- Ten top universities are selling unlabelled Halal meat to students
- Oxford, Manchester, Cardiff and Sheffield among the universities doing so
- Revealed through Freedom of Information Act requests - to which only 25 out of 126 universities responded
- Some consumers object to practice of not stunning animals before slaughter
- Restaurants and supermarkets also exposed for secretly serving Halal meat
It started with restaurants and supermarkets - now top British universities have admitted serving up Halal meat to unwitting students.
At least ten top higher education establishments - including Oxford University and the University of Manchester - are secretly serving up meat from potentially unstunned animals, it has emerged.
In Manchester, 85 per cent of all meat served is unlabelled Halal meal, while all the chicken served at Sheffield and Exeter - which is Halal - is not marked as so.
Ten British universities are selling Halal meat, where animals are not stunned before they are slaughtered - without telling consumers. Pictured, chickens after ritual slaughter in a Halal abattoir in Burgundy, France
The findings were unearthed through a Freedom of Information request which was sent to 126 establisments.
But just 25 responded - meaning the problem could be more widespread than currently thought.
The news comes after it was revealed last week that leading restaurants were serving Halal meat without informing their customers.
Halal meat comes from animals which have had their cuts slit while still alive, in accordance with Islamic traditions.
But some animals are not stunned beforehand, leaving them in pain.
Now - according to student newspaper The Tab - nearly half of the universities that responded to the request are serving Halal meat without making students aware.
Christ Church, Oxford University - one of the top universities which has admitted serving up Halal meat on the quiet
At Kent University, 70 per cent of the meat served is unlabelled Halal while at Sheffield and Exeter, all the chicken is served Halal-style, but is not labelled as so.
Cardiff and Lincoln were also found to be among the universities serving significant quantities of the meat, without telling consumers.
Of the 35 Oxbridge colleges that responded to the Freedom of Information Act request, only two did not serve any Halal meat, according to the paper.
THE UNIVERSITIES SELLING HALAL IN SECRET
Oxford University
University of Manchester
Cardiff University
University of Sheffield
University of Exeter
Durham University
University of Lincoln
University of Kent
Northumbria University
Birmingham University
And when the suppliers were contacted to see if they supplied stunned or unstunned meat, many suppliers did not know.
A spokesman for meat supplier 3663, which serves Kent and Northumbria, said: 'Currently, we do not collect information on the method of slaughter.'
Fears over the correct labelling of Halal meat came to light earlier this month when it was revealed several leading chains were serving the meat to unsuspecting customers.
Subway was one leading chain which had decided to secretly swap meat for Halal products, while Pizza Express was exposed for failing to inform consumers that some food they were purchasing contained Halal.
It was also revealed that leading supermarkets are selling New Zealand lamb killed in accordance with halal ritual without providing labels.
The RSPCA condemned this method of non-stunned slaughter and the unethical practice of non-labelling being carried out at several UK universities.
A spokesperson said: 'Scientific research has clearly shown that slaughter of an animal without stunning can cause unnecessary suffering, and so we are opposed to the slaughter of any animal without first making it insensible to pain and distress.'
'Our concern has nothing to do with the expression of religious belief but with the practice of killing by throat cutting without pre-stunning.
Universities should only be serving meat that is stunned prior to slaughter.
'We are calling for labelling to refer to stun or non-stun slaughter rather than a method of ‘religious’ slaughter.'
85 per cent of the meat served at the University of Manchester was unlabelled Halal meat, according to the Freedom of Information Act requests
This call for change in current legislation is being championed by the British Veterinary Association.
President Robin Hargreaves said: 'British Veterinary Association is campaigning for an end to the practice of non-stun slaughter which compromises animal welfare at the time of death.
'We would like to see all universities taking a proactive approach on animal welfare and only sourcing their meat from abattoirs that pre-stun before slaughter.'
Alex McGhee, President of the Association of Veterinary Students, said: 'The fact that students are consuming non-stun meat without their knowledge is appalling.
'While non-stun slaughter continues it is absolutely imperative for students to be able to make choices based on both religious and animal welfare grounds.'
Cardiff University is one of the ten universities which admitted secretly serving Halal meat to their customers. The news comes after it emerged some supermarkets and restaurants were not labelling their Halal meat
A spokesman for Northumbria University said: 'We work closely with all of our suppliers to source high-quality ingredients to serve our customers.
'There is no legal requirement for Halal meat to be labelled. However, two of our suppliers - Ginsters and Urban Eat - label all products where they contain Halal meat ingredients.
'We continue to work with our suppliers to make all labelling as clear and informative as possible for our customers.'
A University of Manchester spokesman said: 'The university uses a well-established local catering butcher and a large UK-based catering company to supply its meat and food products containing meat.
'The proportion of Halal meat served on campus is indicative of how the animal was slaughtered but we only label products as Halal if they have been transported, stored and prepared according to Islamic dietary laws.
'There is no national certification scheme for Halal and meat slaughtered in a way that complies with Islamic dietary laws is consumed widely across the UK.
For example, chicken used in packaged sandwiches is commonly slaughtered according to Halal standards, as often is New Zealand lamb.'
The Halal meat market in the UK is worth around £2.6billion per year and is still expected to soar
The Halal meat market in the UK is worth around £2.6billion a year – and it is expected to soar.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that Subway has removed ham and bacon from almost 200 fast food outlets and switched to Halal meat alternatives in an attempt to please its Muslim customers.
Turkey ‘ham’ and turkey rashers will be used instead in 185 of its stores, where all the meat will now be prepared according to Halal rules.
The chain, which has around 1,500 outlets across the UK, explained its decision by saying it had to balance animal welfare concerns with ‘the views of religious communities’.
Traditional Halal slaughter has animals having their throats slit before bleeding to death.
In Arabic the word Halal means ‘permitted’ or ‘lawful’ and defines anything that is allowed or lawful according to the Koran.
It is often used to indicate food – particularly meat – that has been prepared in accordance with Muslim principles and techniques.
In Britain, killing an animal without prior stunning is illegal, but the law gives special exemption to Muslim and Jewish meat producers on the grounds of religion.
In the UK there are thought to be around 12 abattoirs dedicated to unstunned slaughter, while hundreds practise stunned halal slaughter.
Muslims are forbidden from eating any non-Halal food and meat from pigs and Subway said customers can identify those stores selling halal food by the special ‘All meats are Halal’ sign, which must be displayed in participating branches.
HALAL DICTATES OBJECTS OR ACTIONS PERMISSIBLE UNDER ISLAMIC LAW
Halal refers to any object or action which is 'permissible' according to Islamic law. The term covers not only food and drink but also matters of daily life.
Halal foods are those that Muslims are allowed to eat or drink under Islamic Shari'ah. The criteria dictates both food which are allowed and how the food must be prepared. The foods most commonly addressed are types of meat and animal tissue.
The most common example of non-halal, or forbidden food is pork. It is the only meat that must not be eaten by Muslims at all, due to historical, cultural and religiously perceived hygienic concerns.
Other meats can be forbidden, depending on their source, the cause of the animal's death and how it was processed. To be halal, the food must have come from a supplier that uses halal practises.
Specifically the slaughter must be performed by a Muslim, who must invoke the name of Allah prior to killing the animal. Commonly a person will say 'Bismillah' ('In the name of God') before repeating 'Allahu akbar' ('God is the greatest') three times.
The animal is then slaughtered with a sharp knife, by cutting the throat, windpipe and blood vessels in the neck without cutting the spinal cord. The blood must then be drained from its veins.
Traditionally and according to Islamic scholars, an animal must be conscious while slaughtered. However the majority of halal abattoirs stun the animals before killing them.
Muslims must also ensure that all foods, particularly processed foods, as well as non-food items like cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, are halal. The opposite of halal is 'haraam', meaning forbidden.
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