About HMS
Halal Monitoring Services, a branch of Shariah Board of America (Rahmat-e-Alam Foundation), is a non-profit independent Halal monitoring organization which:
- Certifies and monitors only hand-slaughtered Halal meat according to the principles of Zabiha Halal.
- Monitors the whole chain, from the slaughterhouse, to the distributor, to the retail store or restaurant.
- Makes sure there is no mixing with non-certified meat at any level of the supply.
- Has an independent team of experienced Ulama running the service.
- Generates a network of certified slaughterhouses, grocery stores and restaurants, currently spanning over several cities across 25 states in the US
- Makes proper monitored hand-slaughtered Halal easily accessible throughout America.
- Provides all of services free of cost.
- Has provided services since 1998.
HMS works hard to:
Increase awareness in the general public about the importance of eating Halal.
Helping Muslim businesses in acquiring certified and monitored hand-slaughtered Halal meat throughout the US.
Why do we need Halal Certification and Monitoring ?
We do not live in a Muslim majority population, where it is undoubtedly true that every link in the chain of meat supply is Muslim. In those places, everyone from the butcher, to the supplier, to the processor, to the retailer, caterer, and restaurant owner are Muslim. There is no room from non-Halal in the market.
Where we live, as a small minority of the population, the story is different. See why:
- 1. Since the supply for non-Halal meat is much more than the supply of Halal meat in USA, because Muslims are a small minority of the population at large,
- non-Halal meat is naturally cheaper than Halal meat.
- 2. Halal meat is sold at a much higher price to the customer, because it costs more in the wholesale market. A savvy business owner has a big opportunity
- to capitalize on this. He can easily buy cheaper non-Halal meat and sell it for much more by simply putting a Halal label on it.
- So can anyone simply place a Halal label on whatever they like? Yes, and seeing a Halal label is not enough to fulfill our obligation as a Muslim. There is no
- substantial regulation of the Halal meat market. Some states have very good legislation to prevent this type cheat and deception but eating Halal is a
- concern of the Muslims, not the legislation. The generous members of the legislation have done their part by passing such laws (where they have done so).
- It is now the obligation of the Muslim consumer to report any cheat they encounter.
- It should be clear regarding the meat which is labeled as ‘HALAL’:
- a. It is based mostly on trust.
- b. Unfortunately, deception is a normal business practice.
- c. There is a great need to have an alternative available to the unmonitored, uninspected, controversial ‘halal meat’ labels prevalent in the market.
- There are distributors and suppliers involved in the chain of meat supply. Even if a slaughterhouse is known to conduct proper Zabiha Halal slaughter,
- by the time it gets to your plate, there are at least two or three businesses involved. Any one weak link in the chain could allow Haram into your stomach!
- The common consumer does not have the legal right to inspect the business premises of any business. Even if they were allowed into the meat cooler,
- they have no idea about which slaughterhouses or distributors are conducting proper Zabiha slaughter and selling only Zabiha Halal, without any mixing
- with non-Halal. HMS takes the legal permission from the business owner to check what is happening inside.
- The Ulama and concerned consumers of Halal throughout the world, where Muslims live as a minority in the population, have formulated this system
- of monitoring, to ensure what is labeled Halal is truly that.
- It is NOT IMPOSSIBLE to get proper Halal in our market. WE JUST HAVE TO MOBILZE & DEMAND. Right now machine-slaughter dominates the market. Muslims buy the same meat from machine-slaughter facilities which is sold for a fraction of the Halal price. The extra price Muslims pay is NOT due to cost, simply the way the Halal market is manipulated.
- Hand-slaughter can be successfully implemented for a minor cost, which the Muslims are ALREADY PAYING.
What Does HMS Certified Halal Mean ?
HMS certified means an independent team of Ulama Kiram who have the academic credentials, experience in the field and expertise in monitoring Zabiha Halal, is regularly monitoring the business practices of a Halal provider. The interested business owners sign a contract with HMS allowing them to randomly inspect their meat inventory, business premises, invoices, employee activity, etc.
- This is a testimony from the Ulama that this business is not mixing hand-slaughtered Zabiha Halal by Muslims with any other non-Halal or machine-slaughtered meat and thus it is safe, beyond a reasonable doubt, to trust this business as long as they allow this independent team of Ulama Kiram to monitor their business.
How much does it cost?
- HMS CERTIFICATION IS ABSOLUTELY FREE OF COST, SOLELY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY.