Six out of 19 Leicester schools have not reinstated halal meat, despite rigorous new specifications on meat procurement by the council.
It follows the withdrawal of halal meat in schools after routine tests on two separate occasions revealed halal lamb in schools was contaminated with pork in April 2013, and beef in April 2014.
The city council subsequently removed all halal meat from schools until it could restore faith in the supply chain.
Since then Leicester City Council has developed a new “rigorous halal meat specification” using a new supplier - JW Young who are Halal Monitoring Committee (HMC) accredited.
Guidelines include all stages of preparation, processing and storage of food prior to packing be carried out under the direct supervision of a practicing Muslim, competent in halal dietary laws.
Despite this, six schools which previously received halal meat, have chosen not to reinstate it on their menus. These are Humberstone Infants and Junior, Linden, Slater, Whitehall and Oaklands primary schools.
Councillor Sarah Russell, assistant city mayor for children, young people and schools, said: “The issues over halal meals were distressing for families and for the schools involved.
“The new specification which suppliers now need to comply with has been developed closely with faith groups and parents. It provides the assurances we needed to be able to confidently reintroduce the option of halal meals at our schools.
“Of course, schools still have the option to continue to offer vegetarian or fish menus.”
One school, however, has gone a step further.
Taylor Road Primary, in St Matthews has also made its school kitchen HMC accredited. It pays a small annual subscription and has onsite inspections of its catering service to ensure it is compliant. It is the first in the city to do so.
Head teacher Chris Hassall said: “All halal meat served in the city’s schools is now HMC accredited but we wanted to give parents even greater confidence in what we’re providing and therefore sought accreditation for the kitchen provision.
“We were vetted by the HMC over the summer months and made some small changes as per the guidance. It means, for example, that our halal meat is stored separately and the utensils used to prepare it are too.
“We will also have unannounced inspections by the HMC. We pay a very small amount of money for this accreditation but if it gives our parents greater confidence then I would recommend all schools do the same.”
HMC is a Leicester-based not for profit, registered charity organisation whose main aim is to certify the production of genuine halal food. HMC complies with the UK laws for food production, as well as Islamic dietary compliance laws.