K A S H R U T . C O M_©

The following petition was submitted to the USDA on August 21, 2025 posted here.

"Petition Summary: The petition requests that FSIS either (1) define “Zabiha Halal” as hand-slaughtered without stunning, in accordance with widely accept standards; or (2) require the use of 'Zabiha Halal' to be certified by a third-party certifying organization that publishes their definition on a public website."

An article on this petiton was published on September 25, 2025 in Food Safety News:

Relevant information as to the current standards: August 20, 2025 from USDA:

"Knowledge Article: Do I need to submit a label for a Halal, Zabiha Halal, or Kosher product that bears a foreign language for sketch approval?

Answer: "No. When any foreign language (such as Arabic or Hebrew) is on a label, sketch approval is not required but direct translation of all foreign language must be included as part of the label record. However, when the label states that the food has been "Certified" Halal, Zabiha Halal, or Kosher, the name of the organization doing the certification needs to appear on the label, and these "certified" claims are special claims that need to be submitted to FSIS for review and approval before they can be used on labels. The label application to FSIS needs to include documentation that demonstrates that the certifying organization's standards are met. For example, Company AZ submits a label for a Halal product labeled as "IFANCA Certified." FSIS would require Company AZ to submit confirmation from the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA) that Company AZ's product meets the IFANCA requirements for certification."

Ed. note: Any decisions regarding this petition will have relevance to kosher as well. Comments to the new petition are still being accepted on here.