Warburtons found themselves at the centre of a social media storm over a halal label on the bakery’s products.
Labels on the much-loved loaves state the bread is both halal and kosher. When one customer saw the label he wrote on Twitter: “Warburtons bread is now halal certified – why do 96 per cent of population have to have Islamic halal put onto them in their lives and effectively overriding their own religions just because 4 per cent want it?”
His tweet prompted both negative and positive responses, with one user writing: “Paul you will not become a Muslim by eating something halal. It does not work like that. How is your faith overridden by a label on a loaf of bread?”
A spokesperson for Warburtons said: “At Warburtons, we care about providing our consumers with a choice of quality products that suit varying lifestyle needs. Over two years ago, a range of our products were officially certified as vegan, vegetarian, halal and kosher. This doesn’t mean doing anything differently to what we have always done, it just means making it easier for consumers to buy our products with confidence.”
A flour treatment agent called E920 is used in some baked goods, which is synthetically produced through natural fermentation using raw materials of vegetable origin or pure organic, non animal.
It is not known how much the process would have cost Warburtons to become Halal & Kosher certified but the following from the Halal Food Authority may be of interest to you:
Does HFA certify Nandos?
No, HFA does not certify Nandos, however certain Nandos restaurants may source their chicken from Halal approved sources.
Does animal/bird hear the Shahada or Tasmiya recited by the Slaughterman/men at slaughtering station?
Books of Fatawas do not make it mandatory. One should be mindful that the decibels in modern plants are so high at time that even the slaughterman has to wear earplugs.
Does HFA license Muslim slaughterman/men?
No, the applicant must be licensed by the Food Standards Agency ( FSA).
Does HFA have Muslim Slaughterman/men performing slaughter?
Yes, all slaughter is manually carried out by Muslim slaughterman/men whilst Bismillahi-Allahu Akbar is recited.
Does HFA accept mechanical (fixed blade) slaughter?
No, all slaughter is done manually by hand to comply with HFA guidelines.
Does Halal Food Authority allow stunning of birds and animals?
Yes, however, one has to be reminded that HFA has always maintained “no stunning to kill”.
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Captive Bolt Stunning – proscribed – prohibited
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Percussion Stunning – proscribed – prohibited (although above procedures for cattle are allowed by some Ulema’s in Africa & Germany)
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Gas Stunning – proscribed – prohibited (although Turkish Ulema’s have approved this method for pre-slaughtering of chicken)
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Halal Food Authority allows controlled electric stun-with-minuscule amperage, with official Veterinary Surgeon validating that the animal or the birds do not die prior to slaughtering.
There are two types of electric stunning that Halal Food Authority approves:
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Water-bath Stun – for Poultry
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Electric-Tong Stun – for Ovine meat
Does HFA approve/allow slaughtering whilst Shahada is played on tape recorder in the back ground?
The answer is emphatically ‘No’. All slaughterman/men must recite Bismillahi-Allahu Akbar on each and every animal/bird.
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Unity News Network (UNN) Staff Writer | To find out more details about our staff, please head to the About Us section on our website.
