Would you be annoyed if school went 100% halal meat?

[Wintershealing]

The school I work at has a new head teacher who has announced from after half term all meat needs to be halal. She says it's a more ethical way to slaughter animals (she's vegan herself) and no non-halal meat will be on offer. She said anyone who doesn't want it can bring a packed lunch.

I don't know much about halal meat other than it's religious connections. What do you think?

Efficiency values.

HTs are busy. Easier and cheaper to get all the meat products from the same supplier.🤷‍♀️

The way we treat animals isn't great, but it has improved a little in recent years.

If we accept the religious rule then it will never get better then it is now. Not now and not in 1000 years.

For the benefit of the one head teacher in the country who apparently doesn't know. Halal means making a god happy at the cost of more pain for the animal.

It's true that eating halal doesn't make you a Muslim, but if you're eating it because Islam gives you no choice then you are obeying the rules of the religion.

To be fair. If you go to a school that priorities Islam over all other ethical or moral considerations then you can choose not to eat in school. Or indeed not to go to a UK school at all.

That post is completely disingenuous.

Why is it people have an issue with halal meat and not kosher?

Because its in restaurants, takeaways, supermarkets, school dinners

Is kosher reducing people's choice to avoid kosher? No, its barely seen outside of Jewish restaurants/shops/homes/butchers.

It would make sense for schools to go vegetarian anyway, imo. Or at least pescetarian, to allow for fish fingers and Friday fist and chips. The quality of most meat they serve is abysmal.

Of course this ignores other religious requirements and shuts out people from my religion.

Our god requires that all food be 'shown to a snake' before eating. It's quite hygienic because the snake need not touch it. It's also quite safe because a recent ruling allows for non-poisonous snakes to be used.

The handler simply holds up the snake briefly so that it has had the opportunity to view the food and therefore by its gaze blessed and purified it.

This act of purification naturally fails if another god has already been invoked.

Not at all. Unless you only eat roadkill, then you don’t care that much about animal welfare. Sure you can lie to yourself that you only buy expensive , free range, organic , hand reared , happy chicken or whatever.

I’m not particularly bothered, which is why I eat meat.

The chickens killed for school dinners don't give a shit whats playing on the radio at the point of slaughter. Rick Astley? Prayers? Nothing?

It's all the same if you're a chicken in the chicken factory. No difference at all.

Yup, people know what their own obligations are and they sort themselves out. Theres no need to change everything to suit one group. I actually think it’s pretty toxic to do so.

Absolutely this.

If I’m eating it, then it has died (although I eat my steak so rare, a good vet could probably resuscitate it 🫠😂).
It doesn’t matter to me if it was a happy chicken that skipped merrily to its death from its free range farm, or if it was an indoor-reared chicken that screeched its way to slaughter: either way it’s had its head chopped off.

A weird thread. Why would a school, other than a religious school, require halal (or kosher etc) food? It makes no sense.

There can’t be any better end for an animal than the standards that exist for all regular animal slaughter in the UK.

You know this is one HT in one school right? If this decision isn't right for the pupils, the parents will let her know.🤷‍♀️

Most schools are mixed. It mostly comes down to intake and cost.

I think halal meat is horrific. Animals are slaughtered by having their throats slit without being stunned first … horrific. I have been vegetarian for 35 years as I hate this cruelty to animals.

Considering there were literally no children of any other religion than Christian at dds school at the time the decision to go to halal meat was met with many puzzled faces

Depending where the school is, its halal only
Same as some kebab shops, Chicken shops.
It depends on the cliential

Halal is an Arabic word that means “permissible.” In terms of food, it means food that is permissible according to Islamic law. In fact, it is the only type of meat observant Muslims are permitted to eat. Halal designation for meat is an important concept and belief associated with food for this religious community, and foods that are not permitted are called haram.
For a meat to be certified halal it cannot be a forbidden cut (such as meat from hindquarters) or animal (such as pork) and it must be slaughtered in a specific way. Many Muslims can shop with ease at a local halal market, where all of the products are designated halal.
Here’s what you need to know about halal meat.
What meat is considered halal?
Beef
Lamb
Chicken
Fish
Venison
Game birds
Unlike Jewish kosher dietary laws, Islamic halal laws allow the eating of shellfish and crustaceans, land birds such as ostriches, and camel meat. And as anyone who’s ever tucked into a lamb shawarma with yogurt sauce knows, there aren’t any restrictions around the combination of meat and dairy.
What meat is not considered halal?
Pork
Reptile meat
How is halal meat slaughtered?
The slaughter of a halal animal is called “zabihah” and there are certain guidelines to follow:
Allah’s (God’s) name must be pronounced during slaughter.
The instrument must be very sharp to ensure humane slaughter. The animal must be slit at the throat.
The animal must not be unconscious
The animal must be hung upside down and allowed to bleed dry. (Eating blood is not halal.)
These steps must be accomplished by a Muslim or the People of the Book (Christian or Jew). (Many observant Muslims find kosher meat acceptable.)
The animal must have been fed a natural diet that did not contain animal by-products.
A halal animal must live a healthy life that’s free from suffering.
Because the industrial meat system is so fraught with animal abuse, some Muslims advocate for a meat-free diet, arguing that the product of such a system can never be halal, no matter how the animal is slaughtered.

I get the point about mixed schools. And I certainly agree that religious preferences should be observed. But why would buying halal meat be better generally, rather than as a specific option? Is the idea that because there will be some Muslim children in a school that buying all meat as halal would be cost effective, and would not matter to non-Muslim children?

The OP says that the price is the same. So why opt for halal universally? (I haven’t read all the thread so if the OP has qualified her comments I haven’t seen it.)

I’m not vegan but given what I know about halal meat, and recognising I am a complete hypocrite in feeling it is massively inhumane compared to normal slaughter methods, I’m considering it.

I’ve now read all the OP’s posts. I’m not convinced about the genuineness of this thread.

No my understanding is the animal comes round and it’s throat is then slit. In effect it has a little stun but not enough. So it is inhumane.

From a quick AI search - Reversible stunning methods, such as head-only electrical stunning or nonpenetrative captive bolt stunning, are accepted by some halal certifying bodies if they do not kill the animal and ensure it is alive during the slaughter.

It appears supermarkets are using halal slaughter houses for meat then are claiming it is not halal as it had a little stun. Then it wakes to have a prayer and it’s throat slit. Also virtually all lamb from New Zealand is halal apparently.

The packets from the supermarkets have a slaughterhouse code on it. If you check the code you can see if it is a halal slaughterhouse.

Catherine Blaiklock is researching all the codes and campaigning on this matter on X.

It’s important we know if animals are slaughtered humanely so people can make an informed decision.

I haven’t rtft but I don’t think this’s true. Most UK halal meat is stunned (88% according to ChatGPT). Kosher meat is always non-stunned

Why opt for halal and non halal when halal will do?

It"s cheaper and easier to go with one supplier.

There is only 1 student who requires a halal meal, so I'm really not sure why the head has decided this and I'm not convinced it's because it's more ethical. The only thing I'm wondering is it's a ploy to go 100% plant based?

You think parents will go so far in their objection to halal meat that they'd rather the school went vegan?🤯