Policy Documents
Our Approach to Animal Welfare 2023 (PDF)
Stunning Policy
M&S states, without exception, that all meat and poultry it sells must come from humanely slaughtered, pre-stunned animals — the most unambiguous “no non-stun, ever” policy among the major chains, and the only one the NSS’s 2018 research credited as fully and explicitly rejecting all non-stunned meat.
Halal/Kosher in Store
M&S does not sell any kosher meat or poultry. M&S does sell Shazan’s branded halal chicken. M&S has confirmed that some of its New Zealand lamb is halal-blessed at slaughter (an abattoir-level industry norm in NZ, not an M&S requirement or request) while remaining pre-stunned; M&S does not label this as halal because — in its view — pre-stun slaughter with an incidental blessing does not meet the bar it considers relevant to customers, and it does not track slaughter-blessing status as part of its sourcing policy.
Sourcing / Suppliers / Country of Origin
- M&S’s “Plan A for Farming” targets 100% British sourcing for beef, chicken, pork and eggs, and year-round “Best in Season” 100% British fresh lamb.
- Beef and Lamb: In April 2026, M&S announced £2.1bn in ten-year supply contracts with ABP and Dunbia covering beef and lamb, supporting around 3,500 M&S Select Farms. M&S sells New Zealand lamb which is generally considered to be halal slaughtered.
- Chicken: A long-standing partnership with the 2 Sisters Food Group. M&S was the first UK retailer to sign the Better Chicken Commitment, and its higher-welfare “Oakham Gold” chicken range is RSPCA Assured. However, these welfare commitments do not extend to animal slaughter.
Warnings
M&S was named, alongside Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Asda, in the February 2026 parliamentary debate on halal/kosher labelling as a retailer that has “sold halal or kosher meat without informing the consumer” over the past 15 years — a reference to the New Zealand lamb blessing practice rather than to non-stun slaughter, which M&S maintains has never occurred in its supply chain. See also the section Halal/Kosher in Store.