New Delhi: Himalaya on Friday responded to allegations over its halal policy, stating the certification "does not imply that a product contains animal-derived ingredients."
The company's statement comes after a section of social media users targetted the brand using "#BycottHimalaya" tag.
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In its statement, the brand wrote, "Himalaya Wellness Company is exporting its products to over 100 countries. For the acceptability of the products in the importing country, the company and its products will have to comply with the importing countries' laws and regulations."
"In certain countries, halal certification is mandatory. Hence the halal certification is obtained as per the respective regulations for such countries only," it added.
It further attempted to clarify the social media claims stating, "We wish to clarify and confirm that none of the Himalaya products contain meat, as alleged in some of the social media platforms; this is factually incorrect."
"Halal certification does not imply that a product contains animal-derived ingredients. It is applicable for vegetarian products too as per the importing countries' regulations. All companies who seek to export to these countries are required to obtain this certification," the statement mentioned.
'#BycottHimalaya' Trends On Twitter
The controversy erupted as a picture of Himalaya Drug Company's 'Halal Policy' went viral on Twitter.
It states, "Our products comply with Islamic Law/Shariah and free from any forbidden ingredients under Islamic law". "We have set up the Internal Halal Management Team comprising of senior executives (including Muslim) from various disciplines to be responsible for all matters pertaining to Halal certification," it added.
While Halal certification is about the quality of products according to the rules established by the Islamic Council, a section of social media users appeared to confuse it with the ongoing debate concerning Halal meat in Karnataka.
The latest to join the online campaign is actor-BJP leader Paresh Rawal.
Netizens supporting Himalaya in this issue have pointed out that several other companies including Adani, Reliance, Tata, Hindustan Unilever, Amul, Dabur, and more have also received halal certification for their products.
As for the Halal meat controversy in Karnataka, BJP General Secretary CT Ravi on Wednesday said that the halal meat business is a kind of 'economic jihad'.
"The halal meat business is a kind of 'economic jihad'. The concept of Halal meat means that they can do business among themselves and consume Halal meat only among their people. What is wrong in pointing it as wrong," he said, as quoted by news agency ANI.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has said that the state government will look into the Halal meat issue as "serious objections" have now been raised about it.
Meanwhile, opposition leaders in Karnataka have accused the BJP government of deliberately bringing up such issues in view of assembly polls next year.