General diet - halal

Aim

To provide a diet suitable for patients of Islamic faith.

Characteristics

Avoids all pork products and alcohol. All meat should be halal.

Indications

Available on request to Muslim patients.

Nutritional adequacy

Nutritionally adequate.

Precautions

Use only halal-certified meat and avoid gelatine, which is usually from non-halal animal sources. Avoid all pork products: this includes foods such as biscuits, pastry and cakes that may have pork fat added (pork fat may be labelled as animal fat). Avoid all food and ingredients containing alcohol. Avoid all animal fat except butter. Compliancy is to be based on ingredient compliancy and not provision of halal certification provided by manufacturers. It is not necessary to use separate cooking pots and utensils for halal food, provided adequate cleaning processes can be demonstrated. A food safety program should be able to demonstrate adequate separation of halal and haram foods.

Different denominations of Islam may have different views on which ingredients are halal or haram. Where this occurs we have coded to the strictest interpretation.

Paediatrics

Suitable for use in paediatrics when combined with an age-appropriate diet.

Specific menu planning guidelines

	Allowed	Not allowed
Hot main dishes	Beef, lamb, chicken killed by Muslim slaughter methods (halal) All seafood, beans, eggs, cooked with water or with vegetable oils or margarine	Pork and pork products (e.g. ham, bacon, salami, sausages) Foods containing alcohol
Sauces, gravies	All, prepared without animal fat	Most stock powders with animal fat
Starchy vegetables / pasta / rice	All, cooked with water, vegetable fats or butter	Any fried or roasted in animal fats
Vegetables	All, cooked with water, vegetable fats or butter	Any fried or roasted in animal fats
Soups	Any made without pork, ham or animal fats	Any made with stock based on ham bones
Sandwiches	Any made with halal meat, seafood, eggs or cheese	Pork and pork products (e.g. ham, bacon, salami)
Salads, dressings	Any made with halal meat, seafood, eggs or cheese. Use vegetable oils in dressings	Pork and pork products (e.g. ham, bacon, salami)
Breads, cereals	All	-
Spreads	Vegetable margarine or butter	Margarine made with animal fats
Hot breakfast choices	Eggs, baked beans, vegetables, spaghetti	Pork products (e.g. ham, bacon, sausages)
Fruit	All	-
Yoghurt	Yoghurt with halal gelatine	Yoghurt with regular gelatine
Desserts	-	-
Milk and cheese	All milk. cheese with halal rennet	Cheese with regular rennet.
Beverages	Tea, coffee, soft drinks, cordial, pasteurised fruit juices	Fresh fruit juices (because of perceived fermentation risk)
Biscuits	Any made with vegetable oils and fats	Any made with animal fats
Miscellaneous	Coconut milk, herbs and spices, pickles, chutney, vanilla bean Nutritional supplements containing allowed ingredients	Flavour essences with alcohol base Cochineal colouring (also called carmine, carminic acid, colour 120 or natural red 4)

References

1. Australian Halal Food Directory.
2. Dietitians Association of Australia. Nutrition manual. 8th ed. Canberra: DAA; 2009.
3. Regenstein JM, Chaudry MM, Regenstein CE. The Kosher and Halal Food Laws. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf 2003;2:111-7.
4. Riaz, M; Chaudry, M (2004) Halal Food Production.

Change log

Change date	Section updated	Change
July 2019	Precautions	Added Compliance is to be based on ingredient compliance, rather than provision of Halal certification provided by manufacturers
February 2022	Specific menu planning guidelines - Miscellaneous	In Allowed, halal certified nutritional supplements replaced with Nutritional supplements containing allowed ingredients
		In Not allowed, added after cochineal colouring (also called carmine, carminic acid, colour 120 or natural red 4)
	References	Added Riaz, M; Chaudry, M (2004) Halal Food Production.