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 patients of Islamic faith.

Nutritional adequacy

Nutritionally adequate. Nutritionally adequate diets can provide sufficient nutrition to patients without the need for supplementation.

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 rather than 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, the strictest interpretation should be used to determine diet compliance.

Paediatrics

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

Specific menu planning guidelines

Food type	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 meat fats	Any stock powders with meat fats
Starchy vegetables / pasta / rice	All, cooked with water, vegetable fats or butter	Any fried or roasted in meat fats
Vegetables	All, cooked with water, vegetable fats or butter	Any fried or roasted in meat fats
Soups	Any made without pork, ham or meat fats	Any made with stock based on any meat products
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 Halal certified vinegars and sauces	Pork and pork products, e.g. ham, bacon, salami
Breads, cereals	All	-
Spreads	Vegetable margarine or butter	Margarine made with meat 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	Any other	Any made with meat fats or regular gelatine
Milk and cheese	All milk Cheese with halal rennet	Cheese with regular rennet
Drinks	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 meat fats
Miscellaneous	Coconut milk, herbs and spices, pickles, chutney, vanilla bean Nutritional supplements containing allowed ingredients Halal certified vinegars and sauces	Flavour essences with alcohol base Cochineal colouring (also called carmine, carminic acid, colour 120 or natural red 4)
Celebratory foods / special occasions	-	-

References

1. Halal Food. Australian Halal Product Directory. [n.d.]
2. Regenstein JM, Chaudry MM, Regenstein CE. The Kosher and Halal Food Laws. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf 2003;2:111-7.
3. Australian National Imams Council Halal Authority. Product processing. Sydney: ANIC; n.d.

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.
June 2024	References	Removed Dietitians Association of Australia. Nutrition manual. 8th ed. Canberra: DAA; 2009. Added Product procession
	General - language	Updated to be consistent with ACI writing style guide