MUSLIM AMERICANS LIVING ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES NEED TO EAT. AND FOR COLLEGES, PROVIDING HALAL FARE IS EASILY ACCOMPLISHED, AND IS A PROFITABLE INVESTMENT.
a relatively close request for South Asian. Not as popular were the options for Chinese and Latino entrees. MSA chapter presidents were asked about the perception of their universities’ administration welcoming halal selections. The
results show 97 percent of MSA presidents were open to the prospect. Of these, 82 percent indicated their chapters had at least 16 members. Of those responding, 96 percent expressed they were willing to work toward helping their institution’s food service, if they were asked to assist.
meat byproducts such as animal rennet in cheeses or animal-based broths in foods. • Avoid cross-contamination in preparation, cooking, serving, and on utensil surfaces. • Train staff in what constitutes halal and proper cooking and handling.
EASY TO DO
RESOURCES FOR SUCCESS
Make a Halal Team: Know your landscape. Initiate a preliminary survey for your campus to justify that medical and religious dietary options are warranted. And assert your rights as a paying customer. In 1999, a student at a Virginia university successfully argued that being officially mandated to live in a dorm, he paid for food like anyone else and deserved food that he could eat. If other special options are currently available, Muslims have justifiable grounds to expect similar compliance. What food and cuisine preferences exist in your institution? Plan to have answers to these questions when meeting with food service directors and chefs. Suggest a trial run to initiate and test the diners’ for their feedback. Everyone gets excited about new menu items. Know if your foodservice is outsourced. Many institutions use companies like Aramark or Sodexo. Often these companies can easily source from larger distributors that feature halal certified products such as Sysco, U.S. Foods, and Reinhart.
There are several manuals that students and foodservice professionals can reference for assistance, and they’re all free. • MSA National, “How to Achieve Halal Food on Campus” http://www.msanational.org/MSA_Content/Resources/ campus_guides/halal_on_campus.pdf • IFANCA, “Halal Food Service Kit” http://www.ifanca.org/cms/wpages/ detail/4f2ad4c0-faac-4f77-b1ab68a0adcb6390 • HalalHealthy.com (https://www.halalhealthy.com/default.aspx) https://www. halalhealthy.com/t-halal-foodservice. aspx
WHAT IS HALAL? With these preliminaries accomplished, you can initiate dialogue with everyone and present the simple explanation of halal with the following: • Halal merely means that something is permissible. Halal foods are natural, whole foods, or certified halal meat, poultry, and processed foods. Since grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables are already halal, the list of specially purchased items is small. • No alcohol is used in cooking or as part of a recipe ingredient (extracts, wines). • No pork or pork byproducts (bacon, ham, gelatin); nor any non-halal meat or
ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
ALWAYS FOLLOW THROUGH Failure is not an option because a lack of leadership can stymie a second attempt. However, do not be discouraged if there is initial resistance, just retrench and fortify your case. Several respondents in the AHA survey gave heartwarming anecdotes about how they had to live on canned fish in college, and that they would have truly favored having halal food as undergrads. Any initiative likely has a few hurdles and the effect can fly or flop, depending on whether the halal team sustains the campaign going forward. Keep up on promotion with press releases, informative presentations, indoctrinating the new leadership on campus, and have scheduled meetings with food service management and administration. Consider having students vote for their favorite menu, and try to make life easier for the people who provide service.
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Susan Labadi is project coordinator of the American Halal Association, president of Genius School, Inc., and VP of ActionNet Trade, Inc.
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