Don't be misled by social media campaign against Gokul milk over Halal certification: Dairy GM

Kolhapur: The Kolhapur Zilla Sahakari Dudh Utpadak Sangh, popularly known as Gokul Dairy, has appealed to consumers in Mumbai and Pune not to be misled by a social media campaign urging boycott of its products over Halal certification.The appeal comes after an activist alleged on social media that the certification was linked to religious promotion, targeting former dairy chairman Navid Mushrif and minister Hasan Mushrif.Gokul, which supplies around 15 lakh litres of milk daily to Mumbai and Pune, said it has been receiving calls from long-time distributors seeking clarification amid fears of a potential impact on sales.“The Halal certification is not related to any religious promotion, compulsion or ideology. It is a necessary commercial and quality-related requirement in international trade. The term ‘Halal’ means ‘permissible’ or ‘lawful,’ and the certification ensures that no prohibited or adulterated substances are used in the production process of food products,” said Anil Chaudhari, the general manager of the dairy.He said certification processes in the dairy sector involve strict quality checks. “The ingredients used in these products are verified to comply with Halal standards. Therefore, this certification is considered a benchmark for quality and safety, similar to standards like FSSAI, ISO 22000, and HACCP. Gokul dairy has Halal certification since 2018 and valid till March 2028. In many Islamic countries, especially in the Gulf region, Halal certification is legally mandatory for food imports. Countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait do not grant customs clearance without Halal certification,” Chaudhari said.The dairy said the certification is key for exports, noting that it shipped around 850 tonnes of milk powder to countries including Turkey, Georgia, Syria, Bangladesh and the UAE in 2018, and later exported 462 tonnes of butter to Azerbaijan in 2024.“Currently, there is strong demand for Indian dairy products such as butter and ghee in Middle Eastern countries, and the dairy continues to receive export queries,” the official added.In its statement, Gokul said several dairy cooperatives across India have adopted Halal certification to facilitate exports to Gulf markets.