Certification of Halal Meat in the UK
March-June 2010
Project of the Azhar-Cambridge Programme 2010, organised by the Centre of Islamic Studies, supported by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department of Communities and Local Government.
Download the Certification of Halal Meat in the UK report.
Halal meat makes up a significant part of the diet of Muslims in the UK, yet doubts have emerged about the provenance of much that is labelled as halal. Questions have also been raised about the religious validity of certain technological innovations regularly used in the slaughtering process, in particular those of stunning and mechanical slaughter. This report analyses these problems against the backdrop of the phenomenon of mass production and consumption from which they have emerged, before engaging with the UK Muslim community’s response: voluntary halal certification. Through interviews with the leading figures of the Halal Food Authority and Halal Monitoring Committee, as well as the use of other sources, this report explains and analyses the work and differing perspectives of these two main certification bodies. It provides recommendations for moving beyond contention and polemic, building on areas of common agreement, and putting the unique strengths of each body to the better service of the community.