Meat sold at Waitrose has come under fire from Christian members of the community because it is slaughtered in accordance with Muslim laws. Concerns have been raised because food packaging does not display the fact that most ranges of lamb sold at the Saffron Walden superstore conform to Halal.
Little Walden Road resident and loyal customer Jim Ford, pictured, explained that he feels like he is being forced to eat meat which “violates” his consciousness. “While I have respect for the rights of Muslims to worship in freedom,” he said. “As a Christian I do object to being in effect forced to eat meat blessed in this way.”
Halal means that the meat is blessed and can be eaten by people following the Islamic faith. Animals are slaughtered with a swift, deep incision with a sharp knife across the neck, cutting through the windpipe, the food pipe, nerves, and the jugular but leaving the spinal cord intact.
However a Waitrose statement highlighted that they now also stock Organic, West Country, and English & Dorset Breed lamb available from the service meat counters. All do not receive a Halal blessing at the point of slaughter.
A spokesman added: “All Waitrose pre-packed New Zealand Lamb continues to receive a Halal blessing at slaughter. We continue to allow the blessing so that abattoirs can sell the parts of the carcass that we don’t use. In New Zealand, a significant amount of this meat is destined for markets in Asia – this minimises food waste, keeps prices down for our customers and helps our farmers to be competitive.
“Animal welfare is our highest priority and it is important to note that all of our lamb, whether Halal blessed or not, is stunned at slaughter rendering the animal insensitive to pain. We do not allow the slaughter of any livestock without proper humane stunning and in this regard we are monitored by the Humane Slaughter Association.”
Saffron Walden Reporter, 28 January 2011
As the article points out, halal meat produced in New Zealand is all from animals that have been stunned before slaughter. So the usual spurious complaints about animal cruelty don’t apply. The sole cause for objection here is that an Islamic prayer is recited over the animal as it is killed.
Thus the headline to a report in the 
An Indian Muslim scholar who is banned from entering Britain is to address the Oxford Union via satellite link, in a direct challenge to the home secretary, Theresa May.
This was the original title to a Fox News piece on the new Pew Research Center report,