The Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America approved a halal station at Foster-Walker Dining Commons in October to improve reliable access on campus after The Daily reported food identified as halal was mislabeled and cross-contaminated multiple times in dining halls over the past couple years.
The possibility of adding a station to another dining hall is being explored, according to a Compass Group spokesperson.
Weinberg sophomore Yalmaz Javaid, a member of the Muslim-cultural Students Association, said halal accessibility has improved in the past year.
“It would be very rare to find a halal section, and now every day I find at least two options,” Javaid said. “I definitely see the impact.”
Pork, meat that is haram, or considered forbidden in Islam, was found in the halal section at Allison dining hall in the fall of 2024.
After the incident, two members of McSA and Associated Student Government created legislation to prevent mislabeling and cross-contamination from reoccurring.
“We really want to ensure that the health, the dietary needs of Muslim students on campus are met,” ASG Senate Executive and Weinberg sophomore Rayan Lahlou-Nabil said.
Lahlou-Nabil and McSA’s ASG senator, Nur Yalinbas, passed the ASG legislation in fall of 2024 to create a reliable halal station. Lahlou-Nabil added that ASG and Northwestern administration have been “very supportive” in passing and implementing the legislation.
With a station at Plex West and the possibility of another, Lahlou-Nabil said the goal of the agreement with the administration is to ensure there are halal options available on both North and South Campus.
Mary Belovich, Compass Group’s district marketing manager, confirmed the dining hall’s contract with IFANCA.
“We are now officially certified by the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA) to serve zabiha halal food at Plex West and remain committed to providing inclusive, trusted dining options for our students,” Belovich wrote in a statement to The Daily.
Belovich said “significant steps” have been taken to incorporate feedback from the student body to improve operations and ensure transparency.
While NU offers halal options at other dining halls, Lahlou-Nabil reiterated that Plex is currently the only one with a separate, established halal station. However, Lahlou-Nabil added that he has contacted the University about adding another station in Sargent Dining Hall.
IFANCA visited Sargent in May 2025, according to an email from Stacey Brown, NU’s director of dining, obtained by The Daily.
The dining halls are “exploring the possibility of expanding halal dining to a second dining commons,” a Compass Group spokesperson said in an email to The Daily. They emphasized that this plan is still in progress.
Although Yalinbas does not eat in the dining halls anymore, she has heard that mislabeling continues. However, she added that the issue has gotten better over the years and does not happen as frequently due to the pilot station.
“It was reported by some of my friends and peers in McSA that there was mislabeling again in the dining halls,” Yalinbas said. “But this school year, I haven’t heard anything.”
Yalinbas and Lahlou-Nabil both said they are excited by the progress they have been able to make.
“The best part is being able to see the impact that it makes on Muslim students in the next years to come,” Lahlou-Nabil said.
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