Assemblyman Charles D. Fall (D-Richmond) recently introduced legislation (A.5154) that would require New York schools located in cities with a population of a million or more and school districts located in localities with a Muslim population of fifteen percent to provide Halal food for students with religious dietary food restrictions.

The word “Halal” means “lawful.” Halal is often mentioned when discussing what one eats and drinks. Since what one eats affects both the body and the spirit, the teachings of Islam prohibit substances that it considers harmful to either.

Many popular U.S. American foods are made with pork products: for example, sausage, hot dogs, baked beans and potato salad. Foods like jellybeans, marshmallows, and other gelatin-based foods also typically contain pork byproducts and are not considered Halal. Even products like vanilla extract and toothpaste can contain alcohol!

In recent years both, New York City and the State have taken up proposals to address school lunch inequality and food shaming. However, there has been little resolve.

Due to the growing Muslim population in New York City and the recent “urban sprawl” to counties in or around urban areas of the state, this bill addresses the increased need of dietary requirements of Muslim children who must abide by Halal requirements during lunch at school.

“Being of the Muslim faith and personally affected by meal disparity, it is essential that we bring this important issue to the forefront. We all agree that no child should go hungry, should have to throw out his or her food or be restricted in any fashion based on religious grounds,” said Fall.