Supermarkets selling halal meat may not be taking sufficient steps to ensure their meat is genuinely halal, it has been claimed.
Naved Syed of the UK Halal Corporation, an accreditation body which says it is campaigning for higher standards, claimed retailers sometimes relied on oral reports from inspectors to verify that meat was halal, but did not demand robust paperwork to back up claims that the halal meat was authentic.
However, the allegations were rubbished by the Halal Food Authority, which carries out inspections for several multiple food retailers. Its president, Masood Khawaja, said: “We would not stick our neck out and say a supplier’s product is halal if it wasn’t clear they were following all correct procedures.”
Last year, Syed worked with EFSIS to develop a halal standard that complemented BRC standards. But he insisted this week that his comments were not designed to promote the scheme.
Naved Syed of the UK Halal Corporation, an accreditation body which says it is campaigning for higher standards, claimed retailers sometimes relied on oral reports from inspectors to verify that meat was halal, but did not demand robust paperwork to back up claims that the halal meat was authentic.
However, the allegations were rubbished by the Halal Food Authority, which carries out inspections for several multiple food retailers. Its president, Masood Khawaja, said: “We would not stick our neck out and say a supplier’s product is halal if it wasn’t clear they were following all correct procedures.”
Last year, Syed worked with EFSIS to develop a halal standard that complemented BRC standards. But he insisted this week that his comments were not designed to promote the scheme.
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