Owner's Message

The Halal topic is understandably of great importance to all Halal consumers and one in which considerable discussion and debate continues to evolve as demand for Halal meat and poultry proteins expand globally.

Midamar is North America’s pioneer and oldest Halal food company in North America having been in business for over 35 years. As a Muslim family owned company since our founding in 1974, we take great pride in setting the Halal standard for Halal product development and supply to Halal consumers not only in the United States but the world over. Inshallah (God Willing), we will continue our leadership in the years ahead.

Midamar is the first company to be approved by many International Islamic Organizations in countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Kuwait, UAE, and more. Additionally, we are audited and approved through Islamic Services of America (ISA) which was started in Iowa in 1975 and to this day is the most continuous Halal certifying body in the United States and is a leading internationally recognized Halal certifier throughout the Muslim and non-Muslim world. These Islamic bodies attest to our high standards of Halal production. Above our commitment to our consumers is our religious responsibility for our actions and intentions in this life, especially in our commitment to providing Halal food to others.

On a global scale within the Islamic world, Muslims believe Halal to mean products that are not only without pork or alcohol but also slaughtered according to Islamic Law. The permissibility of a product as Halal and whether it is slaughtered correctly are not parallel issues in the definition of the word Halal.

Midamar has and always will refer to our products as Halal under the belief and understanding of the Qur’an and Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh) that not only are the products permissible to consume, free of any Haram ingredients but also are slaughtered according to Islamic understanding. As such we do not use the word zabihah (dhabh) although we recognize that some of our Halal consumers refer to zabihah as an additional point of clarification.

The word zabihah is not used in most of the Muslim world when referring to Halal food. Zabihah (actually pronounced dhabh) is an Arabic word (verb) meaning “to slaughter.” The word zabihah does not mean Halal. For instance, you can zabihah (slaughter) a pig but it does not make the pig Halal to consume. It is still Haram. So briefly, you can see where the word zabihah can be misunderstood. Consequently, some companies have created a marketing strategy by using the word zabihah inappropriately either intentionally or unintentionally. The word zabihah was not traditionally used in the United States and to this day is not used in the majority of the Muslim world. The word zabihah is used primarily for marketing purposes than to truly promote the proper definition and Islamic understanding of Halal attributed throughout the Quran, Sunnah, and Hadeeth.

In meeting the true definition of Halal, Midamar hand slaughters all beef, lamb, veal, turkey, goat, and organic products. Because Iowa is not considered a primary chicken producing state, Midamar purchases from sources that utilize both hand and machine slaughtered Halal chicken. At Midamar, machine slaughters are conducted only in facilities which we have confirmed utilize the services of Muslim slaughtermen  to perform and oversee the Halal slaughter process. Tape recordings of the "tasmiyah" played to replace live human Muslim slaughtermen at the time and point of slaughter are categorically rejected by Midamar.

We realize there are Halal consumers who only prefer to consume poultry from hand slaughter facilities and thus Midamar makes every attempt to notify consumers of which items will best suit their level of Halal preference. Our goal as a company is to pursue working with facilities that employ the hand slaughter method as this method is universally accepted. By providing consumers openly with the Halal methods we employ, it is then a consumer’s choice as to which of our products conforms to their personal beliefs. As owners of Midamar, we feel strongly that our Halal consumers should be knowledgeable and comfortable with the explanation of our Halal slaughter practices and product development. Ultimately, your ongoing satisfaction in our products, our customer service, and our Halal integrity are the reasons we exist.

Respectfully,

Jalel Aossey                                 Yahya Aossey
Director/Owner                              Director/Owner