No horseplay from IKEA Turkey on halal meat

ISTANBUL/ STOCKHOLM

IKEA Turkey has confirmed that all of its meat products are made of 100 percent veal with halal certification, after inspectors discovered that meatballs served in IKEA’s stores in the Czech Republic contained horsemeat.

The Swedish furniture giant was drawn into Europe’s widening food labeling scandal today after the Czech State Veterinary Administration declared that horse meat had been found in one-kilogram packs of frozen meatballs made in Sweden and shipped for sale in Czech IKEA stores. A total of 760 kilograms of the meatballs were prevented from reaching the shelves, according to The Associated Press.

IKEA spokeswoman Ylva Magnusson said meatballs from the same batch had gone out to Slovakia, Hungary, France, Britain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Greece, Greek Cyprus and Ireland.

Halal certificate

Magnusson said meatballs from that batch were taken off the shelves in IKEA stores in all those countries, and confirmed that other shipments of meatballs were not affected. IKEA Turkey told the Hürriyet Daily News today that products such as meatballs and sausages were 100 percent veal, supplied by local producers. The company’s Turkey group also declared that all these products were supplied by the local P?nar Et Company, which produces halal food, in compliance with Islamic standards. The recent news items about IKEA’s European stores have nothing to do with IKEA Turkey, representatives said.

The horse meat scandal began in Ireland in mid-January, when the country announced the results of its first-ever DNA tests on beef products. Similar discoveries then spread like wildfire across Europe as governments, supermarkets, meat traders and processors began their own DNA testing of products labeled beef and were forced to withdraw tens of millions of products from store shelves.

European Union officials are meeting today to discuss tougher food labeling rules. Some EU member states are pressing for tougher labeling rules to regain consumer confidence. The 27-nation bloc must agree on binding origin disclosures for food product ingredients, starting with a better labeling of meat products, German Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner said.

The Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI) Seeks Sole Rule on Halal Certification

The Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI) says it should be the only authority for halal certification in order to avoid competition among Islam-based interest groups.

“Lawmakers should not open up opportunities for dissent among Muslims,” MUI Chairman for Fatwa Ma’ruf Amin said last week.

Ma’ruf said the MUI had had 24 years of experience as a reliable halal certification agency and that its standards were recognized worldwide.

Ma’ruf said he was not against the existence of other organizations formed by religious communities, such as Nahdlatul Ulama (NU). However, he said, the MUI should be the only institution allowed to issue certificates.

Misbahul Munir Kholil of NU said that it would continue to operate its halal certification unit that was established in 2011. He was not worried about disagreements between one agency and another, saying that the public should be “allowed to have options.”

Hasrul Azwar, Member of the Working Committee of Halal Product Warranty from the United Development Party, said any religious society organizations should be allowed to establish their own certification agency as long as their laboratory and methods were approved by the Ministry of Religious Affairs.