to be very suprised at the school letter about Halal meat?

[fromparistoberlin]

opended DS bag and read a letter with a voting slip basically saying

alot of parents have asked for Halal meat (fair enough)
The school dinner providers can only do Halal OR non-Halal (erm we are in London, slightly surpised)

so we either vote for ALL Halal, or non Halal

so basically an ethical dilemna!

Vote A, feel like a bigot

Vote B, feel slightly uncomfortable that something I dont really fully understand is being imposed

I am going to write and say this is a really unfair way to handle it and they should fucking change suppliers, we are in London FFS

nice little ethical mind fuck THANKS school!

[sherazade]

halal meat is not barbaric

[GruffaloAteMySocks]

Vatta I wouldn't eat meat that wasn't pre-stunned, this is why Halal and Kosher meat that is not stunned needs to be labeled. I have no issue with Kosher or Halal meat that is stunned, the religious aspect doesn't matter to me.

[frogspoon]

Is the school primary or secondary, and is it large or small?

In a small primary school, with a small kitchen, it may be too complicated to offer both Halal and non-Halal meat, in addition to the vegetarian option. There may simply not be enough space. Also there is always the risk of mixing the meat up, which would lead to alot of upset and complaints

I have worked in schools that offer a Halal option alongside a non-Halal option, but these schools were large secondaries and had suitable kitchen facilities.

I don't think there is an easy answer. Either way, some people are going to be upset and some people are going to have to eat the vegetarian option or bring packed lunches. However I am impressed that the school bothered to consult the parents, rather than just change it without informing you.

[TeddyBare]

I would contact the school and suggest they go veggie instead. That caters for everyone and it's healthier and cheaper too so they could either drop prices or spend the extra money on better quality food.

[CocacolaMum]

TheSecondComing if anything the fact I want to eat it makes the way an animal lives/dies MORE important to me. Your comment seems bizarre to me? How is it hypocritical?

[GlaikitFizzog]

If the majority vote halal will all the kitchen pots, pans, chopping boards, knives etc be replaced prior to the hala meat starting? Will all pork products be taken off the menu altogether to avoid cross contamination?

The question they are asking isn't as simple as halal/non halal. The canteen will need to be halal accredited (something quite difficult to achieve I believe).

The school are swerving the whole thing by leaving it up to you, the parents, to decide. They really should be presenting how each option would be achieved, especially the halal option. And any cost implications that are essentially going to be passed on to you as the consumer.

You need more info ration from the school before you can make this decision IMHO. If they aren't willing to give it, then I would vote non halal personally. Even of I were a Muslim parent it would be easier just to avoid the canteen if I knew nothing was suitable for my beliefs rather than running the risk of cross contamination.

[Madmum24]

As a muslim I have been horrified at some of the covert videos of "halal" slaughter, islam gives the highest respect to animals and methods of slaughter must be specific in order for it to be "halal".

animal must be fed/watered beforehand (traditional slaughterhouses starve animals so that they are easier to clean/gut)

no animal should see another being slaughtered (as opposed to the queuing system used now)

the animal is not allowed to see the instrument it is being slaughtered with

I don't honestly know why people make such a big deal about the stunning, eh, I imagine being stunned would be very painful? When you cut the jugular vein you lose consciousness immediately and death happens usually within 7 seconds, blood is drained effectively out of the body meaning less toxins remain in the meat tissue itself.

Anyway, I can see the schools dilemma, but for fairness purposes I think a 50/50 compromise should be offered, halal burger, non halal sausages (obviously cooked separately so no cross contamination and a veggie dish for example.

[tangstar]

There is no way they should be removing pork, sausages and bacon (which cannot be halal) from the menu though just because some kids cannot eat them. They should be available and people can choose whether to eat them or not.

[Sirzy]

Exactly cocoa.

I don't think that meat eaters wanting to know how the meat has been sourced is a bad thing.

[intheshed]

I would be suggesting they find an alternative meal provider. At our school there is a choice of meat, halal meat or vegetarian every single day. It costs £2.10.

The school are being v lazy by making the parents decide.

[MamaMumra]

The kitchen won't need to be accredited, the suppliers are certified.

[LadyIsabellaWrotham]

I think it's not unreasonable to eat meat whilst still having some concern for animal welfare. I wouldn't touch foie gras for example (not that that's a everyday ethical dilemma , and have always been scrupulous about the eggs I buy, and will eat vegetarian from cheap takeaways where there's no statement about meat sourcing.

However, given the pricing constraints of school catering, the meat supplied is never going to have been treated well, and in practice may come from abattoirs with dubious standards. I think it is a bit hypocritical to single out halal meat as the one issue you make a stand on.

[BuggerLumpsAnnoyed]

tobagostreet nailed it. You're never gonna please everyone.

[CloudsAndTrees]

I would vote no.

The onus should be on those with the religious beliefs to make the choice to have the vegatarian option or a packed lunch, rather than being on those who have made no extra choice.

It is one thing to choose because you want to, it is another to be forced to make a choice because of someone else's religion.

[Jinsei]

Seems odd to me. We live in a small town in the midlands and our medium-sized primary school provides a choice of "normal" meat, halal meat or veggie meals. DD takes a packed lunch because she is pescatarian

YANBU to think it shouldn't be a choice of one or the other!

[Scholes34]

I know that providing kosher food is a big deal in catering for the masses where not everyone requires a kosher meal, but what special arrangements need to be made for halal meat?

[StuntGirl]

Crescentmoon you are pescetarian not vegetarian who eats fish.

I would vote no. Or I would contact the school and say you're unhappy with the choices and you want to discuss other options. Perhaps get other parents who feel the same involved and try and reach a compromise with the school.

[fromparistoberlin]

I am going to say (a) its an unfair decision and (b) I am going to suggest a Halal only chicken option as a fair compromise

so thanks again for that idea!!

its a really nicely integrated school, and I think Halal only only will open a can of worms

given that those UKIP fucks won this week I think they need to tread very carefully and try and compromise TBH

[mum11970]

Suppose it depends on amount of call there is for halal meat in your area. There is no choice of halal meat in schools in the area I live. My older children go to a large secondary of about 1000 pupils and there is no halal option but there are also no Muslim children in the school at all, so there is no call for it. There is a very small selection of halal meat in our local Asda and can't say I've seen any at all in the local tesco.

[UrbaneLandlord]

mum11970
No such thing as "Muslim children".

Just children with Muslim parents.

[fromparistoberlin]

Madmum24

exactly! and I value your opinion on this, as I think its a but unfair on the Muslim parents to have such a stark choice

[TidyDancer]

My DCs are vegetarian so it wouldn't be a personal issue for us, but I would be extremely unhappy about halal meat being offered up. The entire meat industry is riddled with cruelty, but putting the halal spin on it is another level. Cruelty wrapped up in a protective religious layer.

The school are being lazy and quite wrong to shift this onto the parents.