04 | Ethical Guidelines of Conventional and Islamic Practices to Prevent Foodborne Disease in Slaughtering Ruminants and their Meat Processing

Abstract

Ruminants are major meat sources, yet the slaughtering them vary from one tradition to another. World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)’s Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) guidelines for slaughtering ruminants focus on hygiene and safety to prevent Foodborne Diseases (FBD) while Islamic slaughtering guidelines focus more or less the same but add particularly for halal and toyyiban. Hence, these and other variations need to be interested and explored in order to practice accordingly. This study intends to analyze details of these two approaches, exposing their differences and similarities, through and within the foodborne disease prevention perspective. The literature search and comparative method are used. Total eighteen developed guidelines to be considered as the reliable sources are explored and two of them, CAC guideline and combination of halal guidelines from Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) & Malaysia Standard (MS) are chosen to follow as the completed and detailed guidelines. It is found that stunning is a major difference between conventional and Islamic practices. Slaughtering ruminants by method of halal and toyyiban, collectively known as halalan toyyiban with hygiene and safety will definitely be acceptable not only by Muslims but also the whole world population so that it should be ensured by following the relevant ethical guidelines for all meat consumers.

Keyword: Foodborne diseases (FBD), Halalan Toyyiban, Hygiene, Safety, Slaughtering