UP food safety officials raid Lucknow mall after ban on Halal-certified products

The Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) team on Monday conducted a raid on Uttar Pradesh's Sahara Mall as part of the state government's latest crackdown on inauthentic Halal certified products.

The team examined various kinds of products being sold at the mall, including cold drinks, meat and dry fruits to see if they were Halal-certified items.

Subsequently, the FSDA registered a case against eight companies.

This came after the Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday banned the production, storage, distribution, and sale of food, medicines and cosmetic items with halal certification in the state with immediate



effect. The ban has been imposed in the interest of public health and to prevent confusion, officials stated.

The order from the Uttar Pradesh Food Commissioner said, "In the interest of public health, production, storing, distribution and sale of halal certified edible items are banned in Uttar Pradesh with immediate effect."

The government also warned of strict actions against those who violate the ban. However, goods with Halal certification produced for export are exempted from the ban.

The ban followed the filing of cases by Uttar Pradesh Police against several firms for selling 'Halal certified' products using fake documents.