Halal is an Arabic term that means permitted or lawful.It describes goods, whether food or other consumer products, and services that are allowed to be consumed and availed by Muslims under Sharia law. Opposite to halal is haram which means unlawful.This applies to the same goods that are forbidden to be consumed.  

 

In the Philippines, the Halal Act of 2016 ushered in a state-sanctioned program to facilitate halal certification of goods and services. Currently, there are at least ten certification bodies that inspect and accredit companies and organizations manufacturing halal goods. The Department of Trade and Industry supports the manufacturing of halal-certified food products as they are considered clean and healthy. Plus, they have a large global market the Philippines has yet to fully penetrate. 

 

Among the products that have received halal certification in the Philippines is canned tuna. There are specifications to be followed for a tuna product to be considered halal. For scaled fish, such as tuna, it should have been taken out alive from a body of water by a human being. The fish should also die outside water, otherwise, it will not be halal.

 

Another factor to consider is the presence of phosphate in some canned tuna variants, which would classify it as unlawful. Phosphates are additives used in food processing to improve the quality and extend the shelf life of meat and fish products. It is sometimes added to canned tuna products to improve the water retention capabilities by the protein in the fish.    

 

If the canned tuna product is ascertained to not contain phosphate, and it passes all other requirements, then it can be considered halal. Such is the task of certification bodies like The Islamic Dawah Council of the Philippines, Inc. (IDCP). 

 

Among the companies it has certified as halal is General Tuna Corporation, which manufactures the leading canned tuna brand Century Tuna. General Tuna is also at the forefront of exporting canned tuna overseas from its main hub in General Santos City, considered the tuna capital of the Philippines. The same corporation manufactures canned tuna brands 555 Tuna, Blue Bay Tuna, and Fresca Tuna.

 

Other canned tuna companies manufactured in and for the Philippines that have been halal certified are Ayala Seafoods Corporation (Mega), CDO Foodsphere Inc. (San Marino), General Nutrifoods Philippines Inc. (Gold Seas), and San Miguel Foods (San Miguel Del Mar). 

 

To identify halal canned tuna products, consumers may check for the presence of the halal logo, adopted by the Philippine government in 2019.