Here's what you need to know about the halal meat debate

Thursday, 7 December 2017

Backlash for KFC halal campaign

When Muslim campaigners say they want KFC to offer halal options in New Zealand, what do they mean?

'We are not asking for the whole supply chain to change, just certain [halal] days in certain branches would be fine,' campaigner Syeda Fouzia said.

So, what is halal?

Nearly all New Zealand export slaughter premises undertake halal processing.

Halal is an Arabic word meaning lawful or permitted, according to the Islamic Council of Victoria. Referring to food, it is the dietary standard prescribed in the Quran. The slaughterer must be 'a sane adult Muslim'.

Will you still eat KFC if it is halal? (First published December 2017)

What does that mean for meat?

The Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand does most of the halal certification in this country. It said the Islamic term for a halal slaughtered animal was dhabihah, with these requirements under Islamic Law:

* The animal must have been killed with a sharp knife

* Its throat must be cut, ensuring the severance of the oesophagus and the jugular veins

* Only Allah's name could be mentioned at the time of the slaughtering, and no other name associated

* New Zealand hopes to attract Muslim tourists with halal food guide**

What does that mean for the animals?

The Meat Industry Association said regulatory standards for halal meat production were administered by the Ministry for Primary Industries.

It was compulsory for all animals to be stunned before commercial slaughter in New Zealand. Stunning ensured an immediate loss of consciousness to prevent animals feeling any pain during the slaughter process, the MIA said.

'In New Zealand there is no exemption to the requirement for pre-slaughter stunning, unlike in some other countries. Halal slaughter requires that the animal dies from the 'halal cut' to the throat, ie that the pre-slaughter stun is not powerful enough to kill the animal.

'In premises that undertake halal slaughter in New Zealand, reversible electrical stunning is used to ensure that animals are rendered unconscious instantaneously and remain unconscious at the time of slaughter, thus complying with both animal welfare and halal requirements.'

What about the food preparation?

Hygiene and cleanliness is an important part of the process, and there should be no non-halal ingredients in the food.

But that doesn't mean outlets such as KFC would have to ditch non-halal food like bacon if it decided to stock halal food. It would just not feature in the halal products.

Are there enough people to do the work?

Immigration was necessary to ensure adequate staffing of halal slaughterers, the MIA said in its 2017 annual report.

While only a 'relatively small number' of halal slaughtermen were needed - 240 - insufficient New Zealanders were able and willing to do the work. So, each year the MIA applied for its members to employ about 130 overseas-based halal slaughterers.

This role was vital to the industry's business model, allowing most plants that processed for export to undertake halal processing; providing the industry the ability to supply halal products from any part of the carcass to halal regulated and non-regulated markets.

Is it worth the effort?

In the year ended June 2017, New Zealand exported halal-certified red meat and edible co-products worth around $1 billion. These exports were sent to more than 70 countries, and accounted for around 25% of total sheepmeat and beef exports, MIA said.

In the past decade there was significant growth in exports of halal-certified meat to non-Muslim majority markets, most notably China, which now accounted for a third of New Zealand's halal certified meat exports by volume.

The Meat Industry Association said regulatory standards for halal meat production were administered by the Ministry for Primary Industries. This includes chicken.