Allowed by Allah. Acceptable to Allah. Not forbidden: حلال
Halal Is Big Business: Germany Waking up to Growing Market for Muslim Food
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Germany has four million Muslim inhabitants but the market for halal food -- produced according to Islamic law -- is still in its infancy, partly because firms fear the wrath of animal rights groups. But companies are slowly waking up to this fast-growing market.

Gehlenberg is a sleepy village in northern Germany. It has a population of 1,600 and boasts a church, community hall, war memorial and a pub, along with a few wooden crosses by the roadside and a tiny chapel. It's a staunchly Catholic village, but on three days of the week, the Prophet Muhammad makes the rules -- in a white factory building on the outskirts of the village, that is. That is where the Meemken family business produces a broad range of sausage that follows Islamic food standards. The company supplies almost 100 tons of salami and various other types of sausage each week to food retailers in Germany and abroad.

International food companies such as Nestle and Unilever have for years offered a range of products that meet so-called halal food standards. Halal is an Arabic term that means pure, or permissible. The term refers to a way of life that follows Islamic law. German companies are gradually realizing that catering to faith-oriented consumption is a good way to make money. In these times of economic crisis, finding new markets is more tempting than ever.

The potential market for halal food in Germany is huge. An estimated four million Muslims live in Germany, and the community is pre-programmed to grow because Muslims have a higher birth rate than non-Muslims. Halal already accounts for 17 percent of the global food market, according to the World Halal Forum based in Malaysia.

Food Companies Worried About Animal Rights Groups

Market experts say the halal segment is growing faster than any other part of the food market. Sales of food that meets Islamic standards are expected to reach $641 billion in 2010, up from $587 billion in 2004. The European halal food market is expected to reach sales of $67 billion in 2010.

Food companies in other European countries with many Muslim residents have already adapted to their needs. In France, the Casino chain of supermarkets supplies halal meat products. In Britain, halal food is easily found in the top chains like Tesco and Sainsbury's. French delicatessen stores sell halal goose liver pate and British pharmacy retailer Boots sells halal baby food. It's a different story in Germany, where supermarkets offer only a meagre range of halal food. … >>> Daniela Schröder | Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Halal Industrial Park Proposed for South Wales
BBC: An industrial park for Islamic goods and produce, which could mean about 3,000 jobs, might open in south Wales.

News of the proposed £150m Super Halal Industrial Park (SHIP) was revealed at an Islamic finance summit in London.

Mahesh Jayanarayan, chairman of Halal Industries, said Wales was chosen as the project's site for its meat industries and affordable land prices.

The assembly government said they were "tenative proposals" and and it would work closely with the firm.

The firm, a private equity company, said it was raising funds for the venture, which could launch in three to five years.

Mr Jayanarayan told the Reuters Islamic Banking and Finance Summit that Europe has no Halal industrial parks, despite being home to millions of Muslims.

Halal is an Arabic term meaning "permissible" and while it is often associated with meat, it refers to anything that is permissible in the Islamic faith.

The industrial park could create up to 3,000 jobs and would make the UK a landmark Halal centre for the region, Mr Jayanarayan told the finance summit.

It would provide services like storage freezers, a product packing centre, and raw material storage for manufacturers for food production. Meat selection and processing as well as research and development would also be offered.

Mr Jayanarayan said: "If you look at some figures, the halal sector in the UK is worth between £2bn to £4bn, the majority of that is imported.

"You have 2.5 billion people on the planet eating halal food, directly or indirectly," he told the summit.

"This halal market is not going away, it is not some fad. >>> | Tuesday, February 16, 2010

SOUTH WALES EVENING POST: Industrial park plan puts jobs boost on cards: AN industrial park that could create 1,500 jobs is on the cards for a site in Carmarthenshire or Neath. >>> | Tuesday, March 23, 2010

BNP Criticised for Prejudice Over Halal Jobs
SOUTH WALES EVENING POST: THE British National Party has been accused of putting their "narrow prejudice before the chance of good jobs" after vowing to oppose a major development earmarked for the region.

Carmarthenshire and Neath have been named as the preferred home for a proposed £150 million Super Halal Industrial Park, said to promise around 1,500 jobs.

But the BNP say they will fight the plans because the jobs would be given to Muslims.

Writing on our website, Kevin Edwards, BNP Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Aberavon, said: "If the people of Wales think this will provide employment for them then they must think again. If this is given the go ahead the vast majority of jobs created will have to be allocated to Muslims."

Mr Edwards, a Penygroes community councillor, added: "The Welsh Assembly has a shameful record of handing out grants to companies that have fled as soon as the money has gone.

"When this happens, as it inevitably will, 'the industrial estate' will wind up and there will be 5,000 more Muslims in the UK claiming benefits and living on our doorsteps.

"Only the British National Party will oppose this development."

Criticism of how halal meat is produced has also sparked debate.

Traditionally, halal meat is killed by hand without stunning the animal first, and then blessed by the person doing the job, although some Muslims say a mechanised form is also now acceptable.

Julie Richards, from Pontarddulais, said: "It is absolutely barbaric. Lambs are going to be strung up and bled to death. It is not humane." >>> | Monday, March 29, 2010

French Muslims Confused Over Halal Restrictions
TIME: The news suspended forks on their way to mouths, and sent supermarkets rushing to pull goods from shelves. Last month, the website Débat Halal claimed it had evidence that a popular brand of halal-certified poultry sausages marketed in France by a giant international food producer actually contain pork, rendering them forbidden — or haram — to Muslims. The accusation led many French Muslims to question how they can be sure that any of the halal food they buy meets certification standards — only to discover that no single set of standards exists for determining which products are halal and which aren't. Now, some observers are hoping that the haram hubbub may finally push France's Muslim leaders to agree upon a united code for the halal food sector — one of the biggest-booming niche markets in the nation.

The stir began when Débat Halal published a Jan. 16 report saying that tests had detected pork — a substance forbidden under both halal and kosher rules — within halal-branded poultry sausages produced by Herta, a unit of global food giant Nestlé. Counter-tests revealed by Herta a week later found no traces of pork in their Knacki Halal poultry sausages. Nevertheless, on Feb. 1, one of France's largest supermarket chains, Casino, removed the sausages from its stores to run its own test to "guarantee the strictest respect of halal certification." Still, the entire episode led Muslim consumers to wonder about the reliability of all the halal food they buy. >>> Bruce Crumley, Paris | Sunday, February 13, 2011

Halal Ads Hit French TV
Halal butchery and poultry shelves in a supermarket in Illzach, France, on the eve of the beginning of Ramadan. Photo: TIME
TIME: A pack of shoppers swarm supermarket shelves, cheerfully snapping up packages of prepared lasagna, ravioli and paella as they sing the products' praises. Sounds just like a normal evening TV ad. And it is, only this one features ethnic-Arab actors in a commercial for halal food in France. A first in its own right, the ad is already a remarkable sight on French TV. But even more surprising is the reaction it's gotten — or, rather, hasn't gotten. In a country that's usually quick to burst into outrage over the spread of Islam into secular society, these halal-food ads have been playing without a peep from the public.

The ad campaign by Panzani-owned, Lyon-based food brand Zakia Halal is the first ever mass-market promotion of halal food to France's estimated 5 million Muslims. The TV spots kicked off on Aug. 17 to coincide with the start of the holy month of Ramadan and have been running on most of France's largest television channels since. The $430,000 campaign will be put on pause Sept. 2, then resumed as Ramadan comes to an end later this month and the feast of Eid el-Fitr approaches. Thus far, the spots have gotten a mostly supportive reaction from Muslim shoppers and the French media, with the daily Le Parisien trumpeting "Halal Takes a Spot on TV."

What's astounding is how long it took for any of France's numerous makers of halal food products to embrace this kind of mass marketing. Studies done by ethnic-marketing consultancy Solis Conseil in Paris estimate that French Muslims currently purchase about $5.7 billion worth of specialized foodstuffs and related products — a market that's been increasing nearly 15% annually for almost a decade. Solis has also found that nearly 94% of all Muslims in France with North African roots — by far the largest group of Muslims in the country — buy exclusively halal food. A recent poll by the Ifop agency found that 70% of Muslims in France are observing Ramadan this year — leaving little doubt as to the thinking behind the timing of Zakia Halal's groundbreaking ad campaign.

"Even though people have to fast during the day, Muslims tend to eat more — and better — when they can eat during Ramadan, which is why it is traditionally a period of peak consumer activity," explains Abbas Bendali, director of Solis Conseil. "Zakia's timing makes good sense because people tend to be short on time during Ramadan and will use prepared dishes along with fresh food for meals. And when you consider the size and value of this demographic, using mass-market methods to promote halal products becomes logical too." But it's also potentially inflammatory, given the tendency of the French to view overt manifestations of Islamic faith as a threat to the nation's tradition of secularity. >>> Bruce Crumley, Paris | Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Halal Food: Cut-throat Competition
THE ECONOMIST: Feeding Europe’s Muslims is a growing business

JUST before the beginning of Ramadan, the month-long Muslim fast which ends this weekend, an unusual advertisement appeared on French television. Panzani, a pasta-maker, was touting its Zakia line of halal ready-meals. In a secular nation it seemed like “a little revolution”, as Le Parisien, a newspaper, put it. The French can presumably take it in their stride. The trade in halal food is growing fast, and is likely to continue to do so.

Big food producers have long catered to Muslims, a market worth some $630 billion globally according to KasehDia, a consulting company that specialises in the trade. Nestlé has produced halal goods since the 1980s; 75 of its 456 factories now have a halal certification. But only recently have big European shops followed suit. Carrefour, the world’s second-largest retailer, launched a new range of products just in time for Ramadan. Casino, a French supermarket chain, has a halal line, and British outfits Tesco and Sainsbury’s carry halal products. KFC, an American fast-food chain, is conducting a trial of halal food in eight of its British restaurants. All its French ones are already halal certified.

The main reason for growth is demographic. Although many European countries do not tally Muslims or any other religious group (estimates in France range from 4m to 7m) it is clear that Muslim populations have grown quickly as a result of immigration and higher birth rates. Many of the people who sought asylum in Western Europe in the first half of this decade were Muslims from Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia. Mohammed, Muhammad and Mohammad were all among the 100 most popular baby boys’ names in England and Wales last year. >>> | Thursday, September 17, 2009

Halal Focus >>>

It's Up To Retailers Whether They Clearly Label Halal Products, No 10 Says

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Downing Street says that David Cameron does not support compulsory labelling of halal products and that he has no concerns about the meat he buys or eats in restaurants

David Cameron has refused to call for clearer labelling of halal products in supermarkets and restaurants.

Downing Street has said that the Prime Minister has “no concerns” about the meat that he buys and said it is for retailers and restaurants to decide whether to provide more information about halal products.

It came just hours after Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, called for clearer labelling of all halal meat products.

Mr Clegg said that while he had “no problem” eating a pizza with halal meat, it would be “relatively straightforward” for businesses to tell people how the meat they were eating “arrived on their plates”.

His comments echoed those made by religious leaders, who have said that shoppers must be told exactly how animals have been killed through clear labelling on food packaging.

In a letter to the Telegraph, the faith leaders suggested that all menus and packets should specify how animals have been slaughtered regardless of whether they are kosher or halal.

Their intervention follows disclosures that diners have been unknowingly served halal chicken in Pizza Express and other restaurant chains.

More than 70 per cent of all New Zealand lamb in supermarkets is from halal abattoirs – a fact not stated on labelling. » | Peter Dominiczak, Assistant Political Editor | Thursday, May 08, 2014

Middle-class Muslims Fuel French Halal Boom
THE GUARDIAN: Retailers and restaurants cash in on rapidly expanding and highly profitable market in halal food and drinks

Halal butchery and poultry shelves in a supermarket in Illzach, eastern France. Photograph: The Guardian
Few things define the traditional good life in France better than champagne and foie gras, but few would have thought them symbols of social integration – until now.

A boom in sales of halal products, including alcohol-free bubbly and goose liver paté approved by Islamic law, is being driven by the emergence of an affluent middle class of young Muslims.

Known as the bourgeois – a play on bourgeois and the word beur, slang for a French person of North African descent – these new consumers are behind a rapidly expanding and highly profitable market in halal food and drinks.

With spending power worth an estimated €5.5bn a year, according to the opinion pollsters Solis, these under-40s are forcing international food suppliers to cater for their demands.

Yanis Bouarbi, 33, an IT specialist who started the website paris-hallal.com, which lists restaurants in France serving halal food, says young Muslims are at the heart of a mini social revolution.

"When our parents and grandparents came to France they did mostly manual work and the priority was having enough to feed the family," said Bouarbi, who arrived from Algeria at the age of three.

"But second or third-generation people like me have studied, have good jobs and money and want to go out and profit from French culture without compromising our religious beliefs. We don't just want cheap kebabs, we want Japanese, Thai, French food; we want to be like the rest of you."

The demand for halal products, currently increasing by an estimated 15% a year, has captured the attention of food giants such as the supermarket group Casino, which has stocked an increasing variety of halal foods – mostly meat products – for the last three years. >>> Kim Willsher in Paris | Easter Monday, April 05, 2010

Related:

Various articles on halal foods, etc. >>>

Denmark Bans Meatballs to Accommodate Muslims

GATESTONE INSTITUTE: "The next thing could be that Danish nurses are forced to go under cover as Muslim women in order to please Muslim patients." — Martin Henriksen, Spokesman, Danish People's Party [DF]

One of the largest hospitals in Denmark has admitted to serving only halal beef -- meat that is slaughtered in accordance with strict Islamic guidelines -- to all of its patients regardless of whether or not they are Muslim.

The revelation that Danes are being forced to eat Islamically slaughtered meat at public institutions has triggered a spirited nationwide debate about how far Denmark should go to accommodate the estimated 250,000 Muslim immigrants now living in the country.

The halal food row erupted in July when the Danish tabloid Ekstra Bladet reported that Hvidovre Hospital near Copenhagen has been secretly serving only halal-slaughtered meat for the sake of its Muslim patients, for the past ten years. The hospital serves more than 40,000 patients annually, many (if not most) of whom presumably are non-Muslim.

Halal -- which in Arabic means lawful or legal -- is a term designating any object or action that is permissible according to Islamic Sharia law. In the context of food, halal meat is derived from animals slaughtered by hand according to methods stipulated in Islamic religious texts.

One such halal method, called dhabihah, consists of making a swift, deep incision with a sharp knife on the neck that cuts the jugular vein, leaving the animal to bleed to death. Much of the controversy involving halal stems from the fact that Sharia law bans the practice of stunning the animals before they are slaughtered. Pre-slaughter stunning renders the animals unconscious and is said to lessen their pain.

Amid a surge of public outrage over the decision to serve only halal beef, Hvidovre Hospital's vice president, Torben Mogensen, has been unapologetic. "We have many patients from different ethnic backgrounds, which we must take into account, and it is impossible to have both the one and the other kind of beef," he says. » | Soeren Kern | Friday, August 16, 2013

Waitrose Forced to Ditch Halal Lamb from Duchy Range

THE MAIL ON SUNDAY: Waitrose is to introduce a range of non-halal lamb products as a response to customers’ concerns about its meat supplies.

Until now, all lamb sold by the store has been slaughtered in accordance with Islamic law, with a Muslim reciting a prayer in Arabic over the meat.

But Waitrose said last night that, from now on, organic Welsh lamb from its Duchy Originals range – established by Prince Charles to market produce from his estates – will no longer be halal.


Waitrose said they made their decision in order to give customers ‘more choice’. But their reversal of policy comes a week after The Mail on Sunday revealed how most British supermarkets were secretly selling halal meat – especially lamb – without telling customers.

The investigation found that most New Zealand lamb sold in major British supermarkets was halal, meaning that the prayer ‘In the name of Allah, who is the greatest’ is said at the time of slaughter. Stores selling lamb slaughtered according to Islamic law included Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Sainsbury’s.

After inquiries by The Mail on Sunday last week, Waitrose said: ‘We have decided to offer our customers an option to buy lamb which has not received the halal blessing.’

Waitrose said that all their other lamb produced in the UK and New Zealand will continue to be halal without being described as such on the packaging. Continue reading and comment >>> Abul Taher | Sunday, October 03, 2010

'Dutchy Originals' is a company which belongs to Prince Charles.

France's Muslims Hit Back at Nicolas Sarkozy's Policy on Halal Meat

THE GUARDIAN: With Marine Le Pen chasing his votes, the French president has made labelling of halal meat an election issue. But Muslim entrepreneurs are dismayed by his shift to the right

Les Enfants Terribles, a chic restaurant in Paris's 12th arrondissement, was packed. Plates of [‘]halal[’] foie gras à la maison, [']halal['] braised lamb with rosemary, and halal caramelised duck were being dispatched to tables. Fresh fruit cocktails and exotic non-alcoholic concoctions replaced glasses of wine.

Mohamed Abdenebi, 36, a history and geography teacher, was a typical diner: young, French, Muslim, dynamic – and furious. According to Abdenebi, France has let its Muslim population down. "They said to us, 'Do your studies, and you will get a job.' We did our studies but there were no jobs and they said we hadn't done the right studies. Each time there was a new obstacle."

Instead of being integrated and treated with equality, Abdenebi says the halal row shows the extent to which France's Muslims are being made to feel like "the enemy within".

Similar complaints were being heard across France. President Nicolas Sarkozy's decision to make the labelling of halal meat pivotal to his re-election campaign has infuriated, alienated and dismayed France's Muslim community, which may number as many as six million, and the backlash is growing. Members of the booming educated and entrepreneurial Muslim middle class say they are tired of being cast as scapegoats in Sarkozy's wooing of the extreme right and have accused him of dangerous and divisive election tactics.

Fateh Kimouche, a high-profile Muslim blogger, said the new class of second- and third-generation Muslims in France was not prepared to lie down and let the French republic roll over it as their parents had done.

"My parents came from Algeria and, like many others, they didn't make a fuss because they felt like invited guests who had to be on their best behaviour. But I was born here. We are Muslims and we are French, but every day we are attacked, insulted and treated like terrorists or extraterrestrials," he said. "France educated us; we have energy and enthusiasm and we have brains, businesses and money. The old generation of politicians don't seem to realise this." » | Kim Willsher in Paris | Saturday, March 10, 2012

Lien en relation avec l’article »

Vets Urge Shops to Label Halal Meat after Mass Public Outcry – But Will Cameron Act?

Some 72 per cent of people back the labelling of halal meat,
according to a new survey

DAILY EXPRESS: VETS have called for supermarkets and butchers to label meat from halal abattoirs after a mass public outcry.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) said that shoppers had a right to know whether their meat came from animals which were not stunned before being slaughtered.

Their calls came after a European Commission survey revealed that 72 per cent of people back the labelling of halal meat.

An EU directive requires animals to be stunned, but Britain was granted exemption for religious communities.

The religious slaughter of goats and sheep rose by 60 per cent between 2011 and 2013 – and some is sold into the general market.

But John Blackwell of the BVA said that not labelling halal meat "takes away the individual's right to make an informed decision".

The government has repeatedly ducked the issue, with the Conservative manifesto even promising to "protect methods of religious slaughter".

Last year David Cameron said that he was "very happy to eat halal meat", adding: "While I am prime minister of this country, halal is safe in Britain." Read on and comment » | Tom Parfitt | Tuesday, June 09, 2015

Londres: porc dans des saucisses halal
LE FIGARO: La présence d'ADN de porc a été détectée dans des saucisses halal au poulet au menu d'écoles et de crèches dans le centre de Londres, ont annoncé jeudi les autorités locales. Celles-ci avaient fait faire de leur propre chef des tests dans certaines cantines scolaires de l'arrondissement de Westminster, dans le sillage du scandale de la viande de cheval découverte dans des plats préparés, présentés comme étant au boeuf.

Aucune trace de cheval n'a été détectée, mais ces examens ont montré la possible présence d'ADN de porc dans des saucisses halal au poulet, confirmée ensuite par une deuxième série de tests. "Les résultats ont confirmé aujourd'hui la présence de porc dans un échantillon de saucisses halal qui ont potentiellement été servies dans 19 écoles et crèches" où elles étaient proposées au menu, a expliqué dans un communiqué la municipalité. Des traces d'agneau et de porc ont également été retrouvées dans du boeuf haché non halal utilisé par les cantines de 17 autres établissements du secteur. » | AFP | jeudi 14 mars 2013

REUTERS.COM: Pork found in halal meat in London school – council: Traces of pork were found in halal chicken sausages served in at least one primary school in central London, the local city council said on Thursday. » | Reuters | LONDON | Thursday, March 14, 2013

Come hither, ya habibati! O hibbuki! Photo: Google Images
Sharia-compliant, Halal Sexual Fantasies! Online Sex Shop a Hit with Muslims
THE TELEGRAPH: An online sex shop for Muslims has been launched in the Netherlands to tap into a demand for erotica that does not offend Sharia law.

"We had about 70,000 hits in the first four days," Abdelaziz Aouragh, the founder of El Asira, said. The site went online last week and claims to be the world's first erotic webshop for Muslims.

The 29-year-old Dutch national said it targets married Muslim couples as an alternative to sites "that focus on pornography and the extravagant side of erotica" - things forbidden in Islam.

The home page of El Asira, which means "Society" in Arabic, is a sober black and grey street with a line down the centre, inviting women to enter on the left and men on the right.

Once inside, clients can browse in Dutch, Arabic or English through more than a dozen products, mainly massage oils, lubricants and tablets that claim to act as aphrodisiacs.

All ingredients are halal, or "permissible under Islam", said Mr Aouragh, and conspicuously absent is any type of pornography. >>> | Wednesday, March 31, 2010

El Asira’s First Muslim Halal Online Sex Shop
AFRIK.COM: Abdelaziz Aouragh, a 29-year old Dutch-Moroccan and a practicing Muslim, has launched El Asira, a rather unlikely, if not daring, enterprise in the Netherlands. It is the first halal "sex shop". The question is whether the concept, which is raising many eye brows, will be accepted by an increasing skeptical niche market.

Sensual stimulants, organic lubricating gels, pure power capsules for men or women ... El Asira, the first halal sex shop made in the Netherlands has opened its doors. Solely available on the Internet, the shop was inaugurated March 24 by Abdelaziz Aouragh, a 29-year old Dutch-Moroccan Muslim.

Halal? Really? Yes, says the young entrepreneur. "There is even a fatwa (religious decree, editor’s note) on the subject," he says. The fatwa was given after he contacted a local imam who in turn consulted with a Saudi Sheikh who gave his blessing, provided that the products are used, strictly, within the context of marriage.

The product range is diverse, from "Lovpil" capsules, to fight against everyday stress that "may affect sexual energy and pleasure", to "Gel Max", a lubricating gel that promises greater "sexual performance". Jewelry and lingerie will soon be added to their range of products. >>> Shahinez Benabed | Tuesday, March 30, 2010

New Sex Shop is a Sensation Among Muslims: Despite Their Conservative Views, Muslims Flock to Sex Shop Website
abcNEWS/INTERNATIONAL: The mere mention of sex in Egypt's relatively conservative society is forbidden or ''haram,'' the word used when something is deemed un-Islamic, or considered to be unholy. Even trying to conduct a search online with the word ''sex'' in the title leads you to a dead end stating, ''This URL or Page has been blocked.''

So how would Egyptians react to a new website selling erotic aids aimed at Muslims? Set up in the Netherlands the site has become an worldwide hit with 70,000 visits and counting in its first week of going live.

The website, ''El Asira,'' which means ''society'' in Arabic, was launched by Abdelaziz Aouragh, a Moroccan Muslim living in Amsterdam along with his business partner Stefan Delsink. Aouragh told AFP that "everybody is talking about Islam in a negative way," adding that "I am trying to get something positive out of the dark."

The online shop boasts products such as sensual stimulators for him and her and lubricants based on cocoa butter, water or silicon, all of which are ingredients that are ''halal," permissible or lawful in Islam.

"I knew that Muslims do have a need for sex products." Aouragh said. >>> Lama Hasan | Undated

Related:

NRC HANDELSBLAD INTERNATIONAL: Online Islamic Sex-shop Opens for Business >>> Hanina Ajarai and Joke Mat | Friday, March 19, 2010

Plainte contre le Quick halal
leJDD.fr: Beaucoup de bruit pour un hamburger halal. La ville de Roubaix a décidé de porter de plainte pour "discrimination" contre la chaîne de restauration rapide Quick, qui expérimente, notamment dans la ville du Nord, des restaurants servant uniquement des produits répondant aux rites d'abattage musulmans.

Le hamburger halal est dur à avaler pour la ville de Roubaix qui, après un début de polémique, a décidé de porter plainte. La décision de la chaîne de restauration rapide Quick de vendre exclusivement de la nourriture halal dans huit de ses 350 restaurants français, dans le cadre d'une "expérimentation", est fortement critiquée par la mairie roubaisienne, qui héberge un restaurant uniquement halal. Elle s'estime lésée et a déposé plainte auprès du procureur pour "discrimination", a déclaré à l'agence de presse Reuters, jeudi, son avocat Franck Berton. Ce dernier explique qu'il y a un problème juridique car la société a choisi, à ses yeux, de manière discriminatoire les huit sites pour ses restaurants halal, car ils concernent des lieux où la population musulmane est importante. Le porc y est remplacé par de la dinde et le reste de la viande est conforme aux rites d'abattage musulmans. >>> V.V. (avec Reuters) | Jeudi 18 Février 2010

Secret Halal Slaughterhouse Film Reveals 'Horrific' Animal Abuse

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Hidden cameras show horrific mistreatment of sheep in Bowood Yorkshire Lamb slaughterhouse in Thirsk, North Yorkshire. WARNING this piece contains graphic video some viewers may find distressing


Disturbing footage showing "routine abuse" of sheep in a halal slaughterhouse has reignited the debate over whether animals should be stunned before they are killed for meat.

Under halal law, animals are supposed to be killed quickly by single cut from a surgically-sharp knife.

Although 80 per cent of halal meat is stunned, the number of sheep killed without stunning is rising due to campaigning by Muslims, figures show.

Secret filming in an halal abattoir in Yorkshire showed "horrifying" treatment of animals killed without stunning.

Workers were shown hacking and sawing at the animals' throats with apparently blunt knives. In one instance the procedure, which according to Islamic law should be instantaneous, took five attempts.

Halal rules also state that animals should never see the knife or witness others being killed, protecting them against unnecessary trauma.

But the footage showed a man wearing a Muslim kufi skullcap at Bowood Lamb abattoir in Thirsk regularly sharpening knives in front of the sheep. Due to the design of the slaughterhouse, in which animals were forced on to conveyor belts, the sheep typically saw another member of the flock having its throat cut, bleeding on the floor and being hoisted and shackled. Read on and comment » | Dan Hyde, Consumer Affairs Editor, video courtesy of Animal Aid | Tuesday, February 03, 2015

We Won't Eat Halal Meat, Say MPs and Peers Who Reject Demands to Serve It at Westminster
MAIL ON SUNDAY: Some parliamentarians have eaten meat at Westminster having been assured it was halal

The Palace of Westminster has rejected demands to serve halal meat in its restaurants.

Muslim MPs and peers have been told they cannot have meat slaughtered in line with Islamic tradition because the method – slitting an animal’s throat without first stunning it – is offensive to many of their non-Muslim colleagues.

The stance has infuriated some parliamentarians who have eaten meat in the Palace’s 23 restaurants and cafes, having been assured that it was halal.

Lord Ahmed of Rotherham said: ‘I did feel misled. I think a halal option should be made available.’

In 2010, the Mail on Sunday revealed schools, hospitals and restaurants were serving halal meat to unwitting customers. Read on and comment » | Chris Hastings | Sunday, January 01, 2012

Halal Food: A Market Waiting to Be Tapped Into?

THE GUARDIAN: Halal meat accounts for up to 15% of meat sales in the UK yet the options for Muslim foodies, or 'haloodies', are limited. Can a new food festival change that?

For the Oxford dictionary, a foodie is a person "with a particular interest in food; a gourmet". Collins goes for "having an enthusiastic interest in the preparation and consumption of good food". Imran Kausar fits both, but with qualifications: he won't touch alcohol, can't eat pork or pork products or byproducts, and must avoid blood, most carnivorous animals, the meat of animals not slaughtered according to certain rules, or any food contaminated with the above.

Kausar, Glasgow-born of Pakistani parents, is a halal foodie. It's a group of people now so numerous and, he believes, so poorly served that he and his friend Noman Khawaja have not only coined a new term to describe them – "Haloodies" – but organised a festival for them: London's first, and the world's largest, Halal food festival, which takes place at the capital's Excel Centre this weekend and confidently expects to draw 20,000 paying visitors.

"There's a huge market out there, waiting to be tapped," he says. A medical doctor by training who has also worked in investment banking and the pharmaceutical industry, he sees himself as typical of a new generation of young, middle-class Muslim consumers now contributing to a growing demand for high quality and varied halal food.

"Our parents came over in the 60s and basically put up with what there was," he says. "Now there are many people like me: well educated, good jobs, decent incomes ... and we want things. I want to go out with friends – with non-Muslim friends, too – and with my family of course, and be able to eat halal French, Japanese, Thai, pizza, like everyone else. Michelin-starred food, if I want, why not? Read on and comment » | Jon Henley | Wednesday, September 25, 2013

On Halal Butchery and Cruelty
Photo of halal chickens hanging in a butcher’s shop courtesy of The Independent
THE INDEPENDENT: Halal and kosher meat should be labelled when it is put on sale so the public can decide whether they want to buy food from animals that have bled to death, the Food and Farming minister says.

Lord Rooker said all meat from animals killed by slitting their throats should be marked, allowing customers to decide whether the suffering troubled their consciences. "I object to the method of slaughter," he said.

"My choice as a customer is that I would want to buy meat that has been looked after and slaughtered in the most humane way possible."

His office later said that Britain would play a "full part" on religious slaughter practices in negotiations to introduce a European-wide labelling system by 2010.

Lord Rooker's comments were welcomed by the RSPCA, which is concerned about the experience of animals killed for Jews and Muslims.

The veteran minister, who speaks for the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the Lords, raised the issue of religious slaughter in a discussion of animal welfare in other countries. "The country, source of origin and method of slaughter for meat ought to be on the label because that way I could stop the bloody halal meat that is excess to the industry's requirements being slipped into the food chain without people being told."

More than 100 million animals a year are killed for kosher and halal meat in Britain. They bleed to death in what government advisers say is "very significant pain". Certain cuts such as the hindquarters of cattle, however, are deemed inedible by religious teachings and are sold back into the general food chain. Halal and Kosher Meat Should Not Be Slipped In to Food Chain, Says Minister >>> By Martin Hickman | April 7, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Move Over Organic – The New Big Business in Food Is Halal

THE INDEPENDENT: This week's Halal Food Festival is attracting interest among a growing group of foodies beyond the Muslim community

Their culinary buzzword is provenance; they know their Jamie from their Nigella; and they have the spare cash to splash on eating out, if they could only find the right restaurants. The catch is that any meat they eat must be halal, on either religious or taste grounds.

Meet the Haloodies, a growing group of food lovers who are bored of curries, fed up with kebabs, and long for nothing more exotic than a shepherd's pie. Their increasing spending power has sparked a race among retailers, wholesalers and canny restaurateurs to carve out a chunk of a market that is worth about £420bn globally.

This week an estimated 20,000 Haloodies will congregate in east London at the Halal Food Festival, the world's first gastronomic celebration of halal produce. All of the UK's major supermarket chains are sending scouts to help them find ways to exploit the trend. Attendees can browse food stalls offering anything from hot dogs and sushi to French and Moroccan dishes without worrying how the meat was killed or even transported.

Imran Kausar, a doctor by training, who masterminded the festival, said British Muslims were no longer "economic migrants trying to make do [but] affluent and aspirational members of the middle class [who wanted to] expand their culinary horizon." He added: "While typical British dishes have got more exotic, Muslims want the reverse. We want regular stuff like shepherd's pie, which we see everywhere but we can't try." Read on and comment » | Susie Mesure | Sunday, September 22, 2013

Belgian Fruit Syrup Faces Boycott Calls over Halal Labelling

THE TELEGRAPH: Move by Belgian syrup factory to enter Islamic markets sparks protests and a row over national identity

A fruit syrup that has been a staple of Belgian kitchens for generations is at the centre of a row over national identity, after its manufacturers applied for ‘halal’ certification.

The makers of Sirop de Liège, a molasses made of stewed apples, dates and pears and known by its distinctive blue and green pot, face a bitter backlash after they sought to tap into overseas Islamic markets.

The Siroperie Meurens, the family business that has been boiling fruit to the same recipe since 1902, faces calls for a boycott and has been inundated with online abuse since it announced the move.

Securing ‘halal’ certification would help the firm to target markets such as Indonesia and Egypt, at a time when the European fruit industry is under pressure due to sanctions on Russia that have halted food exports.

The move would confirm to Muslim consumers that the sticky brown syrup, which is eaten with bread and pancakes, or used as an ingredient in meatball sauces, does not contain pork gelatine. The recipe would stay the same, as would the labelling, the firm said. » | Matthew Holehouse, Brussels | Monday, August 17, 2015

LA MEUSE: Trahison, appel au boycott: rien ne va plus pour le sirop de Liège depuis l'annonce de la certification halal du produit de tradition : Nous vous l’annoncions ce week-end: le sirop de Liège de chez Meurens est désormais certifié «halal». Un label qui va permettre à la siroperie d’Aubel d’augmenter ses exportations. Seulement voilà, pour certains, il s’agit là d’une véritable trahison et la nouvelle a déchaîné les passions sur les réseaux sociaux. » | K. Wuyard | mardi 11 août 2015