TBS/ AFDC 1(1867 ) DTZS 
                                                                              
 
 
 
  DRAFT TANZANIA STANDARD  
 
                    Halal Food  – General Requirements   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
TANZANIA BUREAU OF STANDARDS  
 
©TBS 2023  – All rights reserved  
 
                                                                                          TBS/ AFDC 1(1867 ) DTZS 
                                                                              
Halal Food – General requirements  
 
0. Foreword  
 
  
Halal food industry is growing worl dwide with Muslim consumers demanding assurance that 
products/goods in the market comply with not only standards of food safety and quality assurance but 
also with the Islamic Shariah law  general requirement.  
Halal standardization and certification is requ ired for trade in halal goods and services, hence the 
need for effective quality infrastructure to govern the whole production chain, in terms of inception, 
production, processing and trading.  
The standard was formulated based on the concept of halal that integrates the concept of food quality 
and safety compliance, raising awareness about halal foods and promote fair trade. This will give 
assurance to consumer that the products are produced according to shariah  law. 
This standard gives general information to the relev ant parties including consumers, manufacture rs, 
conformity assessment bodies  and private companies  mainly on the requirements pertain ing to halal  
food products, food production , food processing, machinery, utensils, transportation, retailing, s torage  
and services . 
In preparation of this standard considerable help was derived from MS 1500:20 19 Halal food  -General 
requirements - published by Department of standards Malaysia  and information from stakeholders.  
1. Scope  
This Tanzania Standard  specifies  general requirements for the halal food indust ry. 
 
NOTE. This draft standard does not contain all requirements stipulated  on relevant food product which may be 
required for government certification. Halal  certification may be sought by arrangement with th e competent 
authority in Tanzania.  
 
2. Normative references  
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content 
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. Fo r 
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) 
applies;  
 
Codex Stan 192 , General standard for food additives  
TZS 109, Food processing and manufacturing units – Code of hygiene — General  
TZS 538, Packaging and  labelling of foods  
 
3. Terms and definitions  
For the purpose of this standard the following ter ms and definitions shall apply:  
3.1 shariah law 
 
orders of Allah  and Prophet  Mohammad ( PBUH)  which relate to the action of the people who are  
being accountable  by obligation  or option  
 
3.2 halal                                                                                          TBS/ AFDC 1(1867 ) DTZS 
                                                                              
things or actions permitted by shariah law without punishment imposed on the doer  
 
 
3.3 halal food  
food product s that are permissible according to Shariah law  and that comply with requirements 
mentioned in this standard  
 
3.4 slaughtering  
act that sever the trachea , esophagus  and both the car otid arteries and jugular veins  to hasten th e 
bleeding and death of the animal.  
 
3.5 competent authority  
agency which is entrusted by the go vernment to carry out specified work according to Halal 
prescribed requirements.  
 
3.6. premise  
any building or any other structure, permanent or otherwise together with the land on which the 
building, or other structure is situated and any adjoining l and used in connection with the preparation, 
slaught ering, processing, handling, packaging, st orage, distribution and sale of any food.  
 
3.7 certification  
provision by the government authority of written assurance (certificate) that the product or service in 
question meets specific national standard require ments  
 
3.8 halal certification  
provision of written assurance (certificate) by Competent Authority that the product or service in 
question meets specific halal requirements  
 
3.9 food industry  
all businesses involved in producing, transporting , storing and selling  of food 
 
3.10 najs 
matters that are im pure according to sharia h law  
 
 
 
4. Description of najs  
 
4.1 Najs according to Sharia h law are: 
 
a) dogs and pigs and their descendants ; 
 
b) halal food that is contaminated with things that are non-halal;  
 
c) halal food t hat comes into direct contact with things that are non-halal; 
 
d) any liquid and objects discharged from the orifices of human beings or animals such as urine, 
blood, vomit, pus, placenta and excrement, sperm and ova of pigs and dogs  except sperm 
and ova of o ther animals;  
 
NOTE - Milk, sperm and ova of human and animals  except dog and pig  and discharge of edible animals , are not 
najs.  
 
e) Carrion or halal animals that are not slaughtered according to sharia h law; and  
 
f) Alcoholic beverages and intoxicant  (khamr ) and food or drink which contain or mixed with  
khamr  
 
4.2 There are three categories  of najs: 
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a) mughallazah which is considered as severe najs which are dogs and pigs (khinzi r) 
including any liquid and objects discharged from their orifices, descendants and derivatives;  
 
b) mukhaffafah which is considered as light najs. The only najs in this category is urine from  a 
baby boy at the age of two years and below who has not consumed any other food  except his 
mother's milk; and  
 
c) mutawassitah which is considered as medi um najs which does not fall under severe or  light 
najs including vomit, pus, blood, khamr, carrion, liquid and objects discharged from  the 
orifices . 
 
 
5        Requirements  
 
5.1      Premises  
 
5.1.1  Premises shall be designed and constructed or renovated so a s to en able the process flow to  
control the risk of product contamination and suitable for intended use.  
 
5.1.2  Layout of premises shall permit proper process f low, proper employee flow, good hygienic 
and safety practices, including protection against pest inf estation and cross -contamination  
between and during operations.  
 
5.1.3  Product process flow from receipt of raw materials to the finished products shall prevent cross 
contamination.  
 
5.1.4  The premises shall be designed to facilitate cleaning  and proper  supervision of food hygiene 
 
5.1.5  Adequate sanitary facilities shall be provided and maintained.  
 
5.1.6  Loading and unloading bay shall be appropriately desig ned to allow effective transfer of 
perishable products.  
 
5.1.7  Premises shall be kept in good repair and conditio n to prevent pest access and to eliminate 
potential breeding sites.  
 
5.1.8  The premises shall be effectively separated and well  insulated from pig farm or its processing 
activities to prevent cross contamination through personnel and equipment.  
 
5.1.9  Slaughtering and processing premises shal l be dedicated for halal  slaughtering and halal  
processing only.  
 
5.1.10  Processing of carcasses such as deboning, cutting, pa cking and storing shall be done in the 
same premises as slaughtering or in approved premises by the competent au thority that 
meets the re quirements of this standard.  
 
5.1.11  Pets and other animals shall be refrained from entering the premises  
 
5.2      Devices, utensils, machines and processing aids  
 
5.1.1  Devices, utensils, machines and processing aids used for processing halal  food shall be 
designed and c onstructed to facilitate cleaning and shal l not be made of or contain any 
materials that are decreed as najs and shall be used only for halal  food.  
 
5.2.1  Devices, utensils, machines and processing aids which were previously used or in contact  
with najs al -mugha llazah  shall be washed and ritually cleansed as required by Shariah law  
(see Annex B).  
 
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5.2.2  In the case of converting najs al -mughallazah  line or processing line containing najs al -
mughallazah  into halal production line, the line shall be washed and ritually cleansed as 
required by Shariah law  (see Annex B).  This procedure shall be supervised and verified by 
the competent authority. Upon conversion, the line shall be operated for halal food only. 
Repetition in converting the line to najs al -mughallazah  line an d back to halal line, shall not be 
permitted.  
 
 
5.3     Hygiene, sanitation and food safety  
 
5.3.1  Hygiene, sanitation and food safety are prerequisites in the preparation of halal  food. It 
includes various aspects of personal hygiene, clothing, devices, utensils,  machines and 
processing aids and the premises for processing, manufacturing and storage of  food.  In 
manufacturing and processing, suitable detection or screening devices should be used where 
necessary.  
 
5.3.2   Halal  food manufacturers shall implement measures to:  
 
a) Effectively inspect and sort raw material, ingredients and packaging material before 
processing.  
b) Manage waste effectively;  
c) Store harmful chemical su bstances appropriately and away from halal  food;  
d) Prevent contamination of foods by foreign matters such as  plastic, glass or metal shards  from 
machinery, dust, harmful gas or fumes and unwanted chemicals; and  
e) Ensure appropriate  use of permitted food additives  as per Codex Stan 192  
 
 
5.3.3  Halal  food shall be processed, packed and distribu ted under hygienic condition  in premises 
licensed in accordance with good hygiene prac tices (GHP), Good Manufacturing Practices 
(GMP) as specified in TZS 109  and any other relevant national standard . 
 
5.4     Processing of halal  food  
 
5.4.1   Halal  food shall fulfill the following co nditions:  
 
a) does not contain any parts or products of animals that are non-halal   
b) any parts or products of animals which are not slaughtered according to Shariah law; 
c) does not contain any categories of najs; 
d) safe for consumption, non -poisonous, non -intoxica ting or non -hazardous to health;  
e) not prepared, processed or manufactured using equipment contaminated with najs 
f) does not contain any human parts or its derivatives that are not permitted by Shariah law; 
g) during its preparation, processing, handling, packagi ng, storage and distribution, the food is 
physically separated from any other food that does not meet the requirements stated in items  
a, b, c, d or e or any other things that have been decreed as najs. 
 
 
5.4.2   Sources of halal food and drink  
 
5.4.2.1   Animals  
 
Animals can be divided into two categories:  
 
5.4.2.1.1   Land animals  
 
All land animals are halal  as food except the following:  
 
a) animals that are not slaughtered according to Shariah law;                                                                                          TBS/ AFDC 1(1867 ) DTZS 
                                                                              
b) najs a l-mughallazah animal  including  pigs and dogs  and their descendants;  
c) animals with long pointed teeth or tusks which are used to k ill prey including  tigers, bears,  
cats, monkeys,  
d) predator birds including  but not limited to eagles  and owls;  
e) pests and/or poisonous animals including  rats, cock roaches, centipedes , scorpions, snakes, 
wasps and other similar animals;  
f) animals that are forbidden to be killed in accordance to shariah law  including bees, 
woodpeckers   
g) creatures that are considered repulsive including  lice and flies.;  
h) farmed halal animals which are intent ionally and continually fed with najs; and 
i) other animals forbidden to be eaten in accordance to Shariah  law including  donkeys and  
mules.  
 
5.4.2.1.2   Aquatic animals  
 
Aquatic animals are those which live in water and cannot su rvive outside it, such as fish . All aquatic 
animals are halal  except those that are poisonous, intoxicating or hazardous to health  unless their 
poisonous or harmful material are removed . Animals that live both on land and water such as 
crocodiles, turtles and frogs are not halal. Aquat ic animals which live in najs or intentionally and/or 
continually fed with najs are not halal. 
 
5.4.2.2   Plants  
 
All types of plants and plant products and their derivatives are halal  except those that are poisonous, 
intoxicating or hazardous to health  unless their poisonous or harmful material are removed . 
 
5.4.2.3   Mushroom and micro -organisms  
 
All types of  mushroom and micro -organisms (i. e. bacteria, algae and fungi) and their byproducts 
and/or derivatives are halal  except those that are poisonous, int oxicating or hazardous to health.  
 
5.4.2.4   Natural minerals and chemicals  
 
All natural minerals and chemicals are halal except those that are poisonous, intoxicating or 
hazardous to health.  
 
5.4.2.5    Drinks  
 
All kinds of potable water and beverages are  halal  as drinks except those that are poisonous, 
intoxicating or hazardous to health e.g. liquor or similar products.  
 
 
 
5.4.3    Slaughtering process  
 
5.4.3.1  The slaughtering process shall be in accordance to Shariah law. The following requirements 
shall also be compl ied with:  
 
a) slaughtering shall be performed only by a practicin g muslim who is mentally sound, fully 
understands the fundamental rules and conditi ons related to the slaughter of animals in 
shariah law ; 
 
b) the slaughter  man shall have certificate for halal slaughter issued by a competent authority;  
 
c) the act of slaughtering shall be done with niyyah (intentio n) in the name of Allah and not for 
other purposes. The slaughter  man is well aware of his action;  
 
d) the animal to be slaughtered has to be an animal that is  halal;                                                                                           TBS/ AFDC 1(1867 ) DTZS 
                                                                              
 
e) the animal to be slaughtered shall be alive or deemed to be alive (hayat al -musfaqirrah ) at the 
time of slaughter;   
 
f) animals to be slaughtered shall be healthy and have been approved by the relevant 
government  authority;  
 
g) tasmiyyah  (in the name of  God) has to be invoked immediately before slaughtering;  
 
h) the slaughtering is recommended to be performed while facing the qiblah;  
 
i) slaughtering lines, tools and utensils shall be dedicated for halal  slaughter only;  
 
j) slaughtering knife or blade shall be sh arp and free from blood and other impurities;  
 
k) slaughtering shall be done only once. The "sawing action" of the sl aughtering is permitted as 
long as the slaughtering knife or blade is not lifted off the animal during the slaughtering;  
 
l) bones, nails and tee th shall not be used as slaughtering tools;  
 
m)  the act of halal slaughter shall begin with an incision on the neck at some point just below the 
glottis (Adam's apple) and after the glottis for long necked animals;  
 
n)  the slaughter act shall sever the trachea  (halqum) , oesophagus (mari) and both the carotid 
arteries and jugular veins (wadajain) to hasten the bleeding and death of the animal . The 
bleeding shall be spontaneous and complete; and  
 
o) a trained Muslim inspector shall be appointed and be responsible to  check that the animals 
are properly slaughtered according to the shariah law. 
 
5.4.3.2  In case of mechanical slaughtering, Annex  C should be used as a reference . 
 
5.4.3.3  For poultry, scalding shall only be carried out on animals that are deemed dead as a result of 
halal  slaughter.  
 
5.4.3.4  Stunning is not recommended. However,  if stunning is t o be carried out the conditions 
specified in Annex A shall be complied.  
 
 
5.4.4      Processing, handling, distribution and serving  
 
All processed halal  food shall meet the following require ments:  
 
a) food or its ingredients shall not be processed using any components or products of animals 
that are non-halal  by Shariah law or of halal  food with any components or products of animals 
that are not slaughtered according to Shariah law; 
 
b) food shall not be processed using anything in any quantity that is decreed as najs; 
 
c) processed food or its ingredients shall be safe for consumption, non -poisonous, non -
intoxicating or non -hazardous to health;  
 
d) food shall be prepared, processed or manufactured using equipment and facilities that  are 
free from contamination with najs; and 
 
e) during its preparation, processing, handling, packaging, storage distribution and serving, it 
shall be physically separated from any other food that does not meet the requirements 
specified in items a, b, c, and/or d  or any other things that are decreed as najs. 
 
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5.4.5   Storage, transportation, display, sale and servings of halal  food  
 
5.4.5.1  All halal food that are stored, transported, displayed, sold and/or served shall be categorized  
and label led halal  and segregated at every s tage so as to prevent them from being mixed or 
contaminated with things that are non-halal . 
 
5.4.5.2  Products based on najs al-Mughal lazah shall be stored in dedicated place.  
 
5.4.5.3  Transportation vehicles such as bonded truck shall be  dedicated and appropriate to the type 
of the halal  food and satisfy hygiene and sanitation condition.  
 
 
6.       Packaging, Marking and L abelling  
 
6.1 Halal  food shall be suitably packed , marked and labelled in accordance with TZS 538 and 
relevant product na tional standard . Packaging materials shall be halal  in nature and shall fulfill the 
following requirements:  
 
a) be of food grade and shall  not have  any toxic effect on the halal  food; the packaging materials 
shall not be made from any raw materials that are d ecreed as najs; 
b) it is not prepared, processed or manufactured using equipment that is contaminated with 
things that are najs; 
c) during its preparation, processing, storage or transportation, it shall be physically separated 
from any other food that does not meet the re quirements stated in item a or b  or any other 
things that have been decreed as najs; and 
d) packaging design, sign, symbol, logo, name and picture shall not be misleading and/or 
contravening the principles of shariah law. 
 
6.2.  Packing process shall be  carried out in a clean and hygienic manner and in sound sanitary 
conditions.  
 
6.3.  Labelling material used in direct contact with the product shall be non -hazardous and halal. 
 
6.4.  Halal  food and halal  artificial flavour shall not be named or synonymously named after non halal  
products such as ham, bacon, beer, rum and others that might create confusion.  
 
6.5. In addition to respective marking and labelling requirements stipulated in the national product 
standard, e ach container shall be marked legibly and indelibly o r a label shall be attached to the 
container, with the following information:  
 
a) name of the product;  
 
b) net content expres sed in metric system (SI units)  
 
c) name and address of the manufacturer, importer and/or distributor and trademark;  
 
d) list of ingredients;  
 
e) batch number  
f) manufactur ing date 
g) expiry date; and  
 
h) country of origin.  
 
6.6   For primary meat products, the label or mark s hall also include the following information:  
 
a) date of slaughter; and  
 
b) date of processing.  
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Packaging and labelling shall not contravene w ith the principles of Shariah law and shall not display 
indecent elements, which  are against Shariah law. 
 
7.  Legal requirements  
 
The product s shall comply with relevant Tanzania standard s and regulations.  
 
8. Compliance  
 
For product deemed halal , shall comply with all clause s stipulated in this standard.  
 
9.  Halal certificates  and certification mark  
 
The halal certificates shall be issued by the Competent Authority in Tanzania.   
 
Each product, upon approval by the competent authority in Tanzania, may be marked wi th the halal  
certification mark of that authority provided the product conforms to the requirements of this draft 
standard.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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                                                         ANNEX A  
                                                         (normative)  
Requirements on the use of stunning in slaughter of ruminant and poultry  
A1 General requirements  
A1.1  Slaughtering shall be carried out according to t he requirements related to the slaughter of 
animals as per sharia h law.  
A1.2  The animal shall be alive or deemed to be alive ( hayat al-mustaqirrah ) at the time of slaughter.  
A1.3  Stunning is not recommended, however if stunn ing has to be carried out, the permitted methods 
are electrical or pneumatic percussive stunning.  
A 1.4  The u se of stunning equipment shall be under the s upervision of a trained muslim and 
periodically monitored by competent authority.  
A 1.5  The stunning shall not kill or cause permanent physical injury to the animal.  
A 1.6  Stunners which are used to stun the a nimals under mughallazah najs  category shall not be 
used to stun animals for halal slaughter.  
A2 Electrical stunning  
A2.1  The electrical stunner shall be of the type allowed by the  competent authority in charge of 
slaughter.  
A2.2  The type of s tunner use d for slaughter of hal al animal s shall be 'head only stunner' type, where 
both electrodes are placed on the head region.  
A2.3  Electrical stunning of poultry is allowed using "water bath stunner" only.  
A2.4  The strength of current used shall be supervised  by a t rained muslim and monitored by 
competent authority. Electrical current, voltage and duration to be determined and validat ed by the 
organiz ation, taking into account the type and weight of the animal and other varying factors.  
A3. Pneumatic percussiv e stunner  
A3.1  Pneumatic percussive stunning is only suitable for all bovine animals.  
A3.2  The air pressure that powers the stunner should not be more than 225  psi and should be kept to 
the minimum required to stun the animal.  
A3.3  The head of the stunn er shall be flat or slightly convex.  
A3.4  There shall be a protective collar around head of th e stunner so that it shouldn't protrude more 
than 3 mm beyond it  
A3.5  The heads of animal to be stunned shall be held s till before the stunner can be applied.  
A3.6 The centre of the stunner shall be in contact with the ani mal at a point of intersection of lines 
drawn from the medial corners of the eyes and the base of the ears.  
A3.7 The stunner shall be applied so that the head of the st unner is perpendicular to  the frontal bone.  
A3.8  The animal shall be stunned once.  
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ANNEX B  
 (normative)  
Method of ritual clean sing for mughallazah  najs 
B.1 General requirements  
The najs,  whether visible or invisible (disappea red or dried up ) shall be cleanse d as follows;   
a) wash seven times, one of which shall be water mixed with soil;  
b) the first wash shall be to clear the existence of najs, even if a few washes are needed. The 
water from first cleaning shall not remain behind and the next wash shall be counted as the 
second was h;  
c) the amount of soil used is just enough to make a suspension; and  
d) the usage of product containing soil is permitted.  
B.2 Conditions of the soil  
The conditions of the soil are:  
a) free from najs;  
 
 
b) not musta’mal  (used ) soil which had been used for  twahara (purification ) 
B.3 Conditions of the water  
The conditions of the water are:  
a) shall be natural  
 
 
b) not musta’mal  and 
 
c) free from najs 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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ANNEX C  
(normative)  
Mechanical slaughter  
Mechanical slaughtering could be used with existence of a validatio n system. Proper labelling shall be 
applied on the product showing that it is mechanical slaughtered.  
a) The operator of the mechanical knife shall be an adult Muslim.  
 
b) The slaughterer shall recite tasmiyah “BISMILLAH” prior to switching on the mechanical k nife 
and shall not leave the slaughter area.  
 
 
c) Should the slaughterer leave the slaughter area, he shall stop the machine line and switch off 
the mechanical knife. To restart the operation, he or another Muslim slaughterer shall recite 
tasmiyah “BISMILLAH ” before switching on the line and mechanical knife.  
 
d) The slaughterer shall repeat the tasmiyah “BISMILLAH” during each slaughtering operation 
as long as it is possible and not only at the time of operating the machine. It is not also 
allowed to use a rec ording device.  
 
 
e) The knife used shall be of single blade type and shall be sharp, and be made of steel 
(stainless steel).  
 
f) The slaughter act shall sever the trachea ( hulqum ), oesophagus ( mari) and both of the carotid 
arteries and two jugular veins ( wadja in) to hasten the bleeding and death of the animals.  
 
g) The slaughterer is required to check that each poultry is properly slaughtered and any  animal  
that missed the mechanical knife shall be slaughtered manually.  
 
 
h) Bleeding period should be minimum 180 se conds or more depending on the type of animal 
slaughtered .