Jerusalem Halal Market — Attraction in Columbia Heights

Shortly before Ramadan this year, I noticed that Harbio brand gummy candies were on a retail shelf for sale. This particular brand is typically found at generic gas stations and area grocery stores throughout the metro. It is typically sold as a generic/standard confectionary product. No references are made to halal or kosher dietary restrictions anywhere on the outside package. One of the main ingredients for this product is gelatin. For an establishment that caters exclusively to a halal food market, the actual presence of the Harbio brand is alarming. When gelatin is listed as an ingredient without explicit references to halal or kosher dietary restrictions, it is therefore conclusively derived from pork or some related mixture.

The vast majority of consumers at Jerusalem Market are Muslims which explains why the establishment specializes in the sale and distribution of halal foods. Muslim consumers trust the ownership to perform proper due diligence to ensure that products such as Harbio are not on the shelves and are indeed Halal. Say for example if a child notices a package of Harbio gummy candies and takes it to their parent/guardian for purchase, there is great potential the product will be consumed without verifying the ingredients.

When I brought this matter to the attention of a supervisor, I was informed the product in question is grouped together in a larger reoccurring shipment from a Turkish supplier based in Germany. The fact of the matter is that just because a Turkish wholesale distributor sends shipments of halal majority product is also in no way a guaranteed indication that each individual product will be exclusively halal.

The people managing Jerusalem Market must perform a better job at halal due diligence when screening out pork based products from their store inventory provided if this issue has not already...

A delightful little market with a nice selection of Balkan and Middle Eastern foods. It's a source for fruit syrups, including black currant, and for jams and sweets. The selection of non-alcoholic beers and ales is large. There are spices and other ingredients that are hard to find in American grocery stores. Prices are often substantially lower for products that do show up in mainstream groceries, and items that other grocery store might offer in tiny quantities can be found in big packages or jars. We're into cooking Austrian foods, many of which originated in the Balkans, and we enjoy some Middle Eastern recipes, so we shop here several...

One of the best and most reliable(halal) places in entire Metro area. Always fresh, prices are at least 20-40% lower than the competition, very friendly staff list goes on and on... I drive 30 miles one way bypassing at least 5-6 stores on my way just to buy my meat/spices/groceries from this place. Owner is very open minded and if there's something that customer asks and he doesn't carry, he makes sure to order it with his next delivery and lets the customers know when its in....