Campania firm produces first 'halal' certified in Italy.

Castel di Sasso - A company in Italy's southern Campania region has won certification for the first 'halal' buffalo milk mozzarella cheese made according to strict Islamic principles. The La Baronia company based at Castel di Sasso near Naples has been awarded 'halal' status for its mozzarella from Italy's Zayd Ibn Thabit Islamic Culture Association and TUV food-certification agency.
To be certified as 'halal' buffalo-milk mozzarella, alcohol-based chemicals must not be used in the cleaning of equipment and the mozzarella must carry the date it was produced as well as its sell-by date.
'This initiative is a sign of the attention companies and public institutions are paying to religious minorities,'' said Abdallah Massimo Cozzolino, an imam at Naples' Mosque and the president of the Zayd Ibn Thabit Islamic Culture Association. (...)