HALAL FOOD IN CHINA

While China is still suffering from a tainted milk scandal, Muslims in the northwest Xinjiang province feel confident their dairy products are safe, thanks to their halal standards.

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June 23, 2022

While China is still suffering from a tainted milk scandal, Muslims in the northwest Xinjiang province feel confident their dairy products are safe, thanks to their halal standards. China, the world’s most populous country, has been hit by its worst tainted milk scandal in modern history. At least four babies died of kidney failure and 53,000 children fell sick after drinking milk contaminated by industrial chemical melamine, which was added to make the milk appear richer in protein. The scandal led to massive recalls of Chinese food products containing milk at home and abroad. But the Muslim-majority Xinjiang province was safe from the contaminated milk because of the halal food standards. In Xinjiang, food products have to be certified by a local Islamic Council which includes imams trained to make sure the products adhere to halal standards. The council members and government inspectors regularly visit processing factories to ensure the food safety. Most dairy products in Xinjiang are produced in the province to be used by the customers. The halal food standards have increased confidence in the Xinjiang food products, earning it the name of “China’s New Zealand”, a reference to that nation’s small area but large food export capacity.