The federal government is currently holding an inquiry into food labelling and halal certification. That means now is your chance to be heard. Submissions must be lodged by 31 July, 2015.
– To lodge a submission, click here.
– To read my submission, click here.
– To obtain more information about halal certification, click here.
If you don’t have time to lodge a submission, you can sign mine. The more who do, the more weight it will have.
It’s easy to do. Simply fill in the form below and I’ll add your initials and suburb to my comprehensive submission.
[contact-form to=’personal@bernardgaynor.com.au’ subject=’Submission support’][contact-field label=’Christian Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Surname’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Street Address’ type=’text’/][contact-field label=’Suburb’ type=’text’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’State’ type=’text’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Postcode’ type=’text’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]
We all want to see the halal certification scam sorted out for good. This inquiry won’t do that because it is not set up to investigate all the problems relating to halal certification. Instead, it’s basically focused on food labelling issues. However, it’s a good start.
My submission makes a number of recommendations. The key points are briefly outlined below:
1. Labels must be placed on food if it:
– is the product of a religious ritual
– is produced by a person specifically employed because of their religious belief
– is religiously certified and certification fees are paid to fund religious programs.
2. Food producers who produce food that is automatically halal (like bread and water) should not be required to pay certification fees to state this.
3. Religious food certification authorities should be registered.
4. Religious food certification authorities should be required to disclose their standards, fees and financial records.
5. A proper inquiry should be established to examine a number of other issues in relation to halal certification other than food labelling issues.
