ASDA - TESCO - MORRISONS - SAINSBURY'S etc

Zahid Hussain, the chairman of the processing company Cappoquin Poultry, said: "Machine slaughter is definitely not a lawful condition of halal. You have to have a manual slaughter and also each bird needs to be blessed."

Gafoor poultry halal products can be fully traced from farm to fork, we are duty bound to offer 100% pure halal. All our poultry is treated and prepared according to specific rules set out by the Islamic faith, as well as complying with current UK and EU legislations governing the humane and welfare treatment of animals to ensure safe food preparation. Zabah on all our products is applied by hand, with a sharp knife, by a Muslim operative reciting the name of God almighty.

Thank you for contacting us regarding the sale of Halal meat in our stores.

We sell Halal meat in our stores to meet customer demand and to demonstrate that everyone is welcome at Tesco.

I would like to reassure you that we require all slaughter processes in our supply chain, including Halal, to meet our stringent animal welfare requirements. In every case, the animal is stunned before slaughter so that it is insensible and feels no pain.

Like all other major UK supermarkets, we source from suppliers who serve Muslim as well as non-Muslim customers. Some of these suppliers process all their meat to Halal standards. For example, all New Zealand lamb meets Halal standards. In these cases, all of our processes still meet the same stringent animal welfare requirements and all animals are stunned prior to slaughter whether the meat is sold as Halal or non-Halal.

I would like to assure you that the cost of redesigning the label to add an extra section on religious method of slaughter would incur a significant cost, which would have to be passed on to the customer.

We do, however, understand that there are a very small number of customers who, for religious reasons, would like to know if the meat they are eating is Halal. We are very happy to be entirely transparent about this.

All fresh meat we sell is not Halal, except for lamb and chicken and of those ranges we can absolutely assure you that if you buy British organic lamb and chicken as well as the Willow Farm and Finest Free Range lines, these will not be Halal either.

Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. I hope that the above information is helpful.

Kind regards

Ann-Marie Bunston

Tesco Customer Service ]

In line with our high welfare standards, all the animals used for our own label meat are stunned prior to slaughter. Under no circumstances would any of our own label meat come from an animal that has not been stunned and not treated humanely and with the utmost respect.

We purchase some of our meat from suppliers that are halal licensed abattoirs. However we have never requested in our specifications that halal practices, such as a blessing, be followed. Our suppliers are explicitly aware of our requirements. It would therefore be misleading to label our meat as halal.

Morrisons recognises the importance religious communities attach to food produced in accordance with their beliefs, and in response to customer demand we sell a number of branded halal and kosher products. Our customers who do not wish to purchase halal or kosher can choose our fresh meat in full confidence that all animals are pre-stunned and no prayer is read at slaughter. Our fresh meat is 100% British and uniquely the majority is processed at our own abattoirs - giving us unrivalled control over the provenance and quality of our meat.

Re: Halal Produce

We refer to your email dated 16thNovember 2010 requesting further information on Halal Meat products in our Lidl stores.

The majority of fresh chicken products offered by Lidl are not Halal. However, Lidl does offer Halal whole chickens and chicken breasts in some stores on a regional basis, labelled as Halal with clear point of sale signage stating that the products are Halal.

All these Halal chickens are stunned prior to slaughter. Furthermore, they are slaughtered by a Halal Food Authority (HFA) approved slaughter site, which means they follow the guidelines set out by the HFA, thus satisfying Islamic law, as well as current laws set out by DEFRA and EU legislation.

Lidl does not currently offer fresh beef or lamb products processed according to Halal methods.

We hope this addresses the concerns you have raised and trust that you will continue to be a valued Lidl customer.

Yours sincerely,

For and on behalf of Lidl UK GmbH

Customer Services

Marks & Spencer remains committed to the highest standards of animalwelfare. Therefore, we do not sell the meat from any animal or bird that has not been stunned prior to slaughter. We understand your concerns about the labelling of our meat and would like to reassure you that,with the exception of New Zealand lamb, none of our meat or poultry isslaughtered in accordance with any religious practices. All lamb originating from New Zealand has been humanely slaughtered withhalal approval.

We understand that for some there may be a religious ormoral objection to New Zealand lamb, so we're able to offer UK sourcedlamb as an alternative. The country of origin of all M&S meat is clearlylabelled on the packaging. In addition, we're planning to add further information to the AnimalWelfare section of our website outlining the processes followed in thehumane slaughter of all our meat. I hope you find the above information reassuring.

We appreciate youtaking the time to send us your comments.

Kind Regards

Your M&S Customer Service

Our approach and priority for all of our meat is to ensure animal welfare of the highest standard, approved by the Humane Slaughter Association (HSA). Our practices are also in line with the recommendations of Compassion in World Farming and the RSPCA. All our lamb is electrically stunned before slaughter, meaning that animals are unconscious and are not subjected to pain. Other UK supermarkets also follow this practice. UK law currently permits halal slaughter both with stunning and without.

To give our customers a choice, our Duchy Originals from Waitrose lamb is not halal. All other Waitrose meat and poultry is non-halal. However, we will continue to allow the halal blessing for our lamb (with the exception of Duchy Originals from Waitrose) so that abattoirs can sell the parts of the carcass that we don't use to other markets - this minimises food waste, keeps prices down for our customers and helps our farmers to be competitive.

As far as labelling is concerned, there is currently no UK labelling scheme for halal and we believe this is a matter where Government should lead. This is because, in order to give consumers clarity, there would need to be a consistent approach to cover not only supermarkets but butchers and other retailers, restaurants, cafes and the food production and catering industry as a whole. For example, currently UK regulation allows the term halal to be used to meat that has been pre-stunned before slaughter and to that which has not. Labelling requirements would need to take this into consideration.

We will be happy to discuss these issues with Government and, of course, to comply fully with industry labelling requirements that may be developed.

Regards,
Waitrose Customer Sales and Support.