Many campus dining facilities receive questions regarding halal-compliant foods that meet a variety of student needs. While programs attempt to navigate the food service space to find halal certified foods, serving halal meals goes beyond the selection of ingredients. In spaces where students rely on the dining services provided by their colleges and universities for their daily meals, having religiously compliant foods is not optional.

Lack of access to a nutritionally complete diet can affect a student’s performance, attitude, and stress levels. IFANCA recognized the need for certified programs after being approached by student groups on campus who were concerned that their nutritional needs were not being met due to the restricted options at their dining halls. Since then, we have helped multiple campuses, K-12 schools, airlines, and prison kitchens develop certified programs to serve halal meals across the country.

There are three key steps involved in certifying a kitchen:

  • Step 1: Ingredient and Product Review
    A team of food scientists reviews all the ingredients and products used in halal meals to determine their suitability status. IFANCA provides a clear voice on what is halal and what isn’t to help clearly direct dining facility staff. We also rely on our database of products that we ourselves certify to recommend products or suppliers that are halal compliant.
  • Step 2: Implementation of the Halal Assurance System (iHAS)
    IFANCA works with the kitchen to develop a customized integrated Halal Assurance System (iHAS) that addresses the handling of halal food products through procurement of raw materials, storage of ingredients, preparation, cooking, staging, and serving of finished meals to ensure that controls are in place to avoid contamination of the meal.
  • Step 3: Certification, Oversight, and Training
    Third-party certification offers confidence in a halal dining program. It ensures that every stage of producing halal meals has been reviewed and has the support of IFANCA, a world-leading halal certifier. We provide oversight, training, and verification to dining staff. We always work with the student groups present on campus to ensure that we are uplifting their voice and fulfilling our mission to ensure everyone has access to the halal products and services that let them live a secure, satisfied life.

Ensuring access to halal meals is an essential part of creating inclusive dining environments where students can thrive. To learn more or to have your university kitchen halal certified, please contact us at halal@ifanca.org.