Growing trend for halal meat

[SouthernFashionista]

I’m seeing this and it concerns me. I have noticed that Five Guys is now advertising that all its meat is halal and the restaurant in my workplace serves only halal meat. Who is pushing for this and why do the rest of us have no say? For what it’s worth, I am a Black woman, a practising Catholic with many Muslim friends and acquaintances. I don’t believe they are out there demanding halal meat everywhere they go.

Lovely to hear, that's what happens at my workplace, we celebrate Christmas, Diwali, Eid, Hanukkah, Chinese New year etc.

That's interesting I wonder why non Muslim people are choosing halal meat?

Hedging their bets maybe. If you end up at the pearly gate and met Allah instead of the God you expected, you can at least say you did something. A bit like people who only go to church for the carol service, just in case.

Allah means god. That's not how Islam works anyway. That's nothing how death and the afterlife works.

I've heard people say they prefer halal because it's cleaner in some way. I honestly don't know, will look it up.
Found this:
"Some non-Muslims prefer halal meat for health, ethical, and taste reasons, seeing the stringent certification and processing as a guarantee of higher quality, humane treatment, and purity compared to other meat options. The thorough draining of blood is believed to make the meat cleaner and tastier, while avoiding hormones, antibiotics, and harmful additives appeals to those seeking a healthier choice."

This. As long as it's an informed choice I say fairy nuff.
Certain sections of Sikh community are forbidden from eating halal, and presumably kosher. Cater to all faiths. People will of course vote with their wallets, but only if they have the information.

School dinners can get very complicated making sure the right children get the right meal too. I foolishly signed up my ds for the veggie option because I fell for the glossy brochure pictures, it put him right off and he's now a confirmed carnivore, it could have gone either way.😁

I'm not sure, here is an article by Kerry Group on it, seems to be about perceived quality due to the handling guidelines.

https://www.kerry.com/insights/kerrydigest/2021/halal-food-industry

Here's more detail:
Health and Purity Benefits
Reduced Toxins:
Halal processing requires animals to be fully drained of blood, which removes bacteria and toxins, making the meat cleaner and potentially safer to eat.

Fewer Additives:
Halal meat is generally free from harmful additives, growth hormones, and antibiotics, which many consumers seek to avoid for health reasons.

Higher Hygiene Standards:
The certification process for halal meat includes strict monitoring of hygiene and cleaning processes, giving consumers assurance of food safety.

Ethical Considerations

Humane Treatment:
Halal practices emphasize the humane treatment of animals, ensuring they are well-fed and cared for from birth until slaughter.
Humane Slaughter:
The swift, clean cut to the throat, which severs the central nervous system, is intended to minimize pain for the animal.
Animal Welfare:
Many non-Muslims are drawn to halal meat because of the perception of better animal welfare and respect for the animal's life.
Taste and Quality
Cleaner Flavor:
Draining the blood from the meat results in a fresher, cleaner taste, as the blood is said to carry a "gamey" or sour flavor that can interfere with seasoning.

Purity of Ingredients:
The strict certification process provides an assurance to consumers that the meat contains only what is claimed, preventing adulteration.

Consumer Trust and Perception
Certification as Assurance:
The mandatory certification process offers a form of third-party oversight, assuring consumers that the product meets certain standards of safety and ethical practices.

Ethical Consumerism:
The rise of ethical consumerism means more non-Muslims are choosing halal products because their values align with the ethical and health-conscious aspects of halal food.

I wouldn't trust a marketing piece by someone wanting to sell halal meat.
I eat halal and non-halal as I chose to eat kebabs, takeaways, etc. There is no difference in taste or quality.
Muslims will often claim there is a taste difference, but given they don't eat non-halal, how can they tell?

Kerry Group don't have any halal meat products...

Yes they do....

Subway do cater to different communities. Wherever there is a halal Subway, nearby there will be a non-halal subway.

And both halal and non-halal ones have vegetarian options.

What you're suggesting is that there be no halal options at all, right?

It can work however you want it to.

Every slaughter process has two stages.

Stunning – when performed correctly, stunning causes an animal to lose consciousness so the animal can't feel pain. The law states that, with few exceptions, all animals must be stunned before 'sticking' (neck cutting) is carried out.

Sticking – an animal's neck is cut, using a very sharp knife, to sever the major blood vessels in the neck and chest that supply the brain, ensuring rapid blood loss and then death.
The process of killing is similar to the slaughter process in that the animal is stunned prior to sticking, but the stunning method kills the animal.

88% of all halal meat is stunned prior to slaughter.

Please educate yourself. Source: RSPCA

If you follow Clarksons farm at all he also highlighted an issue in the UK with smaller local abattoirs closing down so animals are now transported for longer and slaughtered en-masse.
Local butchers rather than supermarkets traditionally have a greater knowledge of the provenance of the meat they sell (as per pp) also potentially fewer problems with non-recyclable/biodegradable packaging.

If people really believe it is the best way for animal to die why don't se see Halal vets putting pets to sleep with a knife?

There are now enough Muslims in the UK who require this that it is easier to just run a halal supply chain than to run two separate supply chains. It’s a marketing/efficiency thing. It only works if the rest of the population is indifferent to whether meat is halal or not.

Nassim Taleb explains it very well.

nassimtaleb.org/2016/08/intolerant-wins-dictatorship-small-minority/

I agree it is just about efficiency. The animals just go through a conveyer belt, they play them some prayers to allah, some catholic prayers, a bit of star wars. The noise keeps the animals calm and they can use the meat for anyone.

Beheading rather than bleeding out? The Sikhs I know specifically look for non-halal meat, when was the last time you saw a label certifying jathka?

But it is likely that a significant proportion of 'the rest of the population' is only indifferent because they don't know, and the meat/food industry likes it that way in order to save money on managing two supply chains.

It is odd, that adding a label of 'halal-stunned', 'halal non-stunned' or 'kosher always-non- stunned', is so resisted.

I'm a vegetarian and a confirmed atheist. I don't want prayers of any kind said over the food that I eat. It seems bizarre that someone's all-loving, all-knowing and all-powerful God would want prayers to be recited when a sentient innocent farm animal is being slaughtered for food. And even stranger that a loving God would want it to be awake throughout the process if it is non-stun slaughter.

People, rightly, have freedom to worship their religion, but other people should also have the right to freedom from religion.

If you’re a vegetarian, who is praying over your food?

They aren't required to be scottish afaik. (But be careful of the soft boiled ones 😉)

There aren’t any Sikh abattoirs because beheading animals in a commercial premises is illegal.

Wouldn’t Sikhs also object to stunned meat because it hasn’t undergone Jhatka?

Ah yes because euthanisation of a pet is exactly the same as slaughtering for meat consumption.

For Sikhs its the prayer said over the animal as it is killed that is the issue they have with halal meat.