Muslim diners have been enjoying meals at KFC in Hounslow West this week after the fast-food restaurant introduced halal meat to the menu.

The chicken eatery in Cavendish Parade, Bath Road, has been using meat approved by the Halal Food Authority (HFA) as part of a trial at eight branches across London.

All of its chicken has been halal accredited, and permitted in Islam, following a blessing being read as it is slaughtered.

Najeeb Ahmed, 42, of Staveley Gardens, Chiswick, enjoyed his first KFC meal in the UK on Wednesday.

He said: “I got an email about it yesterday, the word is going round at the moment. I think it will be popular to an extent but the novelty value will wear off.”

Nadar Sheraf, 27, of Bath Road, Hounslow, added: “It’s a good idea for me as a Muslim.”

KFC said it had consulted animal welfare groups about halal suppliers and said it had not compromised standards.

Products containing bacon, including the Big Daddy Burger, have been taken off the menu during the trial, which is expected to last for a some months.

Masood Khawaja, president of the HFA, said: “The Muslim community can now enjoy all the products in this trial in eight participating halal-approved restaurants, as these have been procured with full adherence to both Islamic dietary rules and relevant EU hygiene, food safety and animal welfare regulations.”

Jennelle Tilling, vice president of marketing at KFC, said: “For some time we have had requests to provide halal food in parts of the UK. We want to see how customers respond to the trial, to see if this is something that allows us to make our great-tasting food available to a broader range of customers.”

Halal food – what is it?

The word ‘halal’ is an Arabic word which means permissible.

Halal food is food that complies with Islamic Law or Shari’ah, and has to be slaughtered in a ritual way known as Zibah.

It requires that:

  • An animal should be alive and healthy at the time of slaughter.
  • A licensed Muslim slaughterer should perform the act in a licensed slaughter house with a blessing at the moment of the slaughter.
  • Any flowing blood should be drained from the carcass.
  • The method of slaughter should be quick and painless, in keeping with the ancient Islamic ethos.
  • Since pork is forbidden, animal slaughtering must not be done in the vicinity of a pig slaughtering area.

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