Halal Development Institute of the Philippines is one of the Leading Halal Certifying Bodies in the Philippines, HDIP a member of the WORLD HALAL FOOD COUNCIL.
A food is adulterated if it omits
a valuable constituent or substitutes another substance, in whole or in part,
for a valuable constituent (for instance, olive oil diluted with tea tree oil);
conceals damage or inferiority in any manner (such as fresh fruit with food
coloring on its surface to conceal defects); or any substance has been added to
it or packed with it to increase its bulk or weight, reduce its quality or
strength, or make it appear bigger or of greater value than it is (for
example:)
· Scallops to which water has been added to
make them heavier.
· A 70% ground beef was mixed with
30% / ground pork and the vendors declared it beef.
One of the unsafe product nowadays
is oil, most cooking oil now are recycled -
meaning, used oil are refined, repacked labelled as commercial oil, this
is due to the advancement of technology. Same to an ugly person ,they can make
him or her beautiful faces because of technology, this might be true that food
manufacturers of food chain are using that kind of oil.
Some chain of restaurants have to fry their food using an oil supplied
by thier suppliers. But unknowingly these suppliers using USED OIL COLLECTED
FROM HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS. Refined and recycled this item as source of their
raw material for manufacturing oil, recycled oil have been sold in the local
market, (bote bote lang) without label, business is business, for as long as
those businessmen can sale and get benefit out of this type of product , they
don’t care...who are their target market and victim, Halal consumers ordinary
households should aware of these products in the market.
It looks delicious.. but is it halal? Knowing what is contained in food is crucial to knowing whether the food is halal or not. The question of halal status of food is one issue that raises common concern to all Muslims and other Halal Consumers to other part of the world.
Halal or haram? This question haunts every Muslims community
The most common issues that Muslims know about haram or halal food is: - anything without pork - anything that is slaughtered the Muslim way or Zabiha. Is this right? Are these the only things that Muslims should be aware of to make sure that their food is halal? No!. We must be wrong somewhere. Why? Because in this modern world, we now have thousands of new types of food that were not existent just a few decades ago, moreover a century ago. Thus we must look deeper into current facts... current realities. Of course our first guides to look into the haram and halal food issue is the Al-Quran and Al-Hadith ( sayings and way of life of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
However, modern Islamic scholars ( Ulamas ) including the Halal Technical Experts have interpreted the Quran and Hadith to solve modern and current issues. One thing that many Muslims have forgotten is that to determine whether food is halal or not, it's not just what you see from the outside... it's what you don't see inside the food that is tricky. Thus, the issues of halal and haram often lay inside the food itself. What is in the food? Even if the food looks halal on the outside; cakes, ice cream, candy, toothpaste... it's what you don't see inside these food that make them still non-halal. What one common thing that is present inside all the above food and hundreds of other food that may make the food seem halal but is actually haram?
Halal-food certification gives companies access to Muslim consumers and helps Muslims in choosing their foods, assured that what they are buying is Halal without doubt!
For the consumer, the benefits of Halal certification are clear: knowing a product is Halal certified means they don’t have to bother checking all the ingredients. They can purchase the product with the assurance it does not contain anything that is haram or doubtful.
What about the producer? What benefits do they receive from Halal certification? Actually, the benefits for the producer are just as great.
For starters, they get the expertise of the Halal Technical Experts in reviewing their products, the ingredients, the preparation and processing and the hygiene and sanitation procedures. Of course, this is all done confidentially so there is no concern of competitors learning anything about the products.
The Halal Development Institute of the Philippines (HDIP) has developed a documented procedure for producing Halal products. The procedure is consistent with HACCP and other quality assurance standards and is easily implemented. Halal Development Institute of the Philippines (HDIP) works with the producer every step of the way to make sure all questions are answered and the Halal procedures are integrated into the standard operating procedures. The Halal logo encircled with PHILIPPINES with three stars portrays the Halal authenticity!
Halal Development Institute of the Philippines (HDIP) was created last 2001 to assist and accredit several companies producing Halal Halal Food and Non Food Product manufactured in the Philippines.
Prior to the creation of HDIP , due to the increase of the demand from Halal Consumers, it was observed that many certifiers came out and exploit the necessity of the manufacturers. These companies have to acquire and renew halal certification so that their product will penetrate and capture the Muslim Market locally and abroad. Competition among the Halal certifiers became deteriorating that they even blackmailing each other, there is even some press conference, forum being held and that they are accusing, blatantly denouncing each other and each group claim that they are the only credible and right group to engage in the Halal Activity.
The Halal Consumers and Halal manufacturers were aware of the situation and update of the Halal Industry in the Philippines. We don’t want to be called bogus or fake HCBs whereas before the creation of HDIP, some Halal Certifiers is issuing Halal Certification that is similar to the Certification made along the corridors of Recto Ave. and Quiapo Sts. Halal Certificate is made or being processed while you wait. A one-man office and single typewriter is operating along this street. A few minutes, Halal Certification is being issued to companies asking for certification and they paid ranging from Php 30,000.00 to Php 80,000.00.Sometime these certificates are signed by General Secretary and at the same time the Treasurer of the Halal Certifiers This is messy practice being observed that's why HDIP was created/initiated by us.
Halal Activity on food and non-food products is a religious concern of all Muslims and not by a single organization claiming to be a Religious group and Halal Authority. Halal certification is religious in nature and should be manage in accordance with the principle of Islamic Laws through the application of comprehensive HALAL ASSURANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM wherein this system adopt the uses of modern technology supervised and monitored by persons with technical know how.
We call on other groups not to exploit the Halal Manufacturers because nowadays, violations of Halal, which committed even by the so-called “HALAL AUTHORITIES” in the past, are indeed very disturbing and offensive to the teaching of Islam.
The Halal Development Institute of the Philippines would like to express its support to the Halal Certification Scheme that was spearheaded by JAKIM and that of World Halal Food Council. HDIP as one of the the leading Halal Certifying Bodies in the Philippines have the credibility to handle and manage to halal certification and implement halal activity since they had been tested and have the technical capability and with the support of several religious group in the Philippines.
The Official Seal of the HDIP
The HDIP under the supervision of World Halal Food Council , JAKIM and of other reputable HALAL ACCREDITATION AUTHORITIES is committed to uplift the Moral and Cultural Heritage of the Muslim Filipinos, The composition of staffs and their roles is very significant due to their competency and reliability to run their office. You can reach HDIP at Tel Numbers (02)9944244 /Telefax (02)6338754and send your e mail at hdiphilippines@gmail.com
Let us look forward and support the Halal Industry in the Philippines for the benefit of Halal Consumers especially Muslim Ummah and the Country. Visit our Website: www.hdiphilippineshalal.com
Cooking is an art form, and like other forms of art, proper tutelage is invaluable to success. The great painters in history studied under great painters before them. Becoming a chef is no different. A cook is like someone who paints a house, while a chef is someone who paints masterpiece painting. Kitchen profession is challenging; for those who have been in the business a while, the challenge is how to continuously expand their culinary repertoire; for the hopefuls, the challenge is how to start right in the culinary arts world.
Culinary art was once seen either as a hobby or as a chore or as a fashion in general. Now it is rightly regarded as a highly skilled – highly paid professional within a multi billion dollars industry. The food industry is a leader in generating employment worldwide. From Executive Chefs, Restaurant Manager, Business Owner, Food Stylist, Kitchen Researcher…. The opportunities are endless. A culinary arts profession is a fulfilling and a financially rewarding career, chef profession offers unlimited – endless opportunities; travel, career growth, financial stability and most importantly is the unmatched feeling of joy and triumph whenever the food you cook is appreciated.
Working as a chef is very demanding, with a lot of pressure at service time. Kitchens get very hectic especially when many dishes must be produced at the same time. Chefs must be able to deal with pressure. The challenge for every chef is to simultaneously perform tasks, put the right ingredients and flavors and to keep the kitchen team working in synchrony.
Chefs need good communication, management and leadership skills to manage and train kitchen staff. They are responsible for budgets and negotiating with suppliers. Kitchen discipline is not different from military discipline; some even believe that discipline in kitchen is twice demanding as those in military.
What makes a chef?
The finest restaurants in the world hire only those who have solid kitchen experiences, positive personal values and professional work ethics. Those who have completed certification from credible culinary arts schools enjoy higher employment and career advancement opportunities.
Becoming a chef is not as easy as heating a pan, working in a kitchen involves a great deal of on-the-job-training and off-the-job college study as well. To become a chef, it is necessary to learn different methods of food preparation and cooking. Training usually begins with simpler (but repetitive) preparation and cooking tasks. Hygiene and safety including the safe handling of knives is very important. Different cooking skills, such as carving or cake decorating can be learned on the job.
Career options
Kitchen professionals have unlimited choices to pursue their careers. The first best choice to start a kitchen career is the restaurant.
There are small, individually run restaurants, chef-owned fine dining establishment, larger operations that have multiple outlets or high seating capacity and there are corporate restaurants.
The next obvious choice is the hotels or resorts. Other foodservice operations, such as catering, institutional food services, corporate food services, are not always on the cutting edge of culinary arts but is equally challenging.
The personal chef is becoming a larger component of the foodservice industry. In the past, this job was mainly concerned with being the chef for a person or family. It involved everything from shopping to preparing the meals, and perks often included traveling with the client, or extended periods of downtime when the client was away.
Today, the personal chef industry has developed into a kind of specialized catering company. Chefs often have several clients, and, rather than cook on a daily basis, they prepare a series of meals to last the week. This can be done in client’s home, or at a centralized kitchen where meals are then packaged for delivery. This style of personal service allows the chef to schedule their own time and amount of work – a benefit that is reflected in increasing number of chefs in this category.
There are many other areas that chefs could pursue with a culinary degree. Chefs can be found working for major food companies in research and development, in research for large restaurant chains, or as production chefs for specialty food producers. Chefs are also in demand in hospitals, schools and corporate facilities.
Of course, culinary does not have to mean cooking either. Some chefs take their knowledge of food and become restaurant managers, food and beverage directors of hotels and resorts. Some chef who tire of working in the kitchen, but want to stay connected become food sales representatives. They may represent a specialty grower, or producer, or they may be a rep for a large foodservice company.
Still others combine their culinary education with their personal and professional interests, such as writing or photography, which can lead to careers in food writing for newspapers, magazines or cookbooks.
And, of course, there is also food styling, the profession that makes food look its best and/or authentic in front of a camera to produce both still-pictures and video productions that we see of food.
with Chef Boy Logro and Chef Nobu
Not all chefs are equal There are a number of different types of chef. Large kitchens in restaurants and hotels are divided into departments, each responsible for specific preparation and cooking activities such as the Entremetier who is responsible for preparing vegetable items, Garde Manger responsible in the operation of cold kitchen, Saucier who prepares all hot sauces. Trainee chefs or commis, work three to six months in each section to gain experience in every area of the kitchen. They learn for instance how to prepare and cook vegetables or make sauces, as well as doing general cleaning.
Each different section of the kitchen is run by a Chef de Partie, the next step is Sous Chef or second chef, who is skilled enough to run any section, and to take charge of whole kitchen in the absence of the Executive Chef. The Executive Chef runs the whole kitchen, including planning menus, ordering supplies, managing staff and budgets, and ensuring food of a consistently high standard is produced.
Skills and Talents to becoming a Chef
The most basic skill, the one that schools are designed to teach, is the technical. These skills are the basis of every chef’s talent – knife skills, cooking methods, timing, mise en place, and (the ultimate technical skill) making cooking on the line graceful, even during the rush. There are four basic categories of skills that every chef uses during his or her career: technical, culinary, organizational, and managerial. Each builds upon the other. These skills are the basics of becoming a good chef.
The other skill taught in school is culinary. Most chefs have a good palate to begin, but training for flavor and seasoning, new flavor combinations, creative plates and presentations, diving deep into a cultures cuisine; all take training and practice.
The other two skill sets are what distinguish a cook from a Chef. A Chef is concerned with more than his/her own piece of the kitchen – they have the whole kitchen as a responsibility. With this in mind, organization skill is essential. How to stay organized and have the kitchen run smoothly and efficiently, and how to conduct business (ordering, scheduling, and food costing); are all part of the chef’s duties and responsibilities.
Hand in hand with organizational skills are managerial skills. A chef understands how to work with people and get them to work for him/her. These skills are the highest level because they involve sharing knowledge and skill with new breed of kitchen professional hopefuls. The most often-seen method is training, but ultimately being a mentor to a cook and to develop their career is the highest skill a chef can attain.
Even a chef who is doing 95 percent managerial work needs to keep the knife skills toned and ready for use. A finely-honed palate needs adjusting and testing to stay tuned.
Culinary Arts
Cooking school has taught the basic skills, and the first few jobs allow for the development of those skills. It is best for all hopefuls to start their careers from the ranks; start as “commis 3”, the entry level in the kitchen brigade. This way you get to practice and perfect as many basic skills as possible needed and from there, progress into more difficult tasks in the kitchen.
The first few years of a culinary career are an exploratory period. You get paid to keep practicing your skills and to explore your new vocation for what really excites you.
Graduation from a professional culinary arts school is the best opportunity to assess the skills you have and determine what you want or need to improve. Then, the choice of what foodservice venue in which to concentrate your career will be easier: The beginning of a career path should be based on the skills needed be practiced.
Eventually, there will come a time when you choose one path. It may be in the hotel environment, cruise ships, a or independent restaurants, or inflight catering. Whatever you choose, the best way to start a culinary arts career is to study in Culinary Arts and is associated with Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)
Tired of your Career? SWITCH NOW! ENROLL NOW! And enjoy T R I P to Europe and AROUND THE WORLD visit our website: HALAL CULINARY ARTS
Chef Tato with the former Prime Minister of Malaysia- His Excellency Ahmad Bin Badawi
Abdulatif "Chef Tato" Sangcupan in Rated K discussed here the importance of Halalfood in the country especially the understanding of Halal food by the Hotel and Restaurant workers.
The Islamic requirements of Halal are based upon the teachings of the Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad SAW . The Quran is the holy book of Islam, which was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. The Sunnah (Practice) is a supplement to the Quran that includes information about the life of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, as well as his sayings and deeds. It is considered the second source of Islamic law.
Muslims are permitted to consume only Halal food. Food is considered Halal if it does not comprise of Haram (prohibited) items, or does not get contaminated with Haram items or if it is not prepared as prescribed.
"Halal" is an Arabic word meaning
·Lawful
·Permissible
·Legal
·Allowable
·Good
·Healthy
·Consumable
The term not only covers food and drink, but also to all matters of Muslim’s daily life such as
1.Governance,
2.Clothing, or Non food Products/etc
3.Marriage in Islam,
4.Economy or Business.
We sometime select our leaders; leaders that are good are being elected in democratic nations. A leader is being chosen to lead his people. In the Philippines “ when Filipinos elect their leaders, they call it Halal na Pinuno” or Elected leader. Halal is used as translation of election because we knew the fact that Filipino language has so many influences from other languages. We adopt a lot of words from Chinese, Spanish, English, Malay and Indian and of course the Arabic which we adopt as part of our dialect and eventually until now we used most of these terms as our common Filipino dialect. It came out to be the term Halal is when we translate this into original tagalog is pagpipili such as pagpipili ng mga pinuno. (Selection of leaders)
When it comes to food “ pagpipili ng pagkain” choosing a food that is consumable. Most people think of meat foods only. However, Muslims must ensure that all foods, particularly processed foods, pharmaceuticals, and non-food items like cosmetics, are also halal. Frequently, these products contain animal by-products or other ingredients that are not permissible for Muslims to eat or use on their bodies.
We cannot allow our sisters or our wives go out of streets or attend a party or any occasion wearing very revealing clothes. We always portray Mary, mother of Jesus (AS) as role model of every Muslim woman.
Islam obliged every Muslims to select their partners legally; live in partners is not allowable and is considered haram marriage in Islam.
Under Islamic law, there are three main sources of food on earth; those are the Animal, Plants and Drinks. Seven categories of food have been designated “haram”, i.e., prohibited for Muslims:
Meat of dead animals (carrion);
Pork and all products derived from pigs;
Blood;
Food dedicated to false gods;
Intoxicants
Carnivorous animals with fangs and birds of prey.
Contaminated food with haram item
Eating these in any form is not permitted for Muslims, unless one is afraid of starvation and feels it is a necessity in order to survive. The parents of Muslim children take the responsibility of choosing Halal foods.
Halal products contaminated during production, processing, preparation and/or serving food, with any of the Haram items also become Haram, when one is aware of such contamination. Additionally, there are strict requirements for making the meat of permitted animals Halal. The animals have to be slaughtered by a Muslim in a prescribed Islamic manner.
PROCEDURE FOR MAKING PARTIALLY HALAL KITCHEN
When Halal foods are prepared in the same kitchen as non-Halal foods, either at the same time or on a batch basis, certain precautions must be taken. All food preparers, stockers, and handlers must be instructed in these precautions. If at any time, the integrity of the Halal food is compromised, it will be rendered non-Halal and must not be served as Halal. The following are key elements for a Halal kitchen:
FOOD SUPPLIES
All supplies for Halal meals must be Halal, certified by an authentic Islamic Halal certifying organization, wherever practical. Meat and poultry products must be slaughtered in the Islamic way, often referred to as Zabiha. Zabiha means slaughtered by Muslims according to Islamic requirements. It is preferred that all supplies be certified Halal. Most of the common food products contain either doubtful or haram ingredients. The procurement office must look for the ones which do not contain any such food products which contain doubtful ingredients.
STORAGE
Halal items must be isolated from non-Halal ingredients and products. Halal supplies should be stored in separate cabinets, bins, and storage vessels to prevent contamination with non-Halal food.
Items that are dry should be stored in sealed containers.
Liquids or wet items should be stored in leak proof containers, which prevent other liquids from accidentally mixing with them. They should be clearly labeled as Halal to prevent confusion or contamination.
It is preferable to have the items marked “Halal”. For refrigerated items, it is preferred they are stored in Halal designated refrigerators with no non-Halal products.
If stored in mixed refrigerators with non-Halal products, Halal items must be stored in sealed containers on the top shelves, with no non-Halal items stored in shelves above them.
PREPARATION
Food should be prepared in a way to prevent cross contamination from non-Halal items. To maintain the Halal integrity of the food, Halal meals must be prepared in clean equipment. The equipment should be designated for Halal preparation and no other meals should be prepared on this equipment. If this is not possible, Halal meals should be prepared first, on equipment and with utensils that have been recently cleaned, or cleaned and stored in sanitary storage, away from any non-Halal items. They should not have been used for any other preparation after being cleaned. It is preferred that Halal foods are cooked on/in designated Halal ovens. If cooked on/in common ovens, Halal foods must be cooked first, on just cleaned ovens, and then isolated from any non-Halal items. Warmers for Halal foods should not be used for non-Halal foods, especially pork products.
Food preparers can contaminate food in a number of ways, including
By using the same food steamers to prepare pork products and non-pork products, such as rice, simultaneously;
By handling pork products and then preparing food which would otherwise be Halal, without washing their hands with hot water and soap;
By storing pork products and Halal products in food warmers, stacked in such a way that pork drippings leak from one pan and drip onto the Halal dish,
By cooking food in kettles or pots that had previously been used to cook non-Halal food and had not been scrubbed with hot water and soap between uses; and
By cooking food in ovens in which pork drippings had spilled and not been cleaned properly.
Food handlers/preparers should be sure not to work on both Halal and non-Halal items at the same time. Hands and utensils must be thoroughly washed before working or touching Halal food items or ingredients. If during the preparation of Halal foods, one touches non-Halal items, intentionally or by accident, they must wash their hands and utensils thoroughly before returning to work on the Halal food items.
Preparers should avoid allowing clothing, aprons, etc. to come in contact with Halal foods and ingredients. It is recommended that certain aprons be designated as Halal use aprons and used exclusively when preparing and serving Halal food items.
UTENSILS
Halal designated utensils should be used wherever practical, and isolated from non-Halal foods to prevent contamination. Cooking and serving utensils for Halal foods should be thoroughly cleaned before use and no non-Halal items should be cooked in or come in contact with the utensils throughout the preparation process. It is preferred that all food items be Halal when Halal meals are served. If not, serving utensils used for Halal meals should not be used for non-Halal meals and vice versa. It is better if Muslims are allowed to prepare the Halal meals.
Contamination may also occur on food distribution lines, in various ways, including
When utensils used to serve the pork dish are also used to serve food which would otherwise be Halal;
When pork and Halal dishes are placed next to each other on the serving line and pork drippings spill into the Halal dish;
When food is served on dishes that contain residue from earlier pork meals because the dishes were not properly washed; and
Using common dish waters for Halal and non-Halal serving dishes. Paper and plastic disposable utensils may serve the purpose better to avoid any problems.
HALAL SUPERVISION
A Halal kitchen must be supervised by an Islamic organization or Muslim Chaplains/or Halal Assurance Officer recognized by National Commission on Muslim Filipino formerly Office on Muslim Affairs under the Office of the President of the Republic of the Philippines.. Halal food preparation is a matter of commitment to one’s faith. It is imperative that Halal food be prepared under the supervision of individuals knowledgeable in Halal food regulations and food preparation techniques. The department may acquire the services of the Halal Development Institute of the Philippines to approve the kitchen, help in purchasing the Halal supplies as well as supervise the preparation of Halal meals. It may also assign the responsibility to Muslim chaplaincy with the department.
Foodservice kitchens that produce non-Halal food are capable of producing Halal food. In order to do so, the kitchen should maintain certain pots and utensils that are not used to cook or store non-Halal food. In addition, where non-Halal food in prepared in the Kitchen, the Halal food should be prepared first, while the kitchen is clean.
The kitchen may also supplement Halal meals with many items commonly found in any grocery store, such as bread, cereals, fruits and vegetables which require no preparation. Finally, the kitchen may serve Muslims their meals on disposable plates with disposable utensils to avoid cross contamination where dishes and utensils may not have been completely cleaned.
