Anger as KFC in Colne, UK serves only Halal chicken

Halal chicken means that it has to be prayed over by a Muslim cleric in a ritual killing. Otherwise Muslims find it unfit for consumption.

So for those who do not understand ~ it is not that there is any pork in the bucket of chicken ~ it is that it has not been blessed by a Muslim preacher.

What is more Sikhs may not be able to consume halal meat. The pressure to force them to eat halal usually preceded conversion to Islam ~ which may not have always been voluntary. More than this they do not believe food is given any special quality ~ with such acts as are required in halal.

The Sikhs are recommended to eat Jhatka meat [meat killed with a single cut], as they do not believe any ritual gives meat a spiritual virtue (ennobles the flesh).  Another reason Sikhs do not eat halal meat is because the use of halal methods is a prerequisite for converting to Islam. +

A TRAWDEN woman has spoken of her disgust at an international fast food outlet choosing to serve only halal meat at its Colne premises.

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, joins a growing number of objectors on Facebook, where more than 1,500 have supported the group "No Halal at Colne KFC".

The store, on North Valley Retail Park, is one of 74 KFC outlets nationwide to be chosen for a halal trial. Those in Burnley, Accrington and Blackburn are also taking part in the trial.

On its website, KFC states: "For some time, we have received requests to provide halal food in parts of the UK, and as a result of this we are running a halal trial within communities where we anticipate a strong demand for halal products."

For the chicken to be halal accredited, the animal is stunned and a verse recited from the Qur'an at the point of slaughter.

But for the restaurant to be certified halal, all products served there have to be halal, which takes away people's choice, claims the Trawden resident.

She said: "I think to have halal forced on us and to not have a choice is wrong. They are saying the food is blessed, but that is not my religion.

"They have also taken out all their pork and bacon products, as it is against Islam to eat pig. Surely this is discriminating against people who do eat pig in this country.

"There are animal rights in this country which people fought long and hard for. I am not racist, but I strongly object to this being forced on us."

However, Nina Arnott, a KFC spokesman, said the company was working closely with animal welfare organisations to ensure it keeps standards high.

She added: "We are sorry this customer feels worried, but would like to reassure her we are still using exactly the same ingredients and exactly the same great tasting chicken as before, while also working closely with animal welfare organisations to ensure we remain committed to our same high standards of animal welfare.

"For some time, we have had requests to provide halal food in some parts of the UK, and in Colne the restaurant is one of those taking part in our trial."

KFC says the trial will involve evaluating customer feedback and the commercial success of the trial to establish if it is something it will continue with.