Alfathi
Encyclopedia
Alfathi is a brand name used by Nortura
on its halal
meat distributed in Norway
. The meat is approved by the Islamic Council Norway
. There has traditionally been a disharmony between the Norwegian food traditions and availability of halal meat, the latter often only being provided for Middle Eastern cuisine
. Alfathi was created by Gilde Norsk Kjøtt
in 2001 to produce typical Norwegian foods which could meet the strict slaughter
restrictions within Islam
. Among the products available are pizza
, hamburger
, meat slices and wiener
s. Products are of course not made from prohibited species such as pigs and carnivore
s.
The halal slaughter procedure used by Nortura meets all requirements both set by the Qur'an
and the Norwegian Food Safety Authority
. This includes such requirements as that the slaughterer must be a Muslim, that the animal's head must face the Qibla
, and the animal is blessed
at the time of slaughter. Norwegian law requires that the animal is stunned
before slaughter. This does not break halal rules, but is not the traditional method used by Muslims. The time between the stunning of the animal and the slaughter is about 20 seconds. The killing of the animal is done by cutting the two main arteries in the neck and immediately draining the animal of blood. After slaughter, the halal meat has a separate value chain
until distribution.
of the chicken
halal brands in Norway, since about 10% of chickens died after stunning but without being bled. The halal rules state that the animal must be alive when its throat is cut to be slaughtered properly, so animals that died when stunned are not halal.
Nortura
Nortura is a Norwegian agricultural cooperative that operates slaughterhouses and other processing plants related to meat and eggs. The company was created as a merger between Gilde Norsk Kjøtt and Prior Norge in 2006, and has head offices in Oslo...
on its halal
Halal
Halal is a term designating any object or an action which is permissible to use or engage in, according to Islamic law. The term is used to designate food seen as permissible according to Islamic law...
meat distributed in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The meat is approved by the Islamic Council Norway
Islamic Council Norway
The Islamic Council Norway is an umbrella organisation for Muslim congregations and organisations in Norway. Currently, it represents 41 congregations totalling about 60.000 members. The offices are located in Oslo. It is a member of the European Council for Fatwa and Research .-Organization:The...
. There has traditionally been a disharmony between the Norwegian food traditions and availability of halal meat, the latter often only being provided for Middle Eastern cuisine
Middle Eastern cuisine
Middle-Eastern cuisine, West Asian cuisine, or in some place in the United States, Persian-Mediterranean cuisine is the cuisine of the various countries and peoples of the Middle East . The cuisine of the region is diverse while having a degree of homogeneity...
. Alfathi was created by Gilde Norsk Kjøtt
Gilde Norsk Kjøtt
Gilde Norsk Kjøtt is a defunct Norwegian red meat processing company organised as an agricultural cooperative. The company was by far the largest processor in the country when it merged with Prior Norge in 2006 to create Nortura. The company had gradually grown together as the slaughter...
in 2001 to produce typical Norwegian foods which could meet the strict slaughter
Ritual slaughter
Ritual slaughter is the practice of slaughtering livestock for meat in a ritual manner. Ritual slaughter involves a prescribed method of slaughtering an animal for food production purposes...
restrictions within Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. Among the products available are pizza
Pizza
Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, disc-shaped bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings.Originating in Italy, from the Neapolitan cuisine, the dish has become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria"...
, hamburger
Hamburger
A hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat usually placed inside a sliced bread roll...
, meat slices and wiener
Wiener
Wiener is German for Viennese, but may also refer to:* A German sausage named after Vienna * A sausage used in hot dogsWiener is the surname of:* Alexander S...
s. Products are of course not made from prohibited species such as pigs and carnivore
Carnivore
A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...
s.
The halal slaughter procedure used by Nortura meets all requirements both set by the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
and the Norwegian Food Safety Authority
Norwegian Food Safety Authority
Norwegian Food Safety Authority is a Norwegian government agency responsible for safe food and drinking water, and works within the fields of human, plant, fish and animal health as well as environmentally friendly production and ethically acceptable farming of animals and fish...
. This includes such requirements as that the slaughterer must be a Muslim, that the animal's head must face the Qibla
Qibla
The Qiblah , also transliterated as Qibla, Kiblah or Kibla, is the direction that should be faced when a Muslim prays during salah...
, and the animal is blessed
Blessing
A blessing, is the infusion of something with holiness, spiritual redemption, divine will, or one's hope or approval.- Etymology and Germanic paganism :...
at the time of slaughter. Norwegian law requires that the animal is stunned
Stunning
Stunning is the process of rendering animals immobile or unconscious, without killing the animal, prior to their being slaughtered for food.-History:...
before slaughter. This does not break halal rules, but is not the traditional method used by Muslims. The time between the stunning of the animal and the slaughter is about 20 seconds. The killing of the animal is done by cutting the two main arteries in the neck and immediately draining the animal of blood. After slaughter, the halal meat has a separate value chain
Value chain
The value chain, is a concept from business management that was first described and popularized by Michael Porter in his 1985 best-seller, Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance.-Firm Level:...
until distribution.
Controversy
In July 2007 a number of Islamic groups encouraged a boycottBoycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
of the chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
halal brands in Norway, since about 10% of chickens died after stunning but without being bled. The halal rules state that the animal must be alive when its throat is cut to be slaughtered properly, so animals that died when stunned are not halal.