I'm afraid I'm the bearer of BAD NEWS, the so called "halal" meat that you may be consuming is little different to that produced for main stream consumption. E.g. pre-stunning is used in the production of white meat largely to meet the very high demand. The only difference is that a prayer may be recited. PROBLEM: pre-stunning may kill the bird outright caused by cardiac arrest for one. Modern methods do not conform to halal slaughter (organic methods fall more inline) halal means the whole chain has to meet with shariah law, the law that offers protection to the animal. It’s to minimise the pain but there is no such thing as pain free killing. As there is no independent body to check the whole chain, serious questions should be asked by the consumer in the form of evidence.

When did using mechanised systems to kill animals make matters more humane? It’s all very hypocritical; many muslims do care and are turning towards vegetarianism due to the lack of confidence in halal claims.

concernedbelieverinGod, Birmingham, UK

This is amazing how racist bigots come out as soon as Islam is used in dialogue yet same evil people will benefit from the fruits of all the trade to Muslims, running their multi billion armed industry and buying their oil at knocked down prices to run their motors and heating.

No wonder the Muslims feel equally outraged and behave the way they do.

Izzy daniels, Barnet,

Just to clarify what Mr Hyde said, no money is paid to mosques for any certification but as with the vegetarian society and jewish community, authorised bodies that issue certificates charge for provision of that badge of authenticity.

Interestingly, for most muslims, Jewish slaughtered meat is same as Muslim slaughtered meat and consumed happily.

moshe aarons, watford,

Muslims would get Halal food from the jewish shop. It was very difficult for muslims to find halal food for themselves. Thanks to the Multinationals for their initiatives for musim niche to fulfill their religious bindings. Another thing i would like to add that the mosques don' t certify halal. Halal means the process should be in line with the islamic law.

Abubakar Rahil, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Slaughtering the halal way, contrary to NA's comment, is hardly "healthier". The animal is bled to death. And it cannot, by any stretch, be considered "humane". The animal is alive when that slight incision, in the case of a chicken, is made to its throat. And let us not be in any doubt here: when meat is certified halal, there are Islamic prayers that are said. This bit is noticeably absent from the comment section.

R Singh, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

'Money is also paid to the mosque'?- since when? there are so many mosques, which one receives the money for halal status??

I think this is a win-win, Muslim people want halal food and big business can make a lot of money out of it- its a traditional business logic- find a niche market and tap into it.

I think many comments on here only serve to show just how much hatred people display towards Muslims that they are even affected when companies offer halal food- why should that bother ANYONE??

Daniel- halal food is clearly marked as halal, so surely its not hard to spot non-halal food?

Sam, Manchester,

I can't understand why some people take issue with halal meat, unless they have a clear prejudice against Muslims. Bigoted views such as moaning about Sharia Banks (which contribute to UK Tax) and calling this a cruel pointless ritual show the level of the writers mentality and is thankfully not part of modern Britain. To link this into contributions made to mosques is absurd, even though contributing to mosques is NOT a crime. My employer, a large international bank, has been serving halal meat in its London HQ restaurant for years, and this is modern reality.

Ali, London, UK

I beleive nothing is wrong with slaughtering an animal. Infact, it is actually much more healthier than killing it in any other form, such as electricuting.

Ahmed Almarri, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

All those cries about the barbaric nature of halal meat in the western world. If halal is so barbaric, then how come you forget to mention Kosher meat, or force feeding of geese in France to expand their livers by 40 times the normal size. A little less self righteousness please - or is this more Islamophobia.

Shaffiq Mahmood, Halifax, West Yorkshire

"There are also more than 5,000 Muslim millionaires holding assets worth at least £3.6 billion"

Surely 5,000 millionaires would hold at least £5 billion?

Chris, London,

I have no problem with halal and how it is ritually slaughtered, however I must point out that halal shops in my town can be smelled before they can be seen, hygiene standards are minimal to say the least. The staff in these places are actually very dirty people. Thats why i would never buy it, I am assuming it is the lowest quality of meat available and therefore it is well within the budget of the poorest in the community, muslims.

James, Reading,

The swift cutting of vessels of the neck (Islamic custom) disconnects the flow of blood to the nerves in the brain responsible for pain. Thus the animal does not feel pain. The movements and withering that happen to the animal after the cut is made are not due to pain, but due to the contraction and relaxation of the muscles deficient in blood.

The cut involves the windpipe (trachea), gullet (esophagus), and the two jugular veins without cutting the spinal cord. This method results in the rapid gush of blood draining most of it from the animal’s body. The blood is drained completely. This purifies the meat by removing most of the blood that acts as a medium for microorganisms; meat also remains fresh longer as compared to other methods of slaughtering.

NK, LONDON,

We have Islamic Banking now, Sharia courts in every town up and down the UK and now business in its worship of Mammon (money) is courting Islam. How soon before Sharia courts become absorbed into the mainstream law of this country? How soon before businesses are sponsoring Islamic events etc. How soon before the indigenous population in this country is outvoted in parliament by Islam and how soon before the Muslim population is a majority in this country? Just check out the governments own statistics - or watch Channel 4s documentary.

Steve, London, UK

It is high time that businesses especially food retailers realised the potential of the untapped Muslim market. With not many options currently available, many work going Muslims like myself have to resort to buying fruits or salads, or veg sandwiches at lunch time.
With McDonalds, KFC, along with other fast and hot food outlets supplying to this market, it is definitely going to increase demand further.
It does not take a lot of effort to divert sources of meat to Halal ones nor taking a few additional steps to supply Halal food. The returns on the other hand are magnanimous.

Shahzeb Khan, Karachi, United Kingdom

Clearly the above two comments have demonstrated complete and utter ignorance. Let me take a moment and explain why most institutions are using Halal meat. Its simple, Halal meat is healthier. An animal is slaughtered, its windpipe and main artery are severed and the blood is allowed to drain out of the animal. Blood contains germs, hence less blood = healthier meat. Take the traditional way of animal slaughter as is common practice in the UK, take it in to a slaughter house, shove a metal rod through its head and electrocute it. hardly humane.

NA, london ,

Bravo - and about time too, even if its for pure financial gain. We have had kosher alternatives for years in the UK, so its good to see Halal beginning to come into the mainstream. For those who believe its a cruel ritual, I take it you are all vegetarians.

Reza, London, UK

by marketing to muslims in this country, it's not just muslims in the uk that a company could encourage extra sales from theirs are 1 billion muslims around the world, which a company could also sell to.

many of the islamic nations are experiancing high rates of growth and will be an enormous market in the next 20 years

sabiha , london, england

No thats not true, no money from Halal food is ever given to any mosques. Halal food comes from slaughter-houses owned by private companies. their is no link.

If you look around any urban metropolis you will realise that the neglect of the Halal market by the large multinationals has led to a huge boom in small takeaways and restaurants. If Mcdonalds and KFC start to sell halal food then that is a threat to thousands of small muslim-owned businesses. So it has positive and negative aspects.

Muslim in UK, London, UK

A correction, the first supermarket chain to sell Halal meat ahead of Tesco was ASDA/Wal Mart reflecting an understanding that its lower price / lower income targeting needed to include recognition of lower income ethic groups. It is amazing that British retailers have taken so long to identify the Muslim comsumer when segmentation and targeting is a standard marketing practice. We would do well to reflect on how the demonisation of Islam has clearly been backfiring on UK retailers and how a more positive response might not only benefit sales but reduce the pressure to alienate Muslim youth. Meanwhile, in a multicultural Europe firms need to reappraise the conflict between effective customer provision and the economies of scale of mass marketing.

Josh Brown FRSA, Portsmouth, Hampshire

I dont want to eat halal - it's a cruel, pointless ritual. Can we have food labeled as non-halal please...I just want to be sure of what I'm eating.

Daniel, London,

Thanks for giving me the names of Companies that I will Boycott, as Halal meat should not be anywhere near mainstream shops. This barbaric ritual has no place in the western world. And it looks like the Business community are aiding the spread of Islam. Now they are trying to convince us that normal people are buying Halal meat. I wonder who is in charge of this conspiracy to convince the Western world that Halal meat is acceptable. Its about time the UK wakes up because it looks like we are lying our backs exposing our tummy like a puppy to this dangerous religion

Where Eagles Dare, Aberdeen,

When a Christian buys certified halal meat, he should understand that the animal has been slaughtered according to an islamic ritual. Money is also paid to the mosque in order to get the halal certificate.

Is it now turns out that more and more institutions are serving Halal to everyone whatever their religion.

Hyde, Christopher, Paris, France

When wil Muslim community start adjusting to its hosts' customs and ways of life? May be we should beg on our knees to achieve that? There are limits to everything. Cheerio!

Jurek, Rowlands Castle, hants

Should I be surprised that the trendsetter who popularized terms as "metrosexual" has decided now that it's trendy to segregate society by religion, to islamize it?

B, Shrewsbury / Barcelona, Europe

So, as the muslim population becomes a larger proportion of the UK population, businesses will adjust to Halal this and Shariah that. What this means is the inexorable shariah-isation of our society. How splendid for non-muslims who can look forward to suffering the status of dhimmis. There may even be a business opportunity to set up training companies to teach non-muslims how their rights will be affected under dhimmi status. For example, topics like paying the jizya tax will need to be explained to them.

Mike Woodman, Bradford, UK

This is part of the creeping islamisation which is slowly replacing British culture. Halal meat has been slaughtered according to Islamic rite and should technically not be eaten by christians. Schools canteens, will probably start buying only halal to avoid having to prepare separate meals.

The worst part is that the British don't really seem that bothered.

Hyde, Christopher, Paris, France

Intresting

Shahid husain, Ottawa, Canada

Islamic banking always makes me laugh. God is great and omnipotent and omniscient apparently but can be fooled by a bit of accountancy sleight of hand. A mortgage is a mortgage, however you seek to dress it up.

The moment people stop deluding themselves over such things we will be able to spend our time concentrating on more important things and not on what people wear, who they have sex with, what they eat and how they buy their houses.

Paul Owen, Birmingham , UK