FACCENDA Group, a leading supplier of halal chickens for KFC, has opted out of its Halal poultry operation for the fast food giant KFC. The Group’s decision to pull the plug with KFC from July 6th comes after 40 leading scholars unanimously voted that machine slaughter of chickens was not halal. Therefore, from this date the Halal Food Authority (HFA) are no longer accrediting, authenticating or endorsing FACCENDA Group products for halal validity.
The scholar’s debate, which took place at the Hijaz Centre, Nuneaton was attended by some of the country’s most respected Imams who passed a vote on whether machine slaughter of animals for halal consumption is strictly permitted under Islamic law or not. The results showed some of the country’s top Islamic scholars vote against machine slaughter of animals for halal (permissible in Islam) consumption in the UK.
One of the scholars speaking at the event, said:
“Mass machine slaughter of animals is totally not permissible in Islam.
“The prescribed holy words should be said upon every animal and not just once.
“What’s more, it can’t be one person just flicking a switch saying the holy words which kills a mass number of animals by rotary blade. It needs to be done on an individual basis.
“Some people say during machine slaughter, just the first chicken is halal, but what’s certain is that the majority are not.”
This latest development has reiterated to all manufacturers, traders, retailers and consumers who use, trade, distribute and /or consume halal poultry that they are strongly advised to review, investigate and ensure the validity and authenticity of their halal supply chain before exercising their choice.
Mohammed Saleem from the Association of Non Stun Abbatoirs (ANSA) said:
“HFA came under fire again as KFC is accused of mislabeling their halal chicken source.
“Leading Islamic scholars have accused fast food chain KFC of mislabeling its chicken as halal.
“In April 2010 the Lancashire Council of Mosques (LCM) issued a Statement stating that KFC do not fullfil the LCM’s halal critria.
“And most recently, at the conference in Nuneaton , Warwickshire, around 40 scholars agreed KFC was mislabeling its machine-slaughtered chicken as halal and said they should stop selling it immediately. KFC is one of many Non Muslim owned companies certified by HFA.”
This shows the potential of people power with supply and demand in the Halal sector. Demand true halal, using the prophetic method of Zabihah which is hand slaughtered, and preferably without the pre stunning of animals or birds.
Naumaan Farooq
Deputy Editor
Asian Express Newspapers
www.asianexpress.co.uk <http://www.asianexpress.co.uk/>
