Perceptions of halal

DO YOU THINK THAT HAVING A HALAL LOGO ON THINGS LIKE CRISPS AND WATER IS NECESSARY? z Manee Pakayawong, 70, restaurant owner (Muslim) ''Personally I think it's a little weird to have a halal logo on items like crisps or instant noodles. Although, thinking about it, the logo does help Muslim consumers to be sure that such food is free from contamination during production. ''You know some Muslims are extremely strict when come to eating, especially people from Middle Eastern countries. I have Middle Eastern tourists coming to my restaurant all the time. Even though we have the sign saying 'halal', they still aren't sure if our food has been prepared according to Islamic law. z Piti Sombatsurachai, 39, office worker (Muslim) ''There's no harm in having a halal logo. I see it as a safety and convenience booster for both manufacturers and consumers. For example, a halal logo on a bag of chicken-flavoured crisps may indicate that the oil used in the deep-frying process is not from pork fat and the seasoning powder comes from a chicken that was killed in the proper Islamic way. Drinking water with a halal logo might look a bit strange, but if you compare that to labels on some other products such as ''For wearing'' on clothes and ''For listening'' on CDs, displaying a halal logo on water makes a lot more sense.'' z Panyawee Boonsanong, 30, housewife (non-Muslim) ''I think the logo is there to guarantee that the products are safe for Muslims to consume, which also means they are safe for non-Muslims like me, too.'' WHAT IS HALAL FOOD? z Kessuda Yingdee, 20, university student (non-Muslim): ''Halal food is definitely food prepared by Muslim people like khao mok kai and roti mataba.'' z Jirayu Sunthornkosa, 23, office worker (non-Muslim) ''Halal food is any kind of food that Muslim people can eat. I know that very well, though I'm not a Muslim, because I used to live in Malaysia where I could see that almost all the food surrounding us can be defined as halal. For example, in supermarkets, there would be a non-halal section which is usually small. That means all other items are definitely halal.'' z Kitti Rakdej, 35, Phd Candidate (Muslim): ''It's a matter of how you define halal. For me, halal means safe to eat, in other words, it means 'clean'. So it has nothing to do with the type of cuisine at all. As a Muslim, I would call many Chinese restaurants 'halal' because they are clean, while many 'Muslim' eateries aren't that halal for me.''