The term Halal means lawful or permitted, but to many non-Muslims it is most closely associated with meat products. However Carotech has said that in order to earn certification from the Islamic Development Department of Malaysia it's manufacturing facility and laboratory had to adhere to guidelines governing every aspect of hygiene, dietary regulation, raw material processing and packaging.
The worldwide Muslim community is made up of more than 1.5bn people. Malaysia is a Muslim country, but the Halal symbol will also appear on the packaging of Carotech products sold in other countries, such as the United States.
The company said that it is making on-going efforts to tap into food and supplement markets that seek to cater to the needs of Islamic communities. The need to provide halal certification outside of Muslim countries has grown out of globalisation and migration. Second- and third-generation Muslims who have grown up in the West hanker after Western and international cuisine such as pizza, burgers, and Chinese takeaways - but still want to comply with halal principals.
But the certification may also boost trust from consumers in general, believes WH Leong, VP of Carotech's US division.
"We see Halal as a form of approval that boosts our customers' trust and confidence in our range of phytonutrients," he said.
Carotech's plant has also been kosher certified for the past eight years.
Carotech's announcement follows closely behind news of similar approvals obtained by Naturex and Fortitech in the last few months. Other companies in the nutrition and supplement sector with certified Halal offerings include Aloecorp, McNeil Nutritionals, Ocean Nutrition Canada and Reliv International.