What HMS can tell you
Is Costco HMS certified?
No. HMS has not certified Costco and has not inspected the slaughter, processing or handling behind the rotisserie chicken sold at Costco, so HMS cannot confirm that it is Zabiha Halal.
What HMS would need to verify
We certify only what we check. HMS would have to trace the product to a slaughterhouse using trained Muslim slaughterers, hand Zabiha and Bismillah on every animal, then follow it through each processor and distributor that handled it before it reached the display case. Reading why machine slaughter is not Zabiha and product-specific certification shows why the shelf itself proves nothing.
Verify the individual product rather than the retailer: look for the HMS mark on the package and search the HMS certified directory, remembering that certification can cover some products and not others.
If you ever see the HMS name or mark connected with this business, check it against the directory before you rely on it. An entry that is not there has not been confirmed by HMS, and you are welcome to contact HMS about anything that looks unclear.
When in doubt, leave it
The Prophet ﷺ gave us the rule for exactly this situation:
“Leave that which causes you doubt for that which does not cause you doubt.”
Our advice is clear: avoid it until its Halal status has been verified. What you feed your family becomes part of their bodies and their worship, and no bargain is worth risking your deen for. Buy your meat from HMS Certified stores and meat markets only. Find an HMS Certified place near you.
Answers in the Halal Knowledge Center reflect the standards followed by Halal Monitoring Services (HMS), which operates as part of the Shariah Board of America. HMS certifies only what it checks.