GHAZIABAD: Teams of the food supply and drug administration department searched malls, stores and distribution outlets in Noida and Ghaziabad to check for halal-certified products that the state government banned last week.From packets of chips to pulses and toffees, the officials seized various products with halal certificates on them and recommended a fine of Rs 2 lakh each on eight traders who had stocked them.On November 18, the UP government banned the sale, distribution and manufacturing of halal-certified products with immediate effect under Section 52 of the Food Safety Act, 2006. Products meant for export to other countries — particularly to West Asia where halal certificates are a must — were kept out of the orders purview.A day before the ban, police in Lucknow registered cases against certain agencies that issued such certificates, such as Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Halal Trust of Delhi, Halal Council of India and Jamiat Ulama for allegedly exploiting religious sentiments.Ever since the government came out with the order, we have been carrying out inspections in malls and departmental stores to check for products with halal certificates. On Thursday, we seized some samples and recommended a fine of Rs 2 lakh on each violator. A call on the fine amount will be taken by a court. But, we will carry out such inspections in the future too, said Vineet Kumar, assistant commissioner in the food safety department.In Noida, around 20 stores were searched. Some of them were in the DLF Mall of India. Others were in the Sector 18 market, Indra Market, Jagat Farms, Naya Bans and so on, an official said.Traders questioned the governments decision to implement the order with immediate effect. They said they needed time to dispose of their stocks, which were procured much before the November 18 order. The shop owners feared huge losses if searches like this continued.I have products worth lakhs in my shop. They have been declared illegal overnight. We dont know what to do with them, said Imtiaj Ahmed, a distributor of packaged food in Ghaziabad.Manjoor Illahi, another store owner, said the only option was to sell the products in other states at almost half the rate. We cant understand the logic behind the ban. There are many like me who are suffering because of this, he told TOI.Calls to Maulana Niaz Ahmed Farooqui, the secretary of the Ulama-i-Hind Halal Trust, which issues halal certificates for a fee, did not elicit any response.Sharia law expert Nadeem Ahmed explained the logic behind the certification of products. Primarily, it is to ensure that items banned in Islam are not used in the making of products. For instance, any product fried in oil that contains pork is not acceptable in Sharia law. There are certain brands of chips that are fried in pork oil. It is also used in certain lipsticks as lubricant. A community for whom consumption of such products is not permitted has the right to know about their nature, he said.Asked why pulses or spices — which do not contain any animal product — needed a halal certificate, Ahmed said, If such products have been grown in a field that is illegally acquired, it is against the tenets of Islam.

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