Michigan Laws 750.297f – “Halal” defined; prohibited acts; violation as misdemeanor; presumption; additional prohibited acts; investigation and inspection by department of agriculture; rules
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(1) As used in this section, “halal” means prepared or processed in accordance with Islamic religious requirements.
(2) A person who, with intent to defraud, does any of the following is guilty of a misdemeanor:
Terms Used In Michigan Laws 750.297f
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- in writing: shall be construed to include printing, engraving, and lithographing; except that if the written signature of a person is required by law, the signature shall be the proper handwriting of the person or, if the person is unable to write, the person's proper mark, which may be, unless otherwise expressly prohibited by law, a clear and classifiable fingerprint of the person made with ink or another substance. See Michigan Laws 8.3q
- person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, as well as to individuals. See Michigan Laws 8.3l
(a) Sells or exposes for sale in any place where food products are sold for consummation on or off the premises any meat, meat preparation, article of food, or food product, and falsely represents it to be halal, whether the meat, or meat preparation, article of food, or food product is raw or prepared for human consumption, either by direct statement orally, or in writing, which is reasonably calculated to deceive or lead a reasonable person to believe that a representation is being made that that food is halal.
(b) Falsely represents any food product or the contents of any package or container to be so constituted and prepared, by having or permitting to be inscribed on the package or container the word “halal” in English.
(c) Exposes for sale in any show window or place of business both halal and nonhalal meat or meat preparations, or halal and nonhalal food or food products, either raw or prepared for human consumption, and who fails to identify each kind of meat or meat preparation as “halal meat” or “halal food”.
(d) Displays on his or her window, door, or in his or her place of business, or in handbills or other printed matter distributed inside or outside of his or her place of business, words or letters in Arabic characters other than the word “halal”, or any sign, emblem, insignia, symbol, or mark in simulation of same, without also displaying in English letters of at least the same size as such characters, signs, emblems, insignia, symbols, or marks, the words “we sell halal meat and food only” or “we sell nonhalal meat and food only”, or “we sell both halal and nonhalal meat and food”.
(3) Possession of nonhalal food, in any place of business advertising the sale of halal food only, is presumptive evidence that the person in possession exposes the nonhalal meat and food for sale with intent to defraud.
(4) A person who does any of the following is guilty of a misdemeanor:
(a) Willfully marks, stamps, tags, brands, labels, or in any other way or by any other means of identification represents or causes to be marked, stamped, tagged, branded, labeled, or represented as halal food or food products not halal or not so prepared.
(b) Willfully removes, defaces, obliterates, covers, alters, or destroys, or causes to be removed, defaced, obliterated, covered, altered, or destroyed the original slaughterhouse plumba or any other mark, stamp, tag, brand, label, or any other means of identification affixed to foods or food products to indicate that those foods or food products are halal.
(c) Knowingly sells, disposes of, or has in his or her possession, for the purpose of resale to any person as halal, any food or food products not having affixed to the food or food product the original slaughterhouse plumba or any other mark, stamp, tag, brand, label, or other means of identification employed to indicate that that food or food product is halal or any food or food products to which such plumba, mark, stamp, tag, brand, label, or other means of identification has been fraudulently affixed.
(5) The department of agriculture shall investigate and inspect the sale of halal food products and shall enforce this act. The department of agriculture may promulgate rules for the enforcement and administration of this section under the administrative procedures act of 1969, 1969 PA 306, MCL 24.201 to 24.328.