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.

My understanding is Sikhs must only eat meat that is slaughtered through Jhatka.

Not a must, a should. An advisable rather than a need to.
However they absolutely must not consume ritually slaughtered meat.

I may have a bridge to sell you. Or in other words, what the eye doesn't see, the heart won't grieve over.

I would be at least mildly surprised if mass produced meat labelled as halal is any better cared for or well hydrated at the abattoir, and I doubt, in this profit driven economy that they are not in the presence of other terrified animals before and during slaughter.

Have you never gone round sainsburies just praying for the carrots? It makes no logical sense for an atheist to be worry about someone praying over their food, any more than it would for someone to be reading Harry Potter to it, it's hardly going to cause you to go to atheist hell is it?

They are the same animals either way before they entered the slaughter house.

I always liked the idea of boring them to death as per Terry Pratchett's books, quite a valued skill I understand. Read them a couple of the more repetitive mn threads and they'll lose the will to live quite quickly.

If I serve you some veggie food at a restaurant or shop and then say "I bless that god nourishes you with this" would you refuse to eat it on principle.

Beheading an animal has will lead to it bleeding out. It's all about finding the most efficient, multi faith method. The one that will make the least number of gods angry, at the lowest cost.

The animal must be slaughtered by a muslim who believes in God. Sounds like jobs for the boys. How do they check?

I imagine in most factories you just self ID for the day.

The bits Salman Rushdie wrote about have been quite dangerous for him.

No-one, which is part of the many reasons I am vegetarian! But if I were given the choice between potatoes that must be sung harvest festival songs whilst being picked or ones that weren't; I would choose the latter. It's not my religion. I want to be free of it.

I imagine many omnivores in the UK feel the same about their meat and meat products. So let's give them the necessary information to make that choice with a mandatory labelling requirement.

I don't think abbatoir jobs are particularly popular anyway. In fact it's quite hard to recruit for them and foreign born workers are already overrepresented. Someone in my family worked in an abbatoir and they didn't stay that long - and they aren't lazy or particularly soppy. It's quite physical, dirty (blood not mud) and emotionally demanding work that not everyone can or wants to do. So I doubt British born, non-Muslim workers are being cheated out of a job.

If the choice wasn't there would you just boycott the potatoes?

If you think someone saying some words over your food is making you a part of it, then it is you who has imbued those words with power over you.

A true atheist would not care about the words because they have no meaning for them.

Just to be clear, you seem to be suggesting that a law or laws is/ are not being applied. What laws do you think need applying that aren't?

Or are you perhaps suggesting amending or adding to existing laws?

Ha! I don't think we get to decide whether other people are true atheists or not. Atheism isn't a religion, any more than not collecting stamps is a hobby!

And if all potatoes were sung hymns to when picked, I would grow my own. And campaign to stop the singing for some produce. Both for purchase by myself and others like me, and for the pickers for whom it must be torturous. I'm very glad potatoes only have eyes, not ears!

I am very confident, that some people will care about (1) halal/kosher and (2) stun/non-stun, and it will impact their purchasing decisions. This is supported by the results of polling on this issue in the UK. In 2022, a DEFRA report on a call for evidence stated that almost 97% of individuals responding supported mandatory method of slaughtering labelling.*

*'Summary of Responses to the Call for Evidence on Labelling for Animal Welfare', Defra, August 2022

Then check if it’s halal and if it is don’t give them your money.

Why does it matter? Your potatoes will "hear" the staff announcements at the supermarket that the change the potatoes. If you have no belief then it doesn't matter what soundwaves move over the potatoes it doesn't get absorbed and change the potato. If religious music happens to come in the car on the radio whilst you are driving home - do you throw the shopping away? It makes no sense.

Minority at the moment, but if there is a similar population increase as there has been in Gaza in the past few decades, I can imagine that it won't be the minority in 20-30 years.

So you agree we need a mandatory labelling scheme on method of slaughter for meat and meat products?

People are interested, and asking takes time and may result in 'Don't Know' or incorrect information by accident/intentionally. In 2022, a DEFRA report on a call for evidence stated that almost 97% of individuals responding supported mandatory method of slaughtering labelling!

(Summary of Responses to the Call for Evidence on Labelling for Animal Welfare', Defra, August 2022)

I'm not sure the animal would appreciate a difference.

You could grow your own spuds, but slaughtering your own animals is frowned on illegal (usually).

Yes, it’s a total logic free position.

I think you can slaughter your animals for personal consumption - you just can't do for sale.