If you ask supermarkets, your local butchers or an online store whether the products they sell are halal, the answer is often: “We don’t sell halal.”
What they really mean to say is that they don’t sell certified halal products, i.e. ones with a logo from one of the many halal certification bodies.
What’s the problem?
Many abattoirs process both religiously slaughtered (RS) and non-religiously slaughtered (NRS) meats or poultry in the same factory. Any surplus, rejected or just unwanted RS produce is not discarded but mixed in with the NRS produce. Without informative labelling the consumer cannot know whether the product they are buying was slaughtered using a religious slaughter method. Once the meat has left the abattoir the reality is that nobody knows. It is also believed that rejected or surplus produce from 100% RS abattoirs also find their way to the general market. The abattoirs do not publicise whether they are RS or NRS or both and freedom of information request from DEFRA have been refused.
What should I ask?
What you need to ask is “Do you sell any meat or poultry that has been religiously slaughtered, and can you confirm that the stun used is always non recoverable?”. Alternatively, you could ask which abattoir the meat or poultry has been slaughtered and check on our Food Producer Search page.
Don’t be surprised if the shop assistant does not have a clue. It is not their fault so be polite. Legally all meat or poultry must be traceable to source including the abattoir. So the shop is required to know. They might choose not to tell you. This is what we are up against: a severe lack of transparency. We should not have to ask. It should be on the label.
If they don’t tell me, what then?
We must keep demanding this information to give us informed choices. If a particular supermarket or other company does not give you the information you want, it is your choice to shop elsewhere. We must be prepared to shop with our feet and our cash, it is the only way to affect change.