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The hundreds of restaurants and suppliers that sell halal food products in New Jersey get an annual visit from state inspectors to ensure they're following the rules to do just that.
New Jersey adopted the Halal Food Consumer Protection Act in 2000, requiring halal food sellers to disclose information, including whether they sell both halal and non-halal food. It put out a reminder to businesses and consumers last week about the law, which includes fines as high as $10,000 for first-time offenders.
A few hours before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan this week, Ediz Laypan, an investigator with the Division of Consumer Affairs' Office of Consumer Protection, walked into a restaurant in Princeton to see for himself that the establishment was living up to its promises.