Q : What is HalVit™ ?

A : HalVit™ is the first COMPLETE (from Vitamin A to Zinc) Multivitamin Multimineral brand with LUTEIN & LYCOPENE, in the retail market, CERTIFIED HALAL by IFANCA, Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (http://www.ifanca.org) and carries their HALAL certification symbol, Crescent M.

Q : How is HalVit™ manufactured, tested, and certified HALAL ?   

A : HalVit™ is manufactured under strict cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practices) standards. We use all Halal ingredients in HalVit™ and follow strict guidelines for cleanliness and integrity of the product to enable it to be certified as Halal by IFANCA. Click here for IFANCA issued Halal Certification for HalVit™ & HalVit™Jr.

The cGMP’s cover employee training, cleanliness of the facility, documentation, record keeping, quarantine and release procedures, identity and authenticity of raw materials and many other areas, all of which ensure that quality control can release finished products which are appropriately manufactured, packaged, labeled, stored, and shipped.

A : During the course of normal living, our bodies produce free radicals, which are a by-product of the life we live. Free radicals are part of our environment, promoted in the body by inhaling cigarette smoke, chemical preservatives in our foods and water, radiation and sunlight. Free radicals also could be formed in our body whenever immune system becomes fairly active as in during infections or inflammations. These free radicals are very harmful to our bodies and tissues. They are normally held in balance in biological systems by antioxidant defense mechanisms. When this balance cannot be maintained by the body due to constant stress and demands on it, these free radicals are produced in excess.

Antioxidants are substances that act as shields or barriers to prevent the invading free radicals from doing harm to cells. Antioxidants are free radical scavengers, they stop free radical damage by making the outer ring of the molecule stable by adding or removing electrons.

Supplementing our bodies with anti-oxidants to reduce the level of these harmful free radicals and oxidants in the body is typical. Vitamin A, Beta carotene, Vitamin E and Vitamin C are known potent anti-oxidants.

A : HalVit™ is a Multivitamin product and not a medicine or prescription drug which require an extensive approval process by the FDA. Multivitamins are regulated by FDA under DSHEA act of 1994. As long as a Dietary supplement manufacturer markets G.R.A.S (Generally Regarded As Safe) ingredients like Vitamins, Minerals and follow FDA guidelines for manufacturing, labeling and FTC (Federal Trade commission) guidelines on advertising they do not have to go through the lengthy New Drug Application approval process. See below for ‘DSHEA’ laws.

A : "DSHEA" is an acronym for ‘The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act’ which became a law on October 1994. Section 201(fl) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act defines the term "dietary supplement" to be a product that is formulated with vitamins, minerals, or a botanical that is intended for ingestion in tablet, capsule, powder, softgel, gelcap, or liquid form. Dietary supplements have been regulated as a category of foods throughout the history of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

Critics of dietary supplements allege that dietary supplements are "unregulated." In fact, virtually all avenues of dietary supplement manufacturing, labeling and advertising are covered by extensive regulations issued and enforced by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

DSHEA grandfathered all dietary supplement ingredients marketed in the United States before Oct 1994. These are considered safe for continued consumer use. Most Vitamins & Minerals come under this category.

DSHEA established an Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to facilitate the scientific study of the benefits of dietary supplements for promoting health and preventing disease. For information about ODS and its activities, click http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov

Q : What are RDA's and % Daily values ?

A : RDA’s mean Recommended Daily Allowances as specified by the National Institute of Health, Washington, DC., http://www.cc.nih.gov/ccc/supplements. These daily allowances are typically what is recommended and supported in literature for healthy living.

% Daily values are those values that are shown on any dietary supplement product label and are a percentage of daily allowances. HalVit™ provides the right nutrients in the right amounts, at levels that don't exceed the RDA.

A : Animal gelatin is required to microencapsulate Fat soluble Vitamins (A, D, E, K). This gelatin from Pork and Bovine sources is more stable and hence is required in smaller quantities and is preferred by all manufacturers since it is very cost effective.

At SIA Pharma, where Halal is THE key to our formulations, we have used MaltoDextrins, Food Starch, and Acacia gum based raw materials as replacement microencapsulation carriers for the Fat soluble vitamins, even though these ingredients are required in greater quantities to offer comparative stability to pork gelatin based raw materials.

Q : If we do not see Gelatin listed on the product label, is it HALAL to use or is it suitable for consumption by Muslims. 

A : Not necessarily! GELATIN is not the only Haram ingredient in a Multivitamin. For example, Some Vegetarian Multivitamin products may have Haram ingredients like Alcohol or other Mashbooh and Makrooh ingredients like Mono & Diglycerides and other proprietary ingredients may have been added, which do not need to be declared on the labels.  

HalVit™ is the only Complete Multivitamin brand certified as HALAL for consumption by Muslims by IFANCA (Islamic Food & Nutrition Council of America) in the retail market.