The Pizza Express chain in the UK has confirmed media reports that all chicken used in its 434 British restaurants is sourced from halal meat suppliers.
Islam requires Muslims to only eat meat prepared according to halal rules, which means animals have their throats slit before bleeding to death. However, Pizza Express confirmed all chickens used for its meals are stunned before being slaughtered.
“Our chicken is halal approved. We serve halal chicken in all of our UK restaurants. Pizza Express is committed to animal welfare standards… Our chicken supplier is accredited by the British Retail Consortium. This means it meets the global standard for food safety and legality,” a Pizza Express spokesperson said in a statement printed by the Daily Mail newspaper.
The move has been the catalyst for a backlash by some UK opponents and media commentators.
Stephen Evans, of the National Secular Society, told The Sun newspaper: ‘Unsuspecting members of the public are routinely being duped into buying meat from religious slaughter methods.”
Last week, fast food giant Subway confirmed it has removed pork products from 185 stores in the UK, where it will also use only halal meat in a bid to appeal to Muslim customers.
Turkey and turkey rashers will be used instead of ham and bacon, it said.
In response to animal welfare concerns, Subway said it would source meat from animals that had been stunned first, to reduce suffering.
The company, which has about 1500 stores in the UK, said its decision to ban pork products was a balance between animal welfare concerns and the views of religious communities.
Halal meat is commonplace in Middle East fast food outlets and is becoming increasingly common in Western countries, particularly in areas with high Muslim populations. Although in many cases stores offer both options.
Halal food is a fast growing industry, with the Islamic population of 1.6 billion increasing at about twice the global rate.
The entire Islamic economy is estimated to be worth $2tr and increasing about 20-25 percent annually.
Dubai announced in January it was planning to launch an international accreditation centre for halal food as part of the emirate’s drive to become the world’s capital for the Islamic economy.
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