Supermarkets and restaurant chains face being forced to label food containing halal meat as a row grew over millions of customers being left in the dark about what they are eating.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg today demanded better labelling using a designated logo, but insisted he was happy to eat a halal pizza.
MPs could use a debate on new consumer legislation next week to force a change in the law, after it emerged ore than 70 per cent of all New Zealand lamb in supermarkets is from halal abattoirs – a fact not stated on labelling.
Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer all confirmed they sell the imported meat.
The switch to slaughtering animals in line with Islamic ritual saves money because the end product can be eaten by Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
David Cameron refused to intervene on the issue. His spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister’s view is that it is an issue of consumer choice and consumer information.
‘So it is a matter for retailers and restaurants to work with customers and consumer groups and representatives of faith organisations.’
But Mr Clegg said: ‘It is a question of labelling. I think there should be more information.’
The Deputy Prime Minister said he has ‘absolutely no problem with eating a pizza with halal meat on it at all.’
And Commons Leader Andrew Lansley told MPs that a debate on the Consumer Rights Bill next week could be used to address public concerns.
He said the legislation was focused ‘giving consumers not only rights but information on which they can base their purchasing decisions.’
It also emerged that all chicken served by Pizza Express is halal – something made clear only on the company’s website.
Chains including Domino’s, GBK, Nando’s, KFC, Ask and Slug & Lettuce use halal meat in some dishes, mainly chicken, and locations.
When contacted by the Mail yesterday, many of the restaurants were reluctant to discuss the issue. Only Subway and KFC overtly label halal meat products on their menus.
Other chains directed us towards their websites where information was included but hard to find. Subway has removed ham and bacon from almost 200 fast food outlets and switched to halal alternatives in an attempt to woo Muslim customers.
In conventional slaughterhouses, cows, sheep and chicken are stunned, usually with an electric shock, to ensure they are unconscious before their throats are cut.
This minimises suffering but in most Muslim countries halal animals are not stunned.
This technique has been condemned as cruel by experts on the Farm Animal Welfare Council, the Humane Slaughter Association and the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe. Muslim religious leaders have responded to these concerns by allowing halal animals to be stunned before they are killed.
However 19 per cent of halal sheep are not pre-stunned along with 16 per cent of cattle and 12 per cent of poultry. Jewish religious authorities deny cruelty and refuse to allow pre-stunning for kosher food.
The British Retail Consortium, which represents supermarkets, claims there is no need to label meat such as New Zealand lamb as halal if it comes from animals that are pre-stunned.
Andrew Opie, its director of food, said: ‘As the overwhelming majority of meat sold in UK supermarkets is own brand and from animals that have been stunned prior to slaughter we do not see the requirement to separately label meat based on the method of slaughter.
‘However, if the Government believes there is a need for more information on meat for those animals that have not been pre-stunned we would be happy to have further discussion in the context of animal welfare.’
But Peter Stevenson, of Compassion in World Farming, said: ‘We don’t believe that religious freedom should extend to the point of causing unnecessary suffering.
‘If you are going to have an exemption to normal rules for religious slaughter, then we believe that meat should be labelled when it gets into the wider food chain.’
The British Veterinary Association and the RSPCA want a new labelling system to spell out whether an animal has been stunned or not.
They have set up an ePetition on the Government’s website in the hope of getting 100,000 signatures to ensure a debate in Parliament.
Both stress their campaigns relate to animal welfare rather than religious beliefs.
BVA president Robin Hargreaves said: ‘We support a good life and a humane death for all animals.
‘We have long believed that slaughter without pre-stunning unnecessarily compromise animal welfare at the time of death. It affects millions of animals every year and action is long overdue.’ The RSPCA’s David Bowles said: ‘We recognise that religious belief and practices should be respected but we also believe that animals should be slaughtered in the most humane way possible.
‘Non-stun slaughter can result in the animals experiencing very significant pain and distress and that is why we feel more needs to be done to end this suffering.’
Maajid Nawaz, of the Quilliam Foundation – a Muslim think-tank set up to challenge extremism – said: ‘All halal meat in the UK should be pre stunned (all chicken already is), halal should not be a secret and no national chain should ban bacon. Muslims can simply not order it.’
Retailers and food chains insist that while they do not label all the halal meat they sell, it does come from animals which have been pre-stunned, which removes the concerns about cruelty.
The Hospital Caterers Association confirmed that some hospitals – a minority – may use halal meat in their prime dishes without it being labelled. Separately, halal meat from specialist suppliers is used in dishes that are requested by Muslim patients.
A number of councils and schools across the country have decided to switch to halal for all meat, even if Muslims are in the minority in the classrooms. The policy has triggered protests where parents have discovered the change.
In March some primary schools in Rotherham banned all pork products from the menu and replaced other meats with halal versions.
The change was described as a ‘minor adjustment’ by the council but was condemned by some school parents.
Dr Shuja Shafi, the deputy secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, has expressed disappointment at the focus on religious slaughter and warned it could be used by the far right as a weapon to attack the Muslim community.
‘Halal is a humane method; it’s a clean, clear method and has got rules and regulations about how it’s carried out,’ he said.
‘People should be more responsible in how they tackle this. It’s going to cause confusion and will be used by elements to have a negative effect.’