The permit is a board, and it is issued by the state
Anyone producing or selling halal food in Shanghai must first apply to the municipal or district ethnic affairs authority for a halal sign board. Without it, they may not produce or sell halal food. The board is centrally produced under the municipal ethnic affairs authority, and forging, transferring, lending or trading it is prohibited.
Articles 9 and 10 · Shanghai Regulations on the Administration of Halal Food (Shanghai Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee, text published by the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Ethnic and Religious Affairs, page dated 2004-10-13, read 2026-07-25)
The board has to be where you can see it
The authority has ten working days from receiving an application to complete its review and reply in writing, and issues the board where the conditions are met. Businesses holding one must hang it in a conspicuous position at the place of production or business.
Article 13 · Shanghai Regulations on the Administration of Halal Food (Shanghai Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee, text published by the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Ethnic and Religious Affairs, page dated 2004-10-13, read 2026-07-25)
清真 on the sign is regulated, not decorative
A business producing or selling halal food must clearly mark the two characters 清真 on its trade name, its signboard and the name and packaging of the food, and may add a symbol carrying a halal meaning. A business without the board may not use those characters or any such symbol.
Article 18 · Shanghai Regulations on the Administration of Halal Food (Shanghai Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee, text published by the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Ethnic and Religious Affairs, page dated 2004-10-13, read 2026-07-25)
Separation is written into the rule
Transport vehicles, measuring instruments, storage containers and the processing, storage and sales premises must be dedicated to halal food, and may not be used to carry, weigh or store forbidden foods or items. Main and auxiliary raw materials must meet halal requirements and carry valid supporting documents.
Articles 16 and 17 · Shanghai Regulations on the Administration of Halal Food (Shanghai Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee, text published by the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Ethnic and Religious Affairs, page dated 2004-10-13, read 2026-07-25)
Forbidden items may be refused at the door
Bringing halal-forbidden food or items into premises that deal exclusively in halal food is prohibited, and the operator has the right to refuse entry to anyone carrying them. Where halal and non-halal are sold in the same area, the non-halal stalls and counters must be an appropriate distance away or separated by an obvious and effective barrier.
Article 20 · Shanghai Regulations on the Administration of Halal Food (Shanghai Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee, text published by the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Ethnic and Religious Affairs, page dated 2004-10-13, read 2026-07-25)
The city has to publish where the supply points are
Municipal and district ethnic affairs authorities must announce basic halal food supply points to the public, and obvious direction signs must be set up nearby. Districts must site supply points according to the city-wide plan, and must place basic supply points in areas where Muslim minorities are concentrated, at transport hubs and in commercial centres.
Articles 7 and 8 · Shanghai Regulations on the Administration of Halal Food (Shanghai Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee, text published by the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Ethnic and Religious Affairs, page dated 2004-10-13, read 2026-07-25)
Hospitals are covered
Municipal hospitals and district central hospitals in Shanghai are required to provide halal meals for Muslim minority patients, and other medical institutions are required to create the conditions to do so. Work units with Muslim minority staff should generally run a halal canteen or provide halal meals, or pay a halal meal allowance where they cannot.
Article 21 · Shanghai Regulations on the Administration of Halal Food (Shanghai Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee, text published by the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Ethnic and Religious Affairs, page dated 2004-10-13, read 2026-07-25)
Faking it carries a fine and costs the board
Using the characters 清真 without holding the board, producing or selling halal food without the board, or forging or transferring one draws a fine of 200 to 2,000 yuan, on top of an order to correct. Breaching the dedicated-equipment and slaughter rules draws 100 to 1,000 yuan. In serious cases the ethnic affairs authority may suspend or revoke the board.
Article 26 · Shanghai Regulations on the Administration of Halal Food (Shanghai Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee, text published by the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Ethnic and Religious Affairs, page dated 2004-10-13, read 2026-07-25)
There is no single national halal law
Twelve provinces and regions — Hebei, Shanxi, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and Xinjiang — have enacted local halal food legislation. Beijing, Tianjin, Henan and Shandong have government rules. Twenty provinces and regions write halal food administration into their minority rights legislation, and nine cities with legislative power plus Xining and Guangzhou have their own instruments.
Officials of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission answer reporters' questions on the administration of halal food (State Ethnic Affairs Commission, Department of Policy and Law, published by the Putuo District People's Government of Shanghai, page dated 2017-04-24, read 2026-07-25)
The legal definition is a custom, not a doctrine
The State Ethnic Affairs Commission states that the administration of halal food is built on three principles: it regulates the administration of halal food rather than halal food itself; it regulates producers and sellers rather than ordinary consumers; and it defines halal food strictly as the dietary custom of ethnic groups rather than as food conforming to Islamic doctrine — described in the briefing as a firewall against religion interfering with secular life.
Officials of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission answer reporters' questions on the administration of halal food (State Ethnic Affairs Commission, Department of Policy and Law, published by the Putuo District People's Government of Shanghai, page dated 2017-04-24, read 2026-07-25)
Roughly ten ethnic groups, and a coordinating notice
The briefing puts the population with a halal dietary custom at more than 23 million across about ten ethnic groups. It records that in February 2014 five central bodies — the State Council food safety office, the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, the Ministry of Commerce, the food and drug regulator and the industry and commerce administration — jointly issued a notice on regulating the production and sale of halal food.
Officials of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission answer reporters' questions on the administration of halal food (State Ethnic Affairs Commission, Department of Policy and Law, published by the Putuo District People's Government of Shanghai, page dated 2017-04-24, read 2026-07-25)
The state names its own enforcement problem
The same briefing states that misuse of the halal brand happens in some places, and that in some areas ongoing supervision of halal food businesses after licensing reform is inadequate. It is an official acknowledgement that the board on the wall is not a guarantee, which is why this page tells you what the board is rather than telling you a shop is safe.
Officials of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission answer reporters' questions on the administration of halal food (State Ethnic Affairs Commission, Department of Policy and Law, published by the Putuo District People's Government of Shanghai, page dated 2017-04-24, read 2026-07-25)