The UK halal meat market is worth £2.6billion a year (Picture: Pizza Express)
Restaurant chain Pizza Express has hit out at The Sun after its front page claimed the company had been misleading customers by 'secretly' using halal meat.
Claiming 'it is no secret that all the chicken used in our dishes is halal slaughtered', Pizza Express also said it has told staff they can give this information to customers. It is also available on its website.
The response comes after the newspaper identified that the use of halal slaughtered chicken was not clear on menus.
'At Pizza Express the quality and integrity of our ingredients remain our number one priority, and we have always been happy to provide information on our ingredients to our guests,' the company said.
'It is no secret that all the chicken used in our dishes is halal slaughtered. We're committed to high animal welfare standards and as such the birds are stunned before slaughter.'
Front page: After Subway ditches pork, Pizza Express now found to be using only halal chicken: bit.ly/1fSQPgb http://t.co/APf2gYUnrf- The Sun (@TheSunNewspaper) May 07, 2014
According to The Sun, The National Secular Society attacked the menu omission, saying: 'Unsuspecting members of the public are routinely being duped into buying meat from religious slaughter methods.'
Pizza Express said it had to balance animal welfare concerns and 'the views of religious communities'.
According to Islamic halal beliefs, the chicken has to be bled from the neck while it is still alive to rid it of unclean blood.
The act itself must be undertaken by a Muslim, Jewish or Christian person while the name of God is repeated.
However, various groups argue such slaughter methods can cause unnecessary pain and stress to the animals.
Original Post by: http://ift.tt/1s3ZKer