Budget supermarket chain Asda has denied rumours that its meat products are all “halal”.
It is understood that a number of customers contact the company’s customer services department after a widely circulated Facebook post alleged that all minced beef on its shelves came from animals slaughtered using controversial Muslim methods.
These involve slitting the throat of a living, conscious animal and letting it bleed to death.
One Facebook user noticed that packs of minced beef carried the initials HMA – the acronym of the Canadian Halal Monitoring Authority.
An Asda spokeswoman said: “Our volume of halal meat across the total range is very small – roughly one or two per cent.
“Our own label halal meat is very clearly labelled as halal, so our customers can make an informed choice when purchasing their meat.
“HMA is a product code, which refers to the different sites of our suppliers. All our Asda branded products contain different combinations of letters that determine where a product is supplied from. This has no connection with the Halal Meat Authority.”
She said that any halal products on Asda shelves were clearly labelled as such.
“In terms of contacts to the customer services team, several customers did contact us for clarity over the social media noise, but it wasn’t many as far as I’m aware.”
Last year it was claimed by a national newspaper that British retailers and restaurants are quietly switching to halal meats in their products and meals, leaving customers opposed to the practice – which is seen by some as causing unnecessary suffering – in the dark.
Under the Muslim method of slaughter, known as Zabiha, and the Jewish Shechita, a sharp instrument is used to cut through an animal’s throat, windpipe and the blood vessels in its neck. Prayers are said over the animals.
The British Veterinary Association has disputed claims by religious groups that the method kills instantly.
Shechita animals are not stunned before being killed, and some Muslim slaughterhouses also do not stun the animals.
Downing Street said last month that there will be a review of labelling of halal meat if the industry fails to deliver more transparency within the next few months.
Some of the meat sold in British supermarkets and served in restaurants comes from animals slaughtered according to traditional Muslim rituals, but in many cases it is not labelled halal.