Muhammad Ikhlas Rosele

Consideration of ‘Umūm Al-Balwā Method in Food Contamination from Halalan Toyyiban Perspectivūe

Conventionally, there are three types of food contaminations, which are biological, chemical and physical. In halal food production, violation of the halal requirement within the food supply chain can also be considered as contamination—halal contamination. When najs (impurity) or haram (prohibited) substance enters to the food product, the food is said to be halal contaminated, hence effecting its halal status. In Malaysia, cases of halal contamination in food product are nothing new. Many incidents have been reported such as the contamination of porcine DNA in salted butter, confectionery products, etc. However, the contamination can occur via cross-contamination, which is unintentional and difficult to avoid. Therefore, the objective of this study is to identify the concept of umum al-balwa (widespread hardship) in food contamination perspective. Furthermore, this study will analyze the role of umum al-balwa for halal determination in the case of contaminated food. For this study, the data obtained primarily from classical and contemporary Islamic jurisprudence literature. This study found that the concept of umum al-balwa have an impact in determining the halal status of contaminated food. Therefore, it can be developed to be used as an alternative method in tackling halal food issues.