Traditionally, Somalia has relied on food importing when feeding Somalia’s population. Imported frozen chicken has been one of the most widely consumed of these imported food products. It is cheap, readily available, and many Somali families as well as hotels and restaurants use it. Recently, as consumption has increased, so have questions from many. Many Somalis now are asking two basic questions; Is imported chicken in Somalia halal? Is it safe for me to eat? This article is meant to pull back the reports and discussions surrounding this ongoing story, halal chicken in Somalia, food safety issues and the need for more stringent controls.
Why Imported Chicken Became Common in Somalia
The Somali poultry industry has suffered for years from war, destructive forces, infrastructure challenges, and lack of investments in the industry. As a result, the country has to import considerable frozen chicken from:
• Brazil, Argentina, and Turkey are dominant experts and or are
• China, Malaysia and Thailand, who are chiefly suppliers of frozen pre-packed chicken. • Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries because exports of poultry already served the Muslims markets. For many families imported chicken reduces costs compared to purchasing locally produced
meats. Likewise, for restaurants and caterers, the lower prices are a big draw. However, the true question is – what are we losing in terms of halal certification or orders and food safety?
The Halal Certification Problem in Somalia
In Somalia, where more than 99% of the population are Muslims, halal compliance is a religious duty, but many fully imported chicken products:
• Came with bilingual foreign labeling on packaging (Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, or Turkish).
• Have halal stamps that are unverifiable and unclear value for consumers.
• Lack sufficient halal slaughter documentation and reporting required by Islamic law. This has created a crisis of trust. Given the absence of a Somali halal certification authority, consumers cannot trust that imported poultry is indeed halal. Religious/community leaders are starting to sound the alarm and are advising the government to create a halal chicken certification board to manage imports. Until this occurs, Somali family members do not know what they are eating.
Imported Chicken Safety: A Food Security Issue
Halal is not the only issue. Food safety in Somalia is a need to hurry. Imported chicken is transported over long distances while passing through several supply chains/Somali markets, and there are several issues:
1. Cold Chain Breaks Imported chicken should stay frozen from the factory to the end consumer, but in Somalia, the ability to maintain frozen products is severely compromised by poor storage facilities, electrical blackouts, lack of electricity, and refrigeration system failures, ultimately ending with a product that is not safe to consume.
2. Out of Date Many chicken boxes arrive with faded, unreadable, or re-stamped expired dates. There is a suspicion that expired products are then re-sold.
3. Public Health Hazard from Unstable Chicken When chicken is improperly stored or it’s past the expiration date, it can contain bacteria (e.g., Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli) that may enter people and cause foodborne illness. Somalia has lacking health surveillance and is therefore likely to miss many possible cases of people getting ill.
4. No Inspection Systems Somalia does not have food safety laboratories like some other African countries and does not have any customs inspection units that test imported meat before sale in local market. The framework of inspecting imported food works poorly, so unsafe chicken can easily be found and apparently safely purchased throughout Mogadishu, Garowe, Hargeisa, and Bosaso.
What Somali Consumers Are Saying
Somali consumers are beginning to become more aware. Debates are raging openly on social media about whether imported chicken can be trusted. Some examples of trends include:
• Discussions of boycotting imported chicken until they offers guarantees from authorities.
• Discussions of stronger halal certification system in Somalia. • Religious leaders supporting families to buy from trusted local butcher instead of supermarkets. More families in cities such as Mogadishu and Hargeisa are are starting to examine packaging more carefully, may be avoid unopened or unlabeled product, primarily choosing local poultry
even though it may be more expensive. This signals increased demand for food transparency in Somalia.
The Economic Reality: Affordable But Expensive
On the surface, imported chicken may be a smart choice for a country with limited resources. However, hidden factors to consider may actually make Somalia worse off:
• Public Health Costs – Foodborne illnesses create an additional burden on Somalia’s already fragile health system to treat the effects of food poisoning.
• Consumer Confidence – If the public loses trust in local markets, this will undermine consumer confidence in the complexity of the Somali food system.
• Our Pasture-Based Farming Systems Are Weakening – As Somali consumers continue to rely on imported chicken, they will discourage investment in Somali poultry farming, ultimately decreasing long-term food security. Somalia can build better jobs, halal compliant jobs, and create more sustainable food systems by enabling and supporting local poultry farmers.
The Way Forward: Solutions for Somalia
To counter this expanding crisis about halal certification and the safety of imported chicken products, Somalia must take decisive action.
The following strategies are recommended:
1. National Food Safety Agency A single entity is needed to oversee food imports, conduct inspections, and develop standards for food safety.
2. Somali Halal Certification Board Peaceful and trusted religious leaders and technical experts should verify halal compliance before any products enter Somali markets.
3. Enhance Port Inspection and Market Inspections Every shipment of chicken should have its expiry dates checked, label compliance checked, and random laboratory testing.
4. Educate Somali consumers Awareness campaigns are needed to teach buyers about reading food labels, checking expiry dates, and reporting unsafe chicken.
5. Assist Somali poultry farmers Investing and developing domestic chickens in Somali will reduce dependency on imports, ensure halal supply, and enhance food security.
Final Thought
Imported chicken in Somalia is not simply an issue of food; it is an issue of faith, health, and trust. Somali consumers are at risk when there are no reliable halal certifications and food safety processes in place. The answer is not a total import ban, but the right type of regulation; and at the same time to build Somalia’s own poultry industry. In this way families will have the confidence to know that they can eat food that is safe, halal and locally trusted. Food is not just food – it is about our lives, our faith, and our future.
