Understanding Certification Termination
Noticed your favorite restaurant is no longer listed as HFSAA certified? We believe in transparency while upholding the utmost integrity of our standards. Use this FAQ to understand what a change in certification status means for you and your community.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is HFSAA?
HFSAA is a nonprofit Halal certification organization established and supervised by Islamic scholars (Ulema). We provide Halal certification services to businesses across the meat supply chain, foods, cosmetics, and chemicals industries.
What does it mean to be HFSAA certified?
For a restaurant or business to earn HFSAA certification, every aspect of their operation must meet our strict standards:
Meat & Poultry Sourcing: Sourced exclusively from approved suppliers adhering to HFSAA standards (hand slaughtered by a Muslim, severing at least three blood vessels, with verbal Tasmiya recited over every animal).
Ingredients & Non-Meat Items: Every single ingredient in each food product is thoroughly documented and vetted by our Quality Assurance team in coordination with manufacturers to ensure zero non-compliant additives such as gelatin, animal derived enzymes, khamr alcohol, etc.
Routine Inspections/Audits: Certified businesses are subject to regular, unannounced on-site inspections.
What does "No Longer HFSAA Certified" mean?
It means just that. HFSAA is no longer providing Halal certification services to this business.
NOTE: Just because a restaurant is not certified, it DOES NOT mean they are not serving any Halal options.
Is the restaurant still serving Halal food?
Because HFSAA no longer certifies the business, we cannot comment on their behalf regarding their business operations. We encourage community members to politely ask the establishment directly about their current Halal standards and suppliers—most transparent business owners are happy to share their sourcing details.
Why is the business no longer certified?
To respect privacy and maintain confidentiality, we do not comment on specifics of a business that is not HFSAA certified. However, a certification typically ends for one of two main reasons:
Compliance Breach: The business failed to meet our standards and declined to resolve the issue. Typically by procuring products that are not approved (for example: machine slaughtered chicken, or vertical cut beef, desserts with gelatin, etc.). The vast majority of businesses who lost certification fall into this category.
Voluntary Termination: Either party may choose to end the agreement. It is extremely rare for HFSAA to terminate the agreement in the absence of any breach (for example: if the business is harassing HFSAA team members, significantly more than the amount that is typically experienced). The business may decide to terminate due to no longer wanting to be limited to HFSAA standards (ex: wanting to procure machine slaughtered chicken), receiving threats from another Halal certifying body to end the relationship with HFSAA (has occurred a few handful of times since 2023), or for any other reason. Voluntary terminations from either party happen very infrequently.
Was the certification revoked because the business stopped paying?
Throughout our history and extending into renewals of Aug 2026, HFSAA has never revoked a restaurant’s certification solely due to non-payment, and we actively work with vendors who experience financial difficulties.
Our certification fees are kept intentionally low ($25/month, plus nominal inspection fees added to new applicants in August 2026 to offset travel expenses) to make rigorous compliance accessible to small businesses. That being said maintaining a high-integrity certification process requires continuous effort and resources. Our operations rely on two main pillars:
Quality Assurance Reviews: Dedicated QA team members spend dozens of hours every week researching, verifying, and documenting ingredients down to the manufacturer level.
On-Site Inspections: Inspectors conduct frequent, rigorous on-site visits—aiming for weekly inspections—to verify ongoing compliance in real time.
Because these labor and travel costs accumulate quickly, HFSAA must charge minimal service fees to stay financially sustainable. If an operation can no longer offset the baseline costs required to audit them, we may have to discontinue services to ensure our very limited nonprofit resources are allocated responsibly.
Why does a business need Halal certification?
Halal standards across the industry vary, and Islamic scholars hold differing rulings on specific practices. For example, while one person may not consider machine-slaughtered poultry as Halal, another person may. But both products can and are labeled as “Zabiha” or “Halal” as these terms do not represent any agreed upon standards in the industry apart from not including pork or alcohol.
While state laws generally do not mandate Halal certification, partnering with an established certifying body like HFSAA offers significant advantages for both business owners and consumers:
Expertise & Auditing Power: Most business owners lack the specialized resources to vet every step of their supply chain. HFSAA conducts regular, physical on-site audits at slaughterhouses—locations most business owners have never visited.
Deep Ingredient Vetting: Modern food manufacturing involves complex additives, animal byproducts, and khamr-derived alcohols. Our QA team evaluates every raw ingredient directly with manufacturers to ensure full compliance. Most business owners do not have the knowledge to identify critical ingredients outside of gelatin.
Consumer Trust & Transparency: A 3rd-party certification replaces guesswork with certainty. HFSAA clearly publishes its standards so consumers know exactly what criteria are being upheld, giving them complete confidence that the food they eat aligns with their personal standards.
In contrast, non-certified businesses often rely on vague claims like "Zabiha" or "100% Halal." These phrases do not reflect any unified industry standard, and many well-meaning business owners simply aren't aware of the nuances and varying scholar rulings in modern Halal food production. Independent certification provides the clear, publicly defined standard that customers deserve.