A French start-up has launched a Halal test kit that can show if your food contains pork.
A Halal test kit has been launched by a French company, Capital Biotech, that contains a one time use device that will enable users to check if their food has pork within 10 minutes. However, the kit does not indicate how the animal was slaughtered.
The test requires mixing of a small amount of food hot water and then insert a small strip into the mixture, which tests for pork proteins. Pork meat is forbidden for Muslims and Jews as it is considered unclean. France has a population of five million Muslims, which is the largest in Europe. The country experienced a huge food scandal in 2011, when Halal sausages were found to contain pork.
So far, the firm has received many orders from countries as far as Turkey, Chile and Indonesia, amounting to $135, 000 in just a fortnight of its launch. The Halal meat market is of multi-billion dollar value and considering that the device costs €6.90, Capital could make good profits in no time. However, owing to recession, the company is not expecting many consumers to buy the device yet as most are generally satisfied with a Halal certificate.
The company is reportedly hoping to expand the usage of the test for identifying food allergies and has plans to launch various tests for allergens–soya, egg or almonds–in ready to eat meals. The company wants to further work on and bring out tests for gluten, peanut or milk as well, later on expanding to pharmaceutical products.
Capital Biotech’s Halal test kit by far do not any approvals before their launch in the market. However, their reliability as tests will be examined by assigned authorities. For now, the company is in the process of securing domain names for ‘Kosher tests’.
Photo Credits: alibaba.com
