North Carolina bill targets kosher, halal foods

North Carolina bill targets kosher, halal foods

A bill would set state standards for kosher and halal food.

State
Sen. Larry Shaw, a Fayetteville Democrat, said he filed the bill after
hearing from Jews and Muslims who were concerned about sales of foods
that meet strict religious requirements.

The state would not
directly certify the food, but it would require that anything
advertised as kosher or halal be approved by private religious
organizations that are involved in certification.

“This is really
just about truth in labeling,” Shaw said. “You cannot represent that
this food is kosher or halal unless it meets the standards recognized
in the industry.”

Kosher and halal food must come from animals that were properly slaughtered in processes overseen by rabbis and imams.

Shaw,
the only Muslim in the state legislature, said he travels to a halal
slaughterhouse in Siler City to prepare his own lamb about once a year.

He introduced a similar bill in the legislature last year.