Retailers Marks and Spencer, Tesco, Morrisons and the Co-op said its New Zealand lamb is halal-slaughtered. Restaurant chain Pizza Express revealed its chicken is halal.
Tesco reportedly said that most exported New Zealand lamb was halal because much of the meat ended up in the Middle East.
Religious leaders have said that all food packs should specify how animals have been slaughtered. In a letter to The Daily Telegraph, Shuja Shafi, deputy secretary for the Muslim Council of Britain, and Henry Grunwald, chairman of Shechita UK, which represents the Jewish method of religious slaughter said: “Consumers should be informed whether an animal has been mechanically stunned before being slaughtered and whether it has endured repeat stuns if the first attempt was ineffective.
“They should also be told the method of slaughter: captive bolt shooting, gassing, electrocution, drowning, trapping, clubbing or any of the other approved methods.
“Comprehensive labelling should be supported by faith communities and animal welfare groups alike.”
