Issue No.194 – April 2022 : Ramadhaan 1443

Over a 100 years ago, the American multinational technology company IBM adopted and trademarked the 5 letter word THINK which is used to this day. The foundation of this arose out of a meeting where it was stated, “The trouble with every one of us is that we don’t think enough. We don’t get paid for working with our feet — we get paid for working with our heads”. Their staff magazine was renamed THINK, laptop computers are called THINKPads, desktop computers became THINKCentres and their main conference is now known as THINK.

More than 1400 years ago our Noble Quran, exemplified by the teachings of our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), instructed us to verify information, ponder, reason and reflect, not only over Allah Almighty’s creation which would reinforce our belief in His Greatness and Power, but also in decisions and judgements taken on a daily basis.

It is a universally accepted business principle that the selling price of a product hinges on the final costing of the product. The greater the production cost, the pricier the item becomes. As an example, biscuits or chocolates packed in a plastic packet as opposed to a cardboard box or a metal canister would cost less due to the higher costs of the box and metal. A product in a glass bottle would likewise cost more than the same product in a plastic bottle. The increased costs impact the selling price of the product. Examples of this abound in the market place.

Using this as a hypothesis, Halaal certified products with their associated costs should be at the highest end of the scale while Haraam products (purely from a pricing point of view) and those with “free” community-donation funded certification will be on the lowest. The pricing of certified products could also differ in accordance with varying costs of the different certification bodies.

We present below a comparative table and the results of a survey. The selection of products is from the restaurant category, which usually draws the most reaction during our termination announcements. To ensure fair comparison, we confined the listing to products of national franchise chains where the offerings use the same ingredients, packaging and facilities to deliver an identical taste experience. We also showed provincial locations to determine whether the logistics of transport and manufacturing impacted on the final pricing.

When making comparisons one should arm themselves with the facts and verify this with the owner concerned. He is the main proponent and key decision maker on Halaal certification of his business and not the certifying body, armchair critics or social media trolls. It is his call whether to certify his business or not and whom he should certify with. Many a time detractors arrogate it upon themselves to speak on behalf of the owners with unfounded statements such as “SANHA fees are too high, Muslims don’t need certification, it’s all about the money etc.” which information is neither circulated by the business owner nor stands up to scrutiny and interrogation.

THE SURVEY

* “Free” Certification funded by community donation

THE RESULT

Halaal Products do not cost more, period.

APPLY YOUR MIND – THINK, VERIFY, REFLECT AND REASON