The demand for ethical foods is rising, with halal foods playing a significant role in this trend. However, halal standards vary globally, which can have substantial implications. Multiple Halal Certification Bodies (HCBs) can approve food products but they often prioritize national regulations over international alignment. To explore the similarities and differences in halal standards, we conducted a critical analysis of various standards, including Pakistan's halal standards, the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries, Majlis Ugama Islam Singapore, Majelis Ulama Indonesia, GCC Standardization Organization, Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia, ASEAN General Guideline, and the halal standards of Thailand, Iran, and Brunei, through a literature survey. While some commonalities exist, differences stemming from various Islamic schools of thought pose challenges for regulators, consumers, and food producers. Controversial issues include stunning, slaughtering, aquatic animals, insects, and labeling requirements. For example, all standards except the GSO allow non-Muslim slaughterers, and stunning is permitted in all standards except those of Pakistan. These disparities underscore the need for standardization and harmonization in the halal food industry to meet the growing demand for ethical foods.
Nitrogen (N) fertilizer is an important yield limiting factor for sunflower production. The correlation between yield components and growth parameters of three sunflower hybrids (Hysun-33, Hysun-38, Pioneer-64A93) were studied with five N rates (0, 60, 120, 180, 240 kg ha(-1)) at three different experimental sites during the two consecutive growing seasons 2008 and 2009. The results revealed that total dry matter (TDM) production and grain yield were positively and linearly associated with leaf area index (LAI), leaf area duration (LAD), and crop growth rate (CGR) at all three sites of the experiments. The significant association of yield with growth components indicated that the humid climate was most suitable for sunflower production. Furthermore, the association of these components can be successfully used to predict the grain yield under diverse climatic conditions. The application of N at increased rate of 180 kg ha(-1) resulted in maximum yield as compared to standard rate (120 kg ha(-1)) at all the experimental sites. In this way, N application rate was significantly correlated with growth and development of sunflower under a variety of climatic conditions. Keeping in view such relationship, the N dose can be optimized for sunflower crop in a particular region to maximize the productivity. Multilocation trails help to predict the input rates precisely while taking climatic variations into account also. In the long run, results of this study provides basis for sustainable sunflower production under changing climate.