critical Control Point (HHCCP).

Step: 06 - During the process of evisceration, none of the diseased Caracas shall ever be allowed to the food chain of the consumers.  The Audit and Inspection under the supervision of CFIA which CHFCA supports wholeheartedly would keep this stage as a 6th important Haraam Hazard Critical Control Point (HHCCP).

Step: 07 - The final product destined to the clients and consumers shall be critically labelled that no raw chicken or portions of it are safe to consume unless processed through the application of heat or an alternative process recognized as safe for the human consumption.

The final products shall be monitored for meeting the Physical, Chemical and Microbiological limits as documented by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). This would meet CHFCA requirements of Halaal and Tayyab (granted in Islamic Jurisprudence as fit for human consumption).  Main plant and associated processors shall meet all these seven steps and the seven HHCCP principles in meeting the Halaal requirements. This shall be the 7th important Haraam Hazard Critical Control Point (HHCCP).

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