A brand of halal chocolate that has proved extremely popular with Muslims in the United Kingdom is unlikely to catch on in the UAE as all confectionery that is on sale here has to adhere to strict standards.
Since 2004, in the United Kingdom, the chocolate, produced by Ummah foods in East London, has been sold in mosques, selected bookstores and hospitals.
It has proved such a hit that the nation-wide supermarket chain Tesco has now decided to introduce the product into six of its stores. The bars, which contain no animal fats or alcohol, are going on sale in time for Ramadan later this month.
While British consumers can now enjoy their first halal chocolate brand, this is nothing new for their counterparts in the UAE, where strict regulations mean all that chocolate sold in the country is halal by default.
According to Hassan Bayrakdar, Corporate Regulatory Affairs Manager at Nestle, whey power, emulsifiers and colours used in chocolate bars could sometimes contain animal-derived products. However, he said that local authorities have strict specifications about these products and require that all meat derivatives are obtained from halal sources.
Almost all chocolate in the United Kingdom is vegetarian, but there are some chocolate bars that contain whey powder, an additive that, depending on how it is produced, may contain animalderived products, according to a spokesperson for Britain's Vegetarian Society.
By Emirates Today Staff
© Emirates Today 2006
