The Halal Meat Market - Supply chain structures and consumer purchase

Specialist supply chain structures and consumer
purchase and consumption profiles in England

1. THEHAL ALMEA TMARKE T
Specialistsupplychainstructuresandconsumer
purchaseandconsumptionprofilesinEngland
ASpecial Report
Published byEBLEX

2. Contents
FOREWORD 1
METH ODOLOG Y 2
EXECUT IVESUMMARY 4
HALALABATTOIRS 6
•AbattoirProfiles
•Theslaughterprocess
•Stunningversusnon-stunni ng
•Halalcertification
•Keytrendsidentified
•Lookingforward
HALALBUTCHERS 9
•Butcherprofiles
•Training
•Halalcertification
•Stunningversusnon-stunni ng
•Consumerpreferences andpopular cuts
THEHALALCONS UMER (1) 12
Shoppingbehaviour andconsumptionspatterns
-aqualitativeunderstanding
•Generalshoppingbehaviour
•Meatpurchasingpatterns
•Meatconsumptionpatterns
-Occasi onalmeateaters
-Typicalmeateaters
-Committedmeateaters
•Typesandcutsofmeatconsum ed
-Perceivedgaps
•Consumerunderstand ingofHalal
•Stunningversusnon-stunni ng
•Eatingnon-Halalmeat
•Sourcesofinformation
-Certificationbodies
-Non-Muslimretailerassurance
-Halalbutcherassurance
-Marketingcommunications
THEHALALCONS UMER (2) 20
Purchaseandconsum ption–aquantitative overview
•Attitudestoandimportance ofHalal
•Stunningacceptorsandrejecters
•Meatpurchasingandconsump tion
•Meatpurchasingoutlets
•Halalcertification
•Eatingout
APPENDI X1-UNDERSTAN DINGTHEHALAL MEATMARKET 32
•IslamandHalalMeat
•HalalasaLifestyle
•MonitoringHalalMeatintheUK
EBLEXHALALSTEERINGGROU PTERMSOFREFERENCE 40

3. 1
Aboveallthisreportoffersauniqueinsightintothe
preferences,perception sandmotivationsofMuslim
consumerswhenbuyingmeat.Thereportbreaksnew
groundinpresentingthedemograph icbreakdownnow
available,thedetailonpurchasing andconsumption
behaviourandtheinformationonthemostpopularcuts
andpreferences.
Inparticular,itexploresthekeyissueofreligiousslaughter
andtheattitudesofMuslimconsumerstostunning.Whatis
clearfromthereportisthatthereisnouniversallyagreedand
acceptedstandardformeattobeHalal.Thisisamatter as
muchforthecertification bodiesresponsible forHalal
assuranceschemesasitisforthesupplychain itself,which
maywelcomeasingle,globalHalalstandard.
IshouldliketothanktheHalalcertification bodiesconcerned
fortheco-operationextendedtoEBLEXinconnection withthis
reportandtoacknowled getheimportantroleplayedbythe
invitedrepresentativesoftheMuslimcommunity forthepart
theyplayed.Theiradviceandinsightwasgenerouslygiven
andprovedinvaluableonmanyoccasio ns.
Finally,Ishouldemphasisethatwhilethisreportisthemost
comprehensivestudyavailabletodateoftheHalalmeat
marketandwhichistobecommendedtothewholeofthe
supplychain,itisbutastarting point.TheHalalmeatmarke t
inEnglandwillcontinuetodevelopandourintentionistore-
visittheresearchandupdate thisreportin2012,following
nextyear’sNationalCensuswhich shouldprovideawealth
ofup-to-datestatisticalinformationonMuslim commun ities
inBritain.Themarketdeservessuchinvestmentindeepening
ourunderstandingofitscontinuingdevelopmentand
warrantsourseriousattentiontoensureitdeliverstoits
maximumpotential.
SimonWarren
Chairman,HalalSteeringGroup
TheHalalSteering Group wassetupunder theauspices
oftheEBLEX sector board, ofwhich Simon Warren isamember.
Iamparticularlyplease dforanumberofreasons tobe
abletowritetheForewordtothisreport,notleastbecause,
byco-incidence,itspublicationcomesatatimewhen certain
sectionsofthenationalpresshavechosen toreportthe
matterofHalalmeatinsomewhatpejorative terms.
What’simportantisthattheinitiative byEBLEX topublish what
Ibelieveisthefirstdefinitive andauthoritative report intothe
HalalredmeatindustryinEnglandwillprovidethebasisfora
properunderstandingofthemarketasitexists, thepotent ial
itoffersspecialistabattoirs andbutchers forfurther
developmentandtheprospectsitholdstobebroughtinto
themainstream.
ItisrightforEBLEXtopublishthisreport.While thereare
aroundtwomillionMuslimsintheUKrepresenting just3%
ofthepopulation,theyconsum earound 20%ofallthelamb
soldinEnglandandareincreasing theirconsump tionofbeef.
Halalmeatconsumptionisclearlyanimportantpartofthe
Muslimdiet:theMuslim community represents animportant
consumerbaseforbeefandespeciallylamb.
Thereportisbasedonextensivequalitative andquantitative
research;itisthemostcomprehensive attemptyet
undertakentoquantify theHalalmeatsectorandoutline its
structureandpractices.Assuch,itprovid esanunrivalled
knowledgestoreforspecialist Halalbutchers andabattoirs
toaidbusinessdecision-m akingandplanfurther
developmentofthesector.Itshould alsoproveusefulfor
mainstreamretailersandprocessorsconsideringexpanding
intothisspecialistarea.Anumbe rofgrocery multiple
retailers,forexample ,nowofferHalalmeateitherthroug ha
specialistHalalbutcheroperating in-store underafranchise
model orwitharangeofpre-packedfreshproduct.
Foreword

4. Theprofileoftheabattoirsintermsoflocation andturnover
wasasshownbelow:
Butchers
Alargequalitativesampleof50interviewswithHalal
butcherswasalsoincludedintheproject.
Allofthebutcherswereinterviewedattheirbusiness
premisestoprovidebetterinsightintohowHalalmeatissold.
Theresearchteamwasabletoobservetheshop
environmentwhileconductingtheinterviewtoseewhatlevel
ofinformationwasavailab letoshoppersinrespectofthe
slaughterprocess,Halalassura nce/accred itationcertificates,
suppliersandsoon.Theinterviewslasted approximately30
minuteseach.
Thesampleprofilebylocatio nandbytheethnicityofthe
respondentisshownbelow.
£5-9m
£10-19m
£20-49m
£50-99m
£100-199m
£200- 500m
Over£500m
Refused
3
0
2
1
0
1
1
6
AnnualTurnover No.
2
Thisreportisbased onamixofqualitative andquantitative
researchprojectssupple mentedbydetaileddeskresearchto
providethemostcompre hensiveanalysisoftheHalalmeat
industryavailabletodate.
Tounderstandthesizeanddemographicbreakdownof
theUKMuslimpopulation, anextensive review ofexisting
researchdatarelatedtothecomposition oftheMuslim
communityintheUK,background informationonIslam
andtheconceptsofHalalandHaram wasundertaken.
Avarietyofsourcesofpublished datawasexamined,
includi ng:
•2001Censusdata
•LabourForceSurvey data
•Otherrelevantgovernmentdatae.g.population growth
estimates
•Newspaper articles
•SpecialistMuslim/Halalfoodwebsites
•Datafromotherpublished reportsinrelationtoUK
Muslims’lifestyle,religious practicesandcustom setc.
Thisexerciseprovideddetailedinform ationatbothanoverall
populationlevelandalsobyspecificcomm unityonfactors
suchastheageprofile,house holdcomposition and
geographicaldistribution ofMuslimcommunities byethnicity
-Pakistanis,Bangladeshis, Turkishandsoon.
Thedetailofthatresearchiscontaine dasAppendixItothis
report
Thedeskresearchphase wasfollowedbyqualitative
researchwithabattoirs,butchersandconsumers.
Abattoirs
Aqualitativeresearch methodologywasusedfortheabattoir
sample,giventhattheresearchobjectives forthisaudience
requiredanin-depth exploratory approach.
Atotalof41Halalabattoirs wereinitially approached and14
businessesagreedtotakepart,sufficient forarobust sample
fortheresearchintended.However,whilethatnumber
representsabetterthan1-in-3strikerateandisverygoodfor
abusiness-to-business surveyofthiskind,wewould ideally
likedtohavehadmoreHalalabattoirbusinesses takepart.
Interviewswereconducted either face-to-face oroverthe
telephone,eachlasting between30and90minutes.
Methodology
Wales/Scotl and
NorthofEngland
EastofEngland
Midlands
South ofEngland
TOTAL
4
2
2
4
2
14
Location No.
Pakistani
Bangl adeshi
Indian
KurdishIraqi
Turkish
TOTAL
33
7
2
4
4
50
Respondent s’Ethnicity No.
Oldham
Bradford
Birmingham
Slough
Southal l
South Londo n
EastLondon
NorthLondon
TOTAL
4
12
8
3
4
8
6
5
50
Location No.

5. Consumers
Forthequalitative
researchwithconsumers,
aseriesof16focus
groups withMuslim
respondentswas
undertaken,withafood
diarypre-task.Eachfocus
groupcomprised7-8
respondentsandlasted
approximately1½hours.
Eachrespondentwas
askedtokeepawritten
recordoftheirmeat
purchasesandmeat
consumptionovera7-day
periodpriortothe
discussion.Respo ndents
made anoteofwhat
typesofmeattheyate,which cutsandwhen,aswellas
notingdownanycookedmeatpurchased fromtakeaways or
restaurants.
Therespondentswererandomlyrecruited in-street andvia
commu nityorganisations.Theyrangedinagefrom18-65
yearsoldandassomedidnotspeakEnglish fluently, allof
thefocusgroupshadabi-lingua lmoderator abletoconverse
intherespondents’mothertongue.Onlythose whoeatand
buymeatandpoultryregularly wereinvited toparticip ate
becauseofthesubjectmatter.
Thefocusgroupsweredividedbyethnicity,gender, ageand
socialclass.TheytookplaceintheNorth,Midlands andSouth
ofEngland,asshowninthetableabove.
Quantitativeconsumerresearch
Thefindingsfromthequalitativeresearchshapedand
guidedadetailedquestionna irethatwasusedtoconduct
1,000face-to-face,paper-basedinterviewsinEngland,each
lastingabout30minutes.Around aquarteroftheinterviews
(26%)wereconductedinlanguagesotherthanEnglish. The
samplebasewasrecruite dtoreflect therangeofethnic
originsoftheMuslimpopulation acrossEnglandtoensure
thatthatthewidestrangeofviewswasreflected inthe
research.
Thedemographicprofile ofthe1,000research sampleis
detailedinthetable(right).
3
*Interviewsconductedinmothertongue
Pakistani
Pakistani
Pakistani
Pakistani
Pakistani*
Bangladeshi
Bangladeshi
Bangladeshi *
Indian
Indian
MiddleEastern/Arab*
MiddleEastern/Arab
Turkish/Tur kishCypriot
Turkish/Tur kishCypriot
Somali*
Somali*
Men
Women
Men
Women
Women
Women
Women
Men
Women
Men
Women
Men
Women
Men
Women
Men
Ethnicity Gender
18-30
18-30
31-45
31-45
46-65
18-30
31-45
46-65
31-45
18-30
31-45
18-30
18-30
31-45
31-45
18-30
Age
BC1
C2DE
C2DE
BC1
C2DE
BC1
C2DE
C2DE
BC1
C2DE
BC1
C2DE
BC1
C2DE
C2DE
BC1
Socialclass
London/SE
Birmingham
Bradford
London/SE
Bradford
London/SE
Birmingham
London/SE
Birmingham
Manchester
London/SE
London/SE
London/SE
London/SE
Manchester
London
Location
Gender
Male
Female
Age
16-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65-74
75+
Ethnicity
Pakistani
Bangl adeshi
Indian
African
Turkish
MiddleEaster n*
Other
Mainlanguage spoken athome
English
Urdu
Punjabi
Arabic
Bangl a
Sylheti
Turkish
Somali
Farsi
Pashto
French
Other
509
494
230
288
214
137
89
38
7
431
164
95
57
46
145
65
203
237
140
124
71
62
51
21
7
5
2
80
No.
(n=1000)
51%
49%
23%
29%
21%
14%
9%
4%
1%
43%
16%
9%
6%
5%
14%
6%
20%
24%
14%
12%
7%
6%
5%
2%
1%
1%
0%
8%
%Sample
population
*Forthepurposesofthisstudythisincludes personsofNorthAfricanorigin

6. 4
ExecutiveSummary
ThefollowingExecutive Summaryseekstocapturethemain
elementsofthefindings fromtheresearchundertakenforthis
project.Allofthestatements arebasedontheresponses
givenbythoseinterviewe dandrepresenttheirviewsand
perceptionsratherthanwhatmayinfactbethecase.
TheMuslimcommunities intheUKareestima tedataround
2millionpeople–about 3%ofthepopulation.Muslims
accountforabout20%oflambconsum ptioninthiscountry
andasmallbutincreas ingamount ofbeef.TheHalalmeat
marketthereforeisamulti-million pound contributor tothe
Britisheconomy.
Halalmeatconsumption isanimportantfeature oflifeacross
Muslimcommu nitiesintheUKwith90%indicatingthatthey
consumeHalalmeat.Morethan8outof10Muslimstendto
consumemeatregularly withalmost6outof10indicating
thattheyeatmeatmostofthetime.There arenodiscernible
generationaldifferences.
Generally,around9in10respond entsweresatisfied with
theavailabilityofHalalmeatfromsuppliers inEngland
suggestingthattheirHalalrequirementsarecurrently being
adequ atelymet.
MuslimsbuyHalalmeatmostlyfromHalalbutchers and
otherspecialistoutlets.Althoug hawareness ofsuperma rket
Halalofferingsishigh,loyalty towardsspecialist butchers
outwe ighstheconvenienceofone-stopshopp ingformost
Halalmeatpurchases.
ConsumersperceivethatHalalbutchershavetheadvantage
of:
•Trust–becau setheytrustafellowMuslim’s word
regardingwhetherornotaproductisHalal
•Customerservice–intermsofbespokecutting ofmeat
andchickentoacustom er’sexactrequirement s,home
deliveryandcookingadvice
•Rangeofcutsavailab le
•Price,especiallywhen buying inbulk
Meatisalmostalwaysboughtfresh(theexception being
frozen Halalitemsaimed atchildrenandotherfrozen
conveniencefoodssuchasburgers,chicken nuggetsand
samosas).
Thisisdrivenbycultural norms:Muslim consum erspreferto
buymeatfresh,wash itandfreezeitintheirownportion
bags.Theyalsoharbour suspicions aboutthepossible age
andpoorqualityofshop-froze nmeat.
Purchasepatternsshow around 70%whobuychicken, 60%
lamb,50%muttonand28%beef;frequency ofpurchase
ranges fromonceaweek–72%ofconsum ers–tothe25%
whoshoppedformeatseveraltimesaweek.
Itisacommonpractice tobuymeatandchickeninbulk
acrossallMuslimcommunities.
Inthisresearch,meatconsumptionwashighestamong
SomalimenandwomenandyoungerMiddleEasternmen,
whowereeatingmeat-based mealsatleastthreetimes a
week.Typically,however,consumerswerealterna ting
betweenmeatandchickenmeals;thus,mostateredmeat
2-3timesaweek.Mentendedtobethemainmeateaters in
theirhouseholds.
Althoughmuttonispurchasedacrossallethnicgroups,
theSouthAsiangroups(Indian,PakistaniandBangladeshi)
displaypurchasefrequencypatterns thataremarkedly
differentfromAfrican,TurkishandMiddleEastern
communities.Lambpurchaseisafeatureacrossallethnic
groupswithregularpurchase .Beefpurchaseismost
frequentlythedomainofAfrican ,TurkishandMiddle East
respondentsascontrasted withthosefromtheIndiansub
Continent(India,PakistanandBangladesh).
MuslimsoverwhelminglydonotconsiderHalalasbeinga
redundantconcept.Formanyconsumers,particularlythose
fromtheSouthAsiancommunity,itisveryimportan ttoeat
onlymeatandchickenthatisHalal.
However,someconsumersdoeatnon-Halalmeatand
chickenfromtimetotime.Inthisresearch ,theTurkishCypriot
womenandyoungerMiddleEastern menweremostlikelyto
doso,whilesomeSomalis,Turkishmenandyounger
Pakistanimenhaddonesooccasion ally(usually whenHalal
meatwasnotavailable).
ThereisstrongevidenceofcontinuityofHalalconsumptio n
acrossgenerationsandacrossethnicities,andcomplian ceis
highwiththeexceptionofthoseofTurkishorigin, where
adherencepatternsarelessstrong.
Theconsumerswhotookpartintheresearch perceiv edthat
thefollowingisrequired formeattobeHalal:
•Theanimalmustbeslaugh teredbyaMuslim
•Theanimalmustbeblessedduringtheslaughtering
process
•Thebloodoftheanimalmustfullydrainout
•Theanimalmustbekilledbyasharpcutacrossthethroat
However,beyondthis,interpretationsofHalalmeatslaughter
varied.
Themajorityofrespondentswerefamiliarwithandrecognise
someormostattributesofHalalmeatslaughterprocedures.
‘Prayerofferedattimeusingasharpknife’(65%)and‘animal
slaughteredinrelationtoShariahLaw’(62%) werethetwo
mostcommonlycitedviewsofHalalmeat.
Interestingly,whenpromptedthroughashowcard,
respondentsdidnotfocusjustontradition alinterpretation s

7. 5
non-stunningforanimalwelfarereasons.Apartfromthis,
therewaslittlevariationintheslaugh teringprocess across
theabattoirs.Forexample,allhaveaMuslimslaughterman,
allreportedthatprayersarerecitedinpersonbythe
slaughtererandthatanimalsarelefttobleed out.
Halalbutchersweremoreaware oftheprosandconsof
stunningthanconsumers,butwerenotentirely clearon
whetherornotthemeattheysellisstunnedornon-stunned.
Itemergedthatasubstantial numberofthemhavenever
visitedtheslaughterhousewheretheysourcetheirmeatand
severalbutchersclaimingtosellnon-stunnedmeatwere
buyingfromabattoirswhoreportedthattheystuntheir
animals.
Amongtheminorityofconsumersawareofthestunversus
non-stunissue,therewereconcernsaboutwhetherornot
stunningisHalal.Thereligiousissuesweremoreofaworry
thantheanimalwelfare issues.However,someperceived
thatstunningispainfulandthereforecrueltoanimals(aview
sharedbysomeofthebutchers).
Aroundhalfoftheabatto irsinthesampleandthevast
majorityofbutcherswerenotmembersofanyHalal
assuranceschemes.Akeybarrierwascost,butmanyalso
objectedinprinciplewiththewaythevariou scertification
bodiesoperate.
Therewasarelativelylowlevelofcommunityawaren essof
HalalFoodAuthority(HFA)(37%) andHalalMonitoring
Committee(HMC)(32%)certification bodies,despitethe
statedimportanceofHalalconfirmationsigns.
TheHMCappearedtohavemorecredibility becausesome
wereawarethattheHFAaccep tsthatanimalsmaybe
stunnedbeforeslaughter.However,therewaslittlein-depth
knowledgeofeitherofthesebodiesintermsofwhateach
organisationstandsfor,howtheyworkandwhorunsthem.
Noneoftheconsumersappearedtocheckforcertification
intheirusualHalalbutchershopsincetheyhadaninherent
trustinthewordofafellow Muslimand(generally) along
standingrelationshipwiththebutchertheyused.However,
theysaidtheywouldseekreassura nceifpurchasin gfroma
non-Halal(mainstream)storebylookingforHalalcertificates,
detailedon-packlabellingandthepresen ceofMuslimstaff.
Lookingforward,someoftheabattoir owners suggeste dthat
onealternativemightbe‘poststickstunning’asawayof
bridgingthegapbetwe enHalalrequirements andanimal
welfareconcerns.Thismeansstunninganimalsimmediately
aftertheirthroatiscutinordertoreduceanyperceiv ed
suffering.
Abattoirownersinterviewe dwouldalsoliketoseethe
developmentofasingle,globalHalalstandardasameans
ofhelpingtheindustrytoprogress.
ofHalal;theyrealisedthatHalalslaughterwasalso
characterisedbyarangeofmethods thatreflected the
demandsofmodernsociety.Forexample,20%suggested
thatthe‘animalisstunned.’Almost 40%suggested
‘mechanicalknifeslaughter’,andalmost 50%ofresponses
mentioned‘prayerofferbytape.’Thiscontrasted witharound
40%responsespertainingto‘Knifeslaughter across the
throatmade inperson’.
Anumberofabattoiroperators interviewe dsuggested some
formofdifferentiationwithintheHalalmeatsectormightbe
applied.Forexample ,productcould belabelled according to
theprinciplesofIslamiclawrelating toHalalandindicatinga
hierarchywheretheproduct concerne dadhered to
mandat ory/requiredactsorpermissible actsorallowa ble
acts.Suchtieringcould facilita tepricingdifferentials aswell.
Despiteexpressingvariedinterpretations ofHalalmeat
slaughter,over6outof10Muslims expressed that‘ifaperson
ofMuslimfaithsaysitisHalal,itisHalal’fortherecipient.
Thissugge ststhattheapparentcomplexitiesassocia tedwith
determiningHalalmeatslaughter maywellbesecondary to
thesimpledeclarationofaMuslim.
Stunningversusnon-stunning isanimportantconsideration
indeterminingHalalmeatstatus. Inexplorin gattitud es
towardsstunning,itwasevidentthatstunning wasnot
deemedtobeappropriate byalargenumberofrespondents.
Aroun d50%ofresponse srelatedto‘otheranima lsin
proximitytoslaughter’renderingtheprocess unlawful,whilst
almost50%ofresponse srelatedtothefactthat‘iftheanimal
wasstunned’themeatwouldbeunaccepta ble.
Howeverinpractice,therewasevidencethatuncertainty
existswithintheMuslimcomm unityastowhattechnically
constitutestheHalalslaughterprocess.Again,inpractice, the
wordofthebutcherisconside redtobeimportant. Morethan
one-thirdofrespond ents(36%)believedtheypurchasedonly
non-stunnedmeatfromtheircurrent supplierwithafurther
third(31%)indicatedtheydidnotknowwhether theirsupplier
providednon-stunnedmeat.Thisuncerta intydoesnot
preventstunnedmeatpurchase,however.
Whilst overhalfthesample(55%)hadastrong preference to
seealogocertifyingHalalstatus, 80%ofthese would be
happy totakethebutche r’swordtoconfirm Halal.
Indeed, theinfluenceofbutchers inconfirming Halalstatusis
evidencedwithovernineresponde ntsin10expressing
satisfactionwiththeirbutche rinmeetingtheirHalalmeat
requirements.Analysisofthekeydrivers ofbothhigh
satisfactionandhighimportance revealedtheperceived
relevanceofcleanlinessofshop,goodqualitymeat,Halal
signandassurance, goodpriceandwiderange ofmeat.
Themajorityoftheabattoirownersinterviewed stuntheir
animalsbeforeslaughter;onlytwodonot.Mostwereagainst

8. 6
HalalAbattoirs
APROFI LEOFTHEABATTOIR BUSINESSES
WHICHTOOK PARTINTHERESEARCH
Ofthe14abattoirsintheresearchsample, 11employed
between15and65people;threelargerbusinesses tookpart
whichemployed250,500and3,200employees respectively
withannualturnoversof£60million,£200millionand£600
million.Thecompanies whichtookparthadbeenestablished
forbetweenthreeand100years;mostoftheowners/senior
representativesinterviewedwerenotMuslim (thoug hallthe
abattoirshaveaMuslim slaughterman,seebelow).
AlloftheabattoirsinthesurveyslaughterfortheHalalmeat
marketallyearround:allslaughte rsheep orlambwhilesix
alsoslaughtercattle,althoug honeofthosedoesnotuse
Halalmethodsforcattleslaughter.Oneoftheabattoirs
slaughtersabout1,000goatsayearandanother 5,000 pigs.
Eightoftheabattoirscontra ctslaughterforoneormore
customers.
Tenofthe14abattoirssupplyonlyHalalmeat,althoug hthree
ofthoseselltheirHalalmeattobothHalalandnon-Ha lal
customers.Oftheremaining fourbusinesses, threereported
thatHalalmeatreprese ntslessthan10%oftheirbusiness
whiletheremainingabattoir statedthatHalalcurrentl y
accountsfortwo-thirdsofitsbusinessandisgrowing.
Fiveareinvolvedinexporting Halalmeat, principa llytoFrance
andoneiscertifiedorganic.
Halfofthemchillallcarcase sbeforedistribution whilea
furthertworeportedthattheychillmostoftheircarcases.The
othershotloadatleasthalfoftheircarcases asmostoftheir
customerbaseisverylocal.
Mostabattoirsinterviewedsupply mainlyindependent
butchersandsmallshopswhilehalfalsosupply wholesalers
intheUKand/orabroad .Halfofthebusinesses supply
privateindividualswhoprefertobuytheirfreshmeatdirectly
fromanabattoirinordertoavoid thefoodsupplychain. The
threelargestbusinesses inthesampleandtwooftheothers
supplymajorsupermar ketsandseveralabattoirsalsosupply
restaurantsandfoodservice custome rsdirectly.
Mostofthebusinessesintervie wedsaidthattheirtradewas
based onconsistentquality,reliabilityandcompetitive prices.
Threereportuseofstate-of-the-arttechnology todelivera
competitiveadvantagewhileothercompetitive pointsof
differencementionedincludedexcellentstanda rdsof
hygien e,location,longer shelflifeoftheirmeatandthe
profile/reputationoftheirbusiness.
Ofthe14abattoirsinterviewed,11stuntheiranimalsbefore
slaughter,twodonotstunatall.Theremainingabattoirstuns
beforeslaughterasamatterofroutine, butwillslaughter
withoutstunningifacustome rspecificallyrequests it.Oneof
thenon-stunabattoirsslaugh terscattleandhasanannual
throughputof3,640cattle.
Mostofthebusinessesreportadecline inslaughternumbers
inrecentyearscitingamongthereasonsalackofsupply,
highprices,adverseexchangerates,declining consumption
andarefusalbysomecustomerstobuystunnedmeat. Of
thefewwhoreportedanincrease inbusinessinrecentyears,
themainreasonsgivenwerewinningnewcustomersandan
increaseindemandforHalalbeef.Therewaslittleevidence
thattherecessionhashadanadverseimpact onbusiness,
theperceptionbeingthatMuslimconsumersstillliketoeat
meatevenwhenfinancesaretight.
THESLAUGHTERPROCESS
Ithastobesaidthatanumberoftheabattoirs whoagreedto
takepartintheresearch wereneverthelessnotinitially
forthcomingabouttheslaughterprocess employed other
thantosaytheirmethodswereHalal.However,afterfurther
probingandastheinterviewsprogressed ,some common
themesemerged.
•AlloftheabattoirssurveyedemployaMuslimtocarryout
Halalslaughter.Insomecases,theyhadbeenappointed
through(orapprovedby)alocalmosqueorhadcome
fromamajorHalalcustom er
•Theprayers/blessingisalways recited inpersonbythe
slaughterman:notaperecordings areused
•Mostuseelectrictongstostun;acoupleuse
aguntothebackofthehead
•Allexcepttwoofthosestunninghaveastun
monitorinstalled
•Allbutonesaytheanimalsareheldinarestraine r
(acrossbothstunandnon-stunabatto irs)
Lamb/sheep/ewes
whereslaughter
involvesstunni ng
Cattle
whereslaughter
involvesstunni ng
Lamb/sheep/ewes
Whereanimals
arenotstunne d
Slaughter numbers ofthesample
*One abattoir slaughters 3,640 cattle without stunning
Lowest Highest Average
57,000 1,000,000 379,470
1,040 21,750 11,063
62,400 260,000 161,200

9. 7
beforehand.Thisisaparticular issueforcattle, which
somebelievecantakeuptotwominutestodieafterit
hasbeencut
•Stunningmakestheanimalseasierfortheslaugh terman
tohandleandasaresultmakesforamoreefficientand
saferslaughterprocess
•Stunningisalsomoreefficien tasabusinessprocess
becau sesincenon-stunnedanimalsarenotsupposedto
bemovedfor20secondsafterslaughter,itmeansthat
non-stunabattoirsarelimitedtoamaximum slaughter
rateof180animalsanhourperline
•Stunning,usingamethodofrecoverable stundoesnot
renderthemeatHaram(forbidden )sincetheanimal’s
heartisstillbeatingatthepointofslaughter
•Theviewwasalsoexpressedthatnon-stunningiscruel
andoutdated
Againststunning
•StunnedanimalscannotbeconsideredHalalbecau sethe
animalisunconscioussoonecannotbesurethatitisstill
alivewhenitisslaughtered.Iftheanimal hasalread y
diedbeforetheslaughtermancutsitsthroat,thenitis
consideredtobecarrionanditisforbiddenforMuslimsto
eatit
•Theanimalissupposedtoheartheprayer beforeitdies,
whichitcannotdoifitisunconscious
HALALCERTIFICATION
Onlysixofthe14abattoirs interviewed weremembers ofan
Halalcertificationschem e:fourbeingcertified bytheHalal
FoodAuthority(HFA),onebytheHalalMonitoringCommittee
(HMC)andtheotherbytheEuropeanHalalDevelopment
Agency(EHDA).Mostofthecertified abattoirssawcertification
asanacceptablebusinessexpensethoughaminorityview
wasthatparticipationwastoocostly.
Ofthosenotcurrentlyinmembershipofanyscheme,most
citedthehighcostsinvolved,whichwould havetobepasse d
ontocustomers.Otherssaidthattheircustomers didnot
requirethemtobecertified andtherefore sawnoreasonto
subscr ibe.
Anumberofabattoirsexpressedseriou smisgivingsaboutall
ofthecertificationbodies,whotheythoughtweremore
concernedwithmakingmoneythanwithissuesoffaithas
theyimpactedonHalal. Theypointedtoflawsintheposition
thateachcertificationbodyhadtakenovertheissueof
stunningornon-stunningandurgedtheorganisations
Mostcouldnotsaypreciselyhowlongtheanimalsareleftto
bleedsincetheygenerallyhaveanautoma tedlinewhich the
animalsfollowafterslaughter.Estima tesrangedfrom20
secondsto15minutes.
STUNNINGVERSUSNON-STUNNING
While it’sworthrepeating that14ofthe41abattoirs initially
contact edagreedtobeinterviewedandthatthisrepresents
anexcellent1-in-3strikerateforbusiness-to-business
surveys,thereremains asuspicion, supported byanecdotal
evidence,thatthoseabattoirswhodonotstunanimals
beforeslaughterweremorereluctanttotakepartinthis
researchthanabattoirswhodostun.
Mostoftheabattoirswhichdidtakepartinthisresearch stun
theiranimalsbeforeslaughter andthemajority ofowners did
notapproveofnon-stunningforreasons ofanima lwelfare.
Indeed someexpressedtheviewthatitshould beillegalnot
tostunanimalsbeforeslaughte r.
Theownerofoneoftheabattoirswhichdidnotstunwould
prefertostun,butmostofhiscustomers insistthatthe
animalsshouldnotbestunned.Oneabattoirtriallednon-
stunningbutrevertedtostunning ,againforreasons of
animalwelfare.
Therewasawidelyheldviewamong thebusinesses
concernedthattheywouldneedtostunanimalsifthey
wantedtosupplythemajorsupermarketswho,theyfelt,
wouldnotaccept meatfromanimalsthathadnotbeen
stunnedatslaughter.
Theargumentsforandagainststunning wereexplored
duringtheresearchandwhiletherewerepractical
advantagescitedbythose infavour ofstunning ,theissues
centredaroundtheinterpretation ofreligious slaughter as
describedintheKoran weighedagainstthemerits ofanimal
welfare.Thecontrasting viewscanbesumm arisedas
follows:
Infavourofstunning
•Anumberofabattoirsexpressedtheviewthatstunning
perseisnotforbiddenintheKoran. Thus,theyargued,
thisdoesnotmake thediffere ncebetweenthemeat
beingHalalornon-Ha lal:whatmattersisthatthe
slaughtermanfollowstheruleswhicharerequired(Fardh )
andavoidstheactswhichareprohibited(Haram )inIslam
•Stunningisbetterforanimalwelfare sinceitrendersthe
animalinsensitivetopain
•Itwasarguedthatnon-stunning causes theanimal
unnecessarypainbecauseitcantakesometimeforan
animaltodieafteritsthroat hasbeencutanditsuffers
throughoutthattimeifithasnotbeenstunned

10. 8
concernedtoworkmorecloselytogethertoestablishasingle
Halalstandar d.Oneabattoirwhosemembership ofa
certificationschemehadlapsedsaidithaddeclined torenew
becausetheorganisationhadnotbeensufficiently vocalin
defendingthepractice ofstunning beforeslaughter.
Thelackofofficialcertification didnotappeartobeabarrier
tobusiness:prospective custome rsweremorelikelytoask
aboutthemethodofslaughter andwhocarriedoutthe
slaughterprocess(thoughitwaspointed outthatonlya
minorityofnewcustome rsaskspecificallyaboutstunning).
KEYTRENDSIDENT IFIED
Thedebatesurrounding theissueofwhether ornottostun,
asoutlinedabove,wasuniversallymentioned bytheabattoirs
whichtookpartintheresearchwithconsumers increasing ly
demandingtoknowwhetheranimalsarestunned ornot
beforeslaughter.Other keytrendsindentified bythose
interviewedincluded:
•Theattemptbysome ofthemajor superma rketsto
expandintotheHalalmarketbroughtmixedviewsfrom
theabattoirsinterviewed:some thinkthisistheinevita ble
futurefortheindustry, whileothersfeelsuperma rketswill
notbeabletogainastrong foothold inthemarket
because Muslimconsum ersareweddedtousing small,
local,Muslim-runbutcher shops
•Financialissues:inparticular, abattoirownersmentioned
highmeatprices,latepaymentsfromtheircustome rsand
theweaknessofSterling negatively impacting onthe
exporttrade(
sic)
•Lackofsupply-whichtheabattoirs reportedwas
affectingtheindustry asawhole
•Consumersbecoming morediscerning intermsofquality
•Growthindemand forHalalbeef,particularly within the
foodservicesector
•Growthindemand forconvenie ncefoods andforadded
valuesuchasHalalorganic, HalalfreerangeandHalal
farmassured
•Lackofasingle,globalHalalstandard–which some feel
isholdingbackthedevelopm entoftheindustry (see
below)
•Excessivepaperwork ,regulationandredtape
LOOKINGFORWARD
Attheconclusionoftheinterviews,eachabatto irwasasked
howtheyfelttheHalalmeatindustrymightdevelop:their
viewscentredontheissueofstunning.
Tworespondentssuggestedtheintrodu ctionofpoststick
stunning–wheretheanimalisslaughteredwhileconscious
butstunnedimmediate lyafterwards toreduceanyperiodof
sensibilitytoafewseconds.Itwasfeltthiswouldappease
thosewhosebeliefisthatstunningisnotHalalwhileatthe
sametimeaddressinganimalwelfare concerns.
Itwouldappearthatsuchproposals hadbeentakento
religiousleadersforconsultatio n.
Othersfeltthatestablishingsomemethodofdifferentiatio n
withintheHalalmeatsector couldbeintroduced.For
example,productcouldcarrylabellingbasedonthefive
principlesofIslamiclawrelatingtoHalal:
•Mandatory/requiredacts
•Recommendedacts
•Permissibleacts
•Disapproved/dislikedacts
•Forbiddenacts
Itwasarguedthatwhereslaughterfulfilled mandatory acts–
i.e.slaughteredintheNameofAllah–andavoidedthe
forbidden–i.e.themeatisnotcarrion–thenthemeatis
Halal.Iftheslaughteralsofulfilledrecommendedacts–i.e.
thattheanimalfacedMecca–andavoidedthedisapp roved
–i.e.slaughteringinfrontofotheranimals-thensomeform
ofhigherstatusHalalcouldbeconsidere daspremiu mand
pricedaccordingly.
Amorestraightforwardviewwastakenbyotherswho
wantedHalalmeattobelabelled stunnedornotstunnedso
thatconsumerscouldmakeaninformedchoice.
Most,though,agreedtheneedforasingle,globalHalal
standardsothattheindustrycouldmoveforwardand
developfurther.Suchasingleaccep tablestandardwould
bringclaritytoabattoirsandprocessorsandwouldhelp
reduceconfusionamongbutchersandconsumers.The
abattoirswereuncertain,however,whoshouldbe
responsiblefordevelopingsuchastandardnor,indeed,
whereitshouldoriginate–Mecca,SaudiArabia and
Malaysiaallbeingmentioned.

11. 9
hadtakenovertherunningofthebusinessfromtheirfathers
andthesesecondgenerationbutchers claimed tohave
pickeduptheirskillsfromanearlyage.
Thefeelingprevalentamongthoseinterviewe disthatformal
trainingcoursesarenotparticularly usefulasHalalbutchers
needdifferentskillsfromnon-Halalbutchers.Forexamp le,
Halalbutchersremoveskinandfatandde-bonemeat,they
cutmeatinadifferentwaytocaterforthecookingneedsof
Muslimcustomers–providingdiced meatforuseinacurry
ratherthanawholeroastjoint,forinstan ce–andperceive
thatnon-Halalbutchers usemoremachineryandtoolsthan
Halalbutchers.
Twooftherespondentshadbeenformally trainedas
butchersbuttheyechoedtheviewsofthemajority, saying
thattheircourseshadnotbeenparticularly beneficial.
However,anumberofbutchershadbeenformally trainedin
healthandsafetyandinfoodhygieneandthattrainingwas
oftencascade dtootheremployeesintheshop.
HALALCERTIFICATION
About25%ofthesampleinterviewe discertifie dbytheHalal
MonitoringCommittee(HMC);asmallnumberuseonlyHMC-
certifiedsuppliersthoughtheyarenotthemselvescertified.
HMCappearedtobeparticularly stronginEastLondon,
SouthallandpartsofBradfo rd.Manyofthose butchers
reportedthatHMChadbecomesynonymou swithmeatthat
is100%Halal–aviewsharedbytheircustomers.
Thatsaid,surprisinglyfewknowwhattheinitials HMCstand
for,whattheroleoftheorganisationisandfromwhereit
originates.Suchconfusioniscompoundedbythefactthat
fewbutchershadheardoftheHalalFoodAuthority(HFA)or
thatothercertificationbodiesexist,
ThosecertifiedbytheHMCcitedthefollowingbenefits:
•Itguaranteesthatsuppliersprovidemeatthat
is100%Halal
•Itreassuresconsumers(someofwhomenquire
whetherthemeatisHalalorHMC)
•Itdevolvesresponsibility ofthebutchertoensure
meatisHalaltothesupplier whoisperceivedto
havetakenonthatobligation
Butchersdoacknowledgethatsuchcertification isexpensive.
Somealsorevealedthattheyhadfoundthemselve sshortof
stockwhentheirusualsupplier hadfailed todeliverandthey
wereforbiddentosourcefromnon-HMCsuppliers asan
alternative.
APROFIL EOFTHEBUTCHER S
Interviews,allofwhichtookplaceonthebutcher’s premises,
wereconductedwith50Halalbutchers. Allofthemserve
custome rsfromacrossawideagerange,maleandfemale
andsomeestimatedtheircustome rbasetobe50%Muslim,
50%non-Muslim.Again,recruitme ntofthebutchersample
baseensuredthattheywerefromandrepresentative ofthe
variousethniccommunities withintheMuslimpopulation to
ensurethesampl ewasasrepresentative aspossible.
Theethnicityoftheircustome rbasewasverymuch
dependentonthebutche r’slocation.Forexample,Halal
butchersinBradfordandOldhamreported amostlyPakista ni
custome rbasewhileinTowerHamletsinEastLondon,
custome rswereofBangladeshiethnicorigin(aswerethe
butchersthemselves).Inmajormetropolit anareas suchas
Birmingham, SouthallandotherLondonboroughs,customers
weremorediverseandincludedSouth AsianMuslim s,Sri
Lankan s,Arab/Midd leEastern, SomalisandotherAfricans
aswellasthoseofaCaribbeanbackground.
ButchersinSloughreportedhaving Eastern European
custome rs;KurdishandTurkishbutchers tendedtoattract
ahigherproportionofcustome rsfromtheirownethnic
background.
Inallcases allofthemeat(andchicke n)soldbythebutchers
interviewedisfresh.Allofthembuywholecarcaseswhich
arecutin-store.Inaddition, mostsellfrozen Halal
conveniencefoodscontaining meatandchicken andalso
burgers,kebabs, sausa gesandsamosas.
Itwasuniversallypointed outthatculturally, Halalcustom ers
prefertobuytheirmeatfreshandfreezeitthemselves, often
inmeal-portions,becausetheytendtobescepticalaboutthe
ageofpre-frozenmeatandconcernedthatitmaynothave
beenofgoodqualitybeforefreezing.
Typically,uptoone-thirdoftheircustomers buyinbulk–a
wholeorhalfsheeporaboxof12chickens, withmeatmore
oftenboughtinbulkthanchicke n.
Acommo nobservationamong allofthebutchers interviewed
wasthatconsumersarebuying lessmeatthanbefore,
mainlyforreasonsofpricebutalsoforhealthreasons.
Butchersalsobelievedthatsecond generation families eat
morechickenunlikefirstgenerationswhopreferred redmeat.
TRAIN ING
Asmallnumberofresponde ntswerenotthemselves
butchersbutownersofconveniencestores whoemploy
butcherstosellfreshmeataspartoftheirbusiness. Ofthe
remainder,almostalltheirtrainingwason-the-job either ina
family-ownedbutchershoporelsewhere. Asmallnumber
HalalButchers

12. 10
HMCoperatesa‘threestrikesandout’policy –butchers
receivethreewarningsforanybreachofcertificatio n
requirementsbeforecertification isremoved -andsome
butchers,feelingitwould provide acompetitive advantag e,
wantedthosewhohadreceivedwarnings tobelistedonthe
HMCwebsite.
AsmallnumberofHMC-certifiedbutchers highlighttheir
certificationand/orslaughter process within-store material.
HMCmembersaside,however,mostbutchers dismissed
certificationschemesasmoney-makingexercises. Itbecame
evidentduringtheresearch thatmuch business intheHalal
meatsectorisconducted ontrustandpersonal relationships
andfewseetheneedforcertification schemes. Butchers trust
theirsuppliersandinturnaretrustedbytheirconsumers.
Therefore,whileallofthebutchersinterviewed asserted that
theslaughterprocesswasimportanttothem,mosthadnever
visitedtheslaughterhouse fromwhich theysource theirmeat.
Theresearchalsodiscovere dseveralcases where butchers
whowereclaimingtosellnon-stunned meatweresourcing
fromabattoirswhichdidstunallanima lsbefore slaughter.
Itwasevidentthatbutchers takethewordoftheirsupplier
regardingslaughterprocessandwhether themeatisHalal
andasmostbutchersweredealingpredominantlywith
Muslimsuppliersandmiddlemen,itwastakenforgranted
thattheirwordwassufficie ntguarantee. Similarly, most
butchersreportedthattheirregularcustom ersnever query
whethertheirmeatisHalalandthatnewcustomers, to
whomtheyareoftenrecommendedbywordofmouth,make
onlyacursoryenquiry.
STUNNI NGVERSUSNON-STUNNING
Asmallmajorityofbutchers werecompletelyagainst
stunningbeforeslaughte r;therestwereeither notconcerned
ortooktheviewthatstunning isacceptablewithin Islam.
Theissuewasmentioned mostlyspontaneously during the
interviews.Thestrongestviewsagainststunning wereheldby
butchersofSouthAsian ethnicity; Kurdish andTurkish
butcherswerelessengag edwiththeissue. There wasalsoa
regionaldifferencewithbutchers inBradfordandOldham
morewillingtoaccept thatcattleandsheep should be
stunnedbeforeslaughte rthantheywerethatchicken should
be.Theprevailingviewwasthatchickensaremorefragile
andthereforemorelikelytodiefromstunning thanalarger
animalwhichtheyperceived could withsta ndanelectric
shock.
Manyofthebutchersreferredtostunningasanelectricshock
orevenelectrocution,indicatin gthatforsomethepercep tion
isthatanimalsaresubjected toalife-threaten inglevelof
electricity.Otherswereawarethatstunningdoesnotkillthe
animalandwentontopointoutthatstunningwasthenorm
intheUKuntilrelativelyrecently;theywereconfusedasto
whythematterhasnowbecomesuchasensitiveand
controversialissue.TheypointedoutthatiftheMuslim
communityhadpreviouslyacceptedstunnedmeat, whyhave
somanyopinionsnowchanged?
Overall,theargumentsputforward bybutcherseitherforor
againststunningreflected thoseofabattoirownersreported
above.Therewerethosewhotooktheviewthatsheepand
cattlecouldnotdiefromthelevelofelectricity deliveredbythe
stun,thatstunningreflected betteranimalwelfare standards
andthatstunningfacilitated betterhandling bythe
slaughterman.
Thosebutchersagainst stunningbelieveitisnotHalaltodo
soastheycouldnotbesurethattheanimal isaliveatthe
pointofslaughter;afewmentionedthattheanimal should
besufficientlyconsciousastoheartheprayer deliveredby
theslaughterman;andsomebutchersexpressedtheview
thatstunningispainfulandthereforemorecruelthannon-
stunslaughter.
CONSUMERPREFERENCESANDPOPULARCUTS
Lamb/mutton
Throughoutthesampleof50butchers,moremuttonwas
soldthanlamb:itischeaperthanlambandmoresuitedto
manyAsiandishes.Butchersreported thanmuttonwas
particularlypopularwithMuslimsofPakistani,Bangladeshi,
Caribbean,SriLankanandSomaliethnicorigin.Middle
Eastern,ArabandTurkishcustomersontheotherhand
preferredlambdespiteitspricepremiumovermutton.
Amongthemostpopularcutsoflambreportedwere
shoulder,legandmince(amongallcommun ities),back
chops(KurdishandArabcommunities),neck(Pakistaniand
Turkish)andfrontandchumpchops(Turkishcustomers).
Butchersreportedthatshoulder,legandmince wereamong
themostpopularcutsofmuttonamongallcommun ities,
neckamongPakistaniconsumers,bonelessamongSouth
Asiancustomersandribsandchopsespecially among
Bangladeshis.
Volumesoflambandmuttonsoldvariedbetween150kgand
2,500kgaweek,thoughonelargeoutletcateringforthe
foodservicetradesold5,000k gaweek.

13. 11
Poultry
Thebutchersreportedthatchickenwasmostoftenbought
wholeandthenskinnedandjointedbythebutcher–but
jointedindifferentwaysdependingontheethnicityofthe
customer.Forexample,Pakistanicustomerswantedchicken
cutintoabout10pieces,Kurdish consumerspreferre dfour
largepieces.SouthAsian andSomaliconsumersbought
mainlysmallwholechickens.
Popularcutsincludedbonelessthighs,legs,breastand
wings.
Volumessoldvariedbetween 200kgand2,500 kgaweek
withtwobutcherssellingmorethan4,000kg aweekto
foodservicecustomers.
Othermeats
Asmallnumberofbutchers alsosellgoatmeat,thoughthey
reportthisisdifficulttosource;turkeysaresoldatChristmas
tobothMuslimandnon-Muslimcustomersandthereare
occasi onal,specialrequestsforvealandduck.
Beef
Onlyaminorityofthesampleinterviewed sellbeefregularly
whileasmallnumberofothers sellitonspecial order. Oneof
themainreasonscitedfornotsellingbeefwasfearof
alienatingHinducustom ersbyhaving beefondisplay.More
tradeinbeefwasachievedbythose sellingtorestaurants
andcaterersthanbythosecateringonlyforretailcustomers,
suggest ingthatbeefmaybeenjoyedout-of-home morethan
cookedathome.
MuslimsofBangladeshi ethnicorigin wereidentified as
buyingmostbeef,which isalsopopular withSomaliand
otherAfricanMuslims.
Themostpopularcutsofbeefweresteak/st eakpieces,ribs,
mince,bonelessthigh/leg(particula rlywithSouth Asian and
MiddleEasterncustome rs)andcow’sfeet(among Pakistani
custome rs).
Volumesofbeefsoldamongtheresearchsampleofbutchers
rangedfrom10kgto100kgamonth, withonelargeretaile r
alsoselling1,000kgaweektothefoodservice sector.

14. Shoppingbehaviour andconsumptionspatterns
-aqualitativeunderstanding
Theprimaryobjectiveofthisqualitativeresearchwastohelp
shapetheapproachtotheplannedquantitative researchand
toensureasoundbasisonwhichtoconstruct ameaningful
androbustquestionnaire forthatquantitative work. This
chapteroutlinestheresultsofthatqualitativ eresearchwhich
indeedprovidedadepth ofunderstanding abouttheviews
andbehaviourofHalalmeatconsumers andhowthis
manifestsitselfintermsofpurchase andconsumption.
Throughthefocusgroup research,itwaspossible togain
insightsintotheawareness,beliefs,attitud esandroutines of
Muslimshoppersthatinturnhelpedtoshapethe
questionnairethatwasusedtoundertakequantitative
researchamongawider sampleofHalalshoppers,the
resultsofwhicharecontainedinthefollowing chapter.
GENERALSHOPPING BEHAVIOUR
Commo ntoallparticipants inthefocusgroupresearch wasa
splitforfoodshopping betweenthemajormultiplesand
discountersforwhatcanbedescribedasmainstrea mgoods
andspecialistethnicoutletsforethnicfoodsandHalalmeat
purchases.
Forthevastmajority,thenormwasaweekly
supermar ket/discountershopwithtwoorthreetop-up
shoppingtripsintheweek.Anyvariationinthatreflected
householdsize–larger house holds shopp ingmore
freque ntly.Onlyonepersonamongthe120whotookpartin
thefocusgroupsshopped forfoodon-line andthenonly
occasi onally;twomenofTurkishethnicit yreporte dnever
usingmainstreamsupermarketsandclaimedtobuyalltheir
foodfromalocalTurkish foodcentre.
Theuseofspecialistoutlets variedinfrequency. While some
shopped forethnicgoods onceaweek,manyvisited
specialistshopsbetwe enthreeandsixtimesaweekforfresh
foods,especiallyfruitandvegetables.
Specialistshopsusedincluded:
•IndependentHalalbutcher shops (allrespondents)
•Asian-ownedcorner shops andsuperma rkets
(respondentsofSouth AsianandSomaliethnicity)
•Turkishfoodcentres (Turkish, Somali andMiddle
Eastern/Arabi c)
•Somalishops(Somali responde ntsonly)
•Arabicshops(Middle Eastern/ Arabicrespondents only)
•Cashandcarryoutletsforitemsboughtinbulk,suchas
sacks ofrice,drums ofoil,sacksofonions etc.(South
AsianandSomalirespondents)
Fromthefocusgroupresearch ,itwaspossible toestablish
thetypicalshoppingrepertoireasshownbelow:
MEATPURCHASINGPATTERNS
Atleastonerespondentineachofthefocusgroupsessio ns
boughttheirmeatandchickeninbulk–awholeorhalf
sheeporaboxofchickens.Firstgeneration Muslimsof
Bengaliethnicityallboughtmeat,chicken andBengalifishon
afortnightlybasis.Formostothers,thepreferencewastobuy
meatasandwhenitwasneeded,notonlybecau sethey
wantedtheirmeattobeasfreshaspossible, butforthe
practicalreasonsthattheylackedfreeze rspace forstorageor
thattheyroutinelypassedthebutchershopanditwas
convenienttoshopformeatmorefrequently.
Youngermen(18to30yearsofage)ofIndianethnicitywere
typicalofthoseshoppingtwotothreetimesaweekformeat,
chicken,fruitandvegetable stoensureoptimumfreshn ess.
Overall,itwasthemenofhouseholdwhotookresponsibility
forbuyingmeat–either becauseitwasboughtinbulkand
thereforetooheavyforthewomeninthehouseholdorsimply
becausesomeofthewomenexpressed adislikeofgoingto
thebutcherbecausetheysawitasamale-dominated
environment.
Universallyamongalltheethniccommunitiesitwasthenorm
toremainloyaltooneparticular Halalshop:consumers
trustedtheseshopsandfelttheyofferedconsisten tquality.
Almostallwerebuyingfromashopthathadoriginally been
recommendedbyothersorwhichisusedbytheirwider
families.
Thekeyadvantagesofbuying meatfromanindependent
Halalbutcherwerereportedtobe:
•Customerscandevelopalongandloyalrelationshipwith
thebutcher
•Customerstrustthatthemeatis100%Halal
•Halalbutchersofferapersonalservice andcutmeatto
order,aswellasskinningand/orde-boningitaccording
tothecustomer’srequirem ents
12
TheHalalConsumer (1)
Majorsupermarkets
Groceries,staples•English fruitandvegetables e.g.carrots•
Halalmeat-occasionally •Fish-mainstream •Frozenitemsfor
childrene.g.ovenchips, fishfingers •Household goods
Halalbutchers/A sianconvenience stores
Halalmeat•Halalchicken •Halalconvenience foodse.g.
kebabs, chickennuggets, samosas •Spices andherbs•
‘Ethnic’fruitandvegetables e.g.okra•Asian staple sboughtin
bulke.g.sacks ofonions, rice,chapatti flour•Fish-more
specifically‘ethnic’varieties e.g.hilsa
Outdoormarket s(used byafew)
Freshfruitandvegetables •Fish

15. •Somebutcherstaketelephoneorders andwilldeliverthe
ordertothecustomer’shome
•MostindependentHalalbutchersemploystaffwhospeak
mothertonguelanguag eswhichisgoodforelders
•Consumersfeeltheycannegotiate discounts, which they
cannotdoinasupermarket
•Butchersgiveadviceandcooking tipse.g.onthebestcut
ofmeattouseinaparticular dish
•Many feelindependentsarecheaper
•IndependentHalalbutcherssellmeatinbulk
-e.g.awholesheep
Thereweredrawbacks,too,however:
•Thatthepricesarenotfixed,which means that
sometimesbutcherscharge whateve rtheythinkthe
customerwillpay
•Thereareno‘sellby’datesonthemeat, which means
thatcustomerstendtofindouttheshop’sdeliverydaysto
ensuretheyshopwhenthemeatisfreshe st
•Hygieneissuesi.e.shops cansometimesbecomemessy
anddusty,thebutchersoftenwearbloodyaprons
•Asmentionedearlier,itwasseenasaverymale
environmentwhichcanmakesome femalecustomers
feeluncomfortable–womenofBangladesh ioriginin
Birmingham,aged31-45years,reported feelingthisway
Allofthefocusgroupparticip antswereaware thatmajor
supermarketsalsosellHalalmeat(thein-stor eHalalbutcher
inselectedAsdastoreswasfrequentlycited). Respondents
weregenerallyopentobuying Halalmeatfromsuperma rkets
andmanydooccasionally –forexamplewhen unexpected
guestsarriveanditwould taketoolongtodefrost meatfrom
thefreezer.
Thoseleastlikelytobuymeatfromsupermarkets included
newarrivalstotheUKacross allagegroupswhowould not
riskthepossibilitythemeatwasnotHalal;those whodidnot
wanttochangeexistingshopp ingroutines orwhowere
aversetobuyingpre-packedmeat;andforthose livingin
Bradfordtherewassimplymorethanadequate provision of
specialistbutchers.
Theperceivedadvantag esofbuying meatfromsuperma rkets
weretheconvenienceofone-stopshopping,longer opening
hours,lowerprices,arangeofspecialoffers andloyalty
cardsonwhichtoearnrewards.Practical considerations also
includedcarparkingfacilitie s,acleanandhygienic
environment,moreappealingpresentation andselfservice
checkoutstofacilitatespeediershopping.
Respondentsalsomentionedasanadvantagethat
supermarketpre-packedmeatalways carriedasell-bydate.
Forthoseconsumerswhowouldnotbuymeatat
supermarkets,manycitedthereasonthattheycouldnottrust
themeatorchickentobetrulyHalal. Anumberofyounger
women(particularlythoseofBangladeshiethnicity) perceived
thatsupermarketmeatisapprovedbytheHalalFood
Authority(HFA)whiletheywouldtrustonlyHalalMonitoring
Committee(HMC)approvedsuppliers. Otherreasons
includedthatsupermarketssellanarrowerrangeofcutsthan
Halalbutchersandthatitispre-packedandnotcuttoorder.
Asmallnumberofrespondentsbuytheirmeatandchicken
directlyfromabattoirsexpressly toensurethemeatisHalal
andasfreshaspossible –italsosavesmoney.One
participantreportedbuyingchickeninbulktwoorthreetimes
ayear–buyingdirectlyfromandslaughteringonthefarm.
MEATCONSUMPTIONPATTERNS
Allofthefocusgroupparticipants boughtfreshmeatrather
thanfrozen,evenwhenbuyinginbulk,preferringtowash
andfreezethemeatthemselvesinportionbagsbecausethey
hadconcernsaboutthepossibleageandpoorquality of
shop-frozenmeat.Theexception swerefrozenconvenience
foodscontainingmeatandchickensuchasHalalburgers,
chickennuggets,samosasandsuchproducts.
Itwasthenormacross allthecommunitiesforpeopletocook
fromscratch,eitherdailyoreveryotherday.Noneofthe
respondentsstoredcookedmeals(orleftovers)inthefreezer.
Otherthanasmallnumberofstudentsandsinglepeople,
hardlyanyboughtreadymealsor‘ready tocook’products.
Littleinterestwasexpresse dinpickinguprecipe cards from
Halalbutchers:mostseemedcontenttocookfavouritefamily
meals,althoughafewdoseekoutnewideas bywatching
cookeryprogrammesonaregularbasisand/o rsearch ingfor
recipeson-line.
Thereappearedtobelittledemandfororganicmeat,mainly
becau setheconsumerswerenotawareoftheexistenceof
Halalorganicmeat.Generally,theyassumedthiswouldbe
veryexpensiveandthereforeoutoftheirreachfinancially.
Otherswerescepticalofthehealthbenefitsofbuying organic,
particularlyasmanybelievethatHalalmeatisintrinsically
healthierthannon-Halalmeatsayingthatthebloodofthe
animalhaddrainedaway, takinganybacteria withit.
However,someofthewomenofTurkishCypriot originbought
organicandfree-rangenon-Halalchickenfromtimetotime.
13

16. Thevastmajorityofthoseinthegroupsreportedthattheir
meatconsumptionincreasesatweekends -when theyhave
moretimetocooksomething specialforthefamily-and
duringRamadan andatEid.DuringRamadan,those inthe
groupswerelikelytoeatmeatearlyinthemorningtosustain
themuntiltheyateagain afterdusk,wherea snormallythey
wouldeatmeatonlyforlunch ordinner. Inaddition, group
membe rsofTurkishorigin reportedeatingmoremeatduring
thesummerbarbecue season.
Theresearchteamwasabletoexplorethemeatandpoultry
consumptionhabitsofthefocusgroupparticipa ntsin
sufficientdetailtoestablishthreedistinct
behavioural/attitudinalgroupingstowardredmeat–
occasi onal,typical andcomm ittedmeateaters.
Occasionalmeateaters
Typicalofthisgroupweremenandwomen ofallagesfrom
anIndianandBangladeshi originandyounger women(18to
30yearsofage)fromPakistaniorigin.Theyatemeatless
thantwiceaweekonaverage.Some ofthese weremarried
womenwhocookedseparatemealsforthemselves, having
preparedaredmeatdishfortheirhusbands.
Consumersinthisgroup tendedtopreferchicken tored
meat,citingtaste,afforda bility,speedofprepa ration and
versatility,especiallywhenpreparingadishthathadto
appeal tothewholefamily withawideagerange.
Some respondentsofIndianethnicity fellintothisgroup
becausetheyeatapredom inantlyvegetariandietwhile
many fromtheBanglade shicommunity eatmorefishthan
meat.Added tothesearethose whocitehealth reasonsfor
noweatinglessredmeatthanpreviously.
Typicalmeateaters
Thiswasthelargestofthethreegroupsmadeupofthose
whoeatredmeattwotothreetimesaweek. Thegroup
comprisedmenandwome nofTurkishorigin, womenaged
31to45yearsofMiddle Easternorigin andanyofthose
consumersofPakistaniethnicity.
Theirnormalroutinewouldbetoalternatetheirredmeat
mealswithchickenandtoincludeafishoravegetarian meal
onceaweek.Whiletheyenjoyed eatingredmeat,
respondentswereconcernedthatitwasbecoming more
expensiveandspeculate dtheymighthavetomigrate to
chickenasamoreaffordablealternative.
Committedmeateaters
ThisgroupcomprisedmenandwomenofSomaliethnicity
andyoungermen(18to30years)ofMiddleEasternorigin
whoeatmealscontaining redmeatatleastthreetimesa
week, withsome eating redmeatdaily.
Suchdietsweredescribedbytherespondentsconcernedas
traditionaloftheircountryandtheyhadcontinuedthatinthe
UK.ThoseofSomalioriginatemostlybeefandlambbutalso
vealandcamelmeatwhich wasimported fromAustralia and
soldinSomali-ownedshops;thoseofMiddleEastern/Arab
originalsoatevealoccasio nally.Unlikeotherethnicgroups,
boththesecultureseatmeatregularlyatbreakfast aswellas
atothermealsduringtheday.
TYPESANDCUTSOFMEATCONSUMEDBYETHNI CITY
Focusgroupparticipantswereaskedwhatcutsofbeef,lamb
andpoultrytheytypically buyandwhatsortofmeatdishes
theynormallycookathome.Thetableonthefacing page
showsthisinformationbyethnicgroup,describing thecuts
anddishesintherespondents’ownwordsandwhich may
not,therefore,correspondwithabutcher’susualdescription .
Thegroupswerealsoaskedtoidentifythosecutstheywould
liketobuybutcurrentlyfinddifficulttofindintheshopsthey
visit.Thefollowingweremostfrequentlymentioned:
•Steak(byallgroups)
•Lambshanks(bythoseofBangladeshiorigin)
•Cow’sandlamb’sfeet(Indian)
•Lamb’sliver,organicliverandlambneck(Somali)
•Ribs,ribchopsandsweetbre ads(Turkish)
•Vealshoulder,duck,turkey,poussin,rabbit,
pigeonandgame(MiddleEastern)
PerceivedgapsinHalalproductofferings
Consumersperceivedthatcertain typesofHalalproducts
eitherdonotexistorarenotreadilyavailab leandamong
thosetheywouldliketoseebecomemoreavailable are:
•Halalreadymadechickenandmeatsandwich es
(e.g.frommajorretailers)
•Halalversionsofthoseproductstypically servedin
popularfastfoodoutlets
•Halalsnackitemsandcrisps
•Gelatine-freedessertsandcakes
•Halalreadymealse.g.shepherd’spie
•Halalrotisserie,particularly insupermarkets
(roastedbeef/lamb/chicken)
•Halalgelatine
•Halalchickenandlambstockcubes
•Halalchickensandwich fillers
•Halalcheese
•Halalbacon!
14

17. 15
Lamb/mut ton
Beef
Othermeat
Muchmorelamb
consumedthan
beef.
Mostpopular
lambcutswere:
•Whole/halfa
sheep(cutup
andfrozenin
portions)
•Shoulder
•Leg
•Minced
(bybutcher )
•Chops
•Lambneck
•Sheep’sstomach
(Birmingham
only)
•Steakpieces
•Cow’sfeet(seen
asadelicacy)
•Goat/mutton
•Readymade
samosas,lamb
burgers,kebab s
etc.
Pakistani
Mainlyeatlamb
andmuttonie.
•Whole/halfa
sheep(cutup
andfrozenin
portions)
•Shoulder
•Leg
•Mutton chops:
frontandback
•Minced(by
butcher)
•Ribs
•Steak
•Readymade
lambkebabs,
tikkapieces,
lambsausages,
samosas,
burgers
Banglades hi
•Whole/halfa
sheep (cutup
andfrozenin
portions)
•Leg
•Chops
•Ribs
•Neck
•Bonel esscubes
•Minced(by
butcher)
•Steak
•Readymade
lambburgers,
kebabs, spring
rolls,samosas
Indian
•Whole/halfa
sheep (cutup
andfrozenin
portions)
•Mincedlamb
•Shoul der
•Leg/w holehind
leg
•Ribs
•Chops
•Liver,kidneys
•Steak
•Mincedbeef
•Sughar (small
cutsofbeef)
•Veal,camelmeat
•Frozenburgers,
sausages (lamb
andbeef)
Somali
Mainlylamb
•Shoul der
•Leg
•Minced(by
butcher )
•Neck/
middleneck
•Ribs
•Frontchops
•Bestend/chum p
chops
•Dicedlamb
•Offal
•Steak
•Mincedbeef
•Readymade
lambandbeef
burgers
Turkish
•Wholelamb
•Leg/legpieces
•Mincedlamb
(spicedand
readytomake
intokebabs)
•Chops
•Shoulder
•Doubleback
chops
•Stuffedlamb
(de-boned,
stuffedand
rolled)
•Cubed,boneless
beefpieces
•Mincedbeef
•Veal
•Frozenlamb
burgers
•Delimeats
MiddleEastern
Arabic
Types andCuts ofMeat Consumed
Typical
meatdishes
Traditional
dishes:
•Meatcurries
•Keem a
•Kebabs
•Biryani
•Roast/
barbecue dmeat
Other:
•Sheph erd’spie,
spaghe tti
Bolognese
Pakistani
Traditional
dishes :
•Meatcurries
•Muttonchops–
curriedorgrilled
•Mincedmeat
curry
•Roastlegof
lamb(Asian
style)
•Meatpulao
•Lambbiryani
•Kebabs
Other:
•Shepher d’spie,
lasagne
,
Banglades hi
Traditional
dishes:
•Lambcurry
•Lambkorma
•Tahar i(riceand
meatcooked
together )
•Grilledmeat
chops
•Kebabs
•Mincecurry
•Meatballcurry
•Paya/nehar i/
biryani(special
occasi ons)
Other:
•Shepher d’spie
Indian
Traditional
dishes:
•Grilledlamb
andsteak
•Beefor
lambstew
•Lamborbeef
cooked inbroth
orsoup
•Mincecooked
askebabs,
burgersor
samosas
•Lambcooked
withrice
•Roastlamb/beef
Other:
•Pizza
•Pasta with
meatbal ls
Somali
Traditional
dishes:
•Lamband
vegetabl e
stews
•Barbecues
•Kebabs
•Meatbal ls
•Roastlamb
•Driedbeans
cooked with
meat
Other:
•Shepher d’spie
•Lasagne
Turkish
Traditional
dishe s:
•Meatand
vegetables
(eg.okra)ina
tomato-based
sauceserved
withrice
•Meatandpeas
•Grilled/fried/
roastedmeat
e.g.kofte/
kebab/steak
(Nomentionof
Europeandishes
ineithergroup)
MiddleEastern
Arabic
Typical Meat Dishes Cooked

18. 16
CONSUMERUNDERSTAN DINGOFHALAL MEAT
Whiletherewassomeconsensusconcerningthekeyaspects
ofHalalmeat,thegroup researchrevealedconsid erable
differencesinawareness andunderstanding ofHalal.
Differencesinbeliefsandvariationsinslaughter practice
existedamongthefocusgroups,indicatingthatethnic groups
fromdifferentcountriesmayhavedevelopeddifferent
understandingofthemanda toryaspectsofHalal,having
beentaughtdifferentrulesbytheireldersorreligious leaders.
Forexampl e,therewasconsensusamongallthegroups on
thefollowingpointswhich werecitedspontaneously:
•AMuslimslaughterma nmustkilltheanima l
•Theanimalmustbeblessedbeforeslaughterwiththe
Slaughtermanrecitingaprayer
•Thebloodfromtheanimalmustfullydrainout
•Theanimalshouldbekilledwithasharp cutacrossthe
throat
Beyondthesefourcommonpoints,thedifferen tethnicgroups
expressed differentaspects oftheslaughterprocesswhich
ensuredthemeatisHalal.Forexample,inonlysixofthe16
groupsdiditemergethattheslaughterhadtobebyasharp
knifewhilemenofSomaliethnicitymaintain edthattheknife
mustbekeptoutofsightoftheanimaluntilthemomen tof
slaughter.Somaliwomeninsisted thatananimal shouldnot
bekilledinfrontofotheranimalswhilemenofTurkish
descentbelievedtheanimalsshouldbeblindfoldedto
preventthemseeingothersbeingkilled.
ParticipantsofTurkishandBangladeshiorigininsisted thatthe
animalmustbeconsciousatthetimeofslaugh terandasa
resultthesegroupsweregenerallyopposedtostunning.
WomenofSomaliandIndianorigin saidtheanimals must
faceMeccawhentheyarekilled.YoungermenofPakistan i
originlivinginBradfordspecifiedaprayershouldberecited
threetimes.
Freshchicken
Otherchicken
Otherpoultry
•Whole‘baby’
chicken
•Drumsticks
•Breast
•Bonel ess
chicken
•Chickenmince
•Wings,chicken
liversandoffal
wereless
popular
•(Onemalebuys
henbecause the
meatisfresher)
•Frozenchicken
nugge ts,spicy
chickenwings,
chickenburgers
(bought ata
halalshop)
•Chickensalami/
sausage
•Duck
•Quail
•Turkey
•Capon
Pakist ani
•Whole
rooster/’baby’/
springchicken
•Wholebroiler
•Drumsticks
•Breast
•Boneless
chicken
•Wingswereless
popular
•Frozenchicken
nuggets,kebabs
andburgers
(boughtata
halalshop)
•None
Banglades hi
•Wholebirds
•Boneless
chicken
•Drumsticks
•Thighs
•Breast
•Frozenchicken
nuggetsand
burgers
•Chickensalami
andchicken
palony(paté)
fromhalalshops
•None
Indian
•Whole‘baby’
chicken
•Drumsticks
•Breast
•Thighs
•Frozenchicken
nuggets and
burgers(from
halalshopor
Morrison’s)
•Chickensausage
(forpizzas/
sandw iches)
•Pigeon (from
Turkishshops)
Somali
•Wholebirds
•Thighs
•Drumsticks
•Wings
•Breast
•Chickenlivers
•FrozenSouther n
Friedchicken
steaks and
chickennuggets
(fromTurkish
foodcentre)
•Quail
•Duck
•Turkey
Turkish
•Whole‘baby’
chicken
•Drumsticks
•Breast/breast
fillet/breaststeak
•Thighs
•Chickenquarters
•Marinated
chickenpieces
•De-boned,
stuffedandrolled
chicken
•Frozenbreaded
chickenfillet,
chickenburgers
andchicken
nuggets(from
halalshops)
•Chickensalami/
sausage
•Duck
•Turkey
•Quail
•Pigeon
MiddleEastern
Arabic
Types andCuts ofPoultry Consumed

19. 17
While thosedifferenceswereexpressed,therewasbroad
agreementonwhatisnotpermissible withinIslamic
slaughterandamong those keypoints were:
•Taperecordersshould notbeusedfortheobligatory
prayer
•Eachanimalmustbeindivid uallyblessed –itisnot
accept ablemerelytoblesstheknifeusedtoslaughter
•Mechanicalslaughte rmethodsshould notbeused; this
wasespeciallythecaseforchickenwheresome believe
feathersshouldbeplucke dmanuallyaswellasslaughter
carriedoutmanually
STUNNINGORNON-STUNNING
Interestingly,anumberofrespondentswereunaware that
thereisanissueconcerningstunning ornon-stunning .Those
leastawarewerewomenofTurkish Cypriot originandmenof
bothTurkishandMiddleEasternorigin.Those mostaware of
thedebatewerethoseofSouth Asianethnicity (Pakista ni,
BangladeshiandIndian).
Nevert heless,theissuewasraisedspontaneously inseveral
ofthegroups–butmainlyinrelationtothevalidity ofthe
certificationbodies.Anumberoffocusgroup participants
volunteeredtheyhadheardrumours thatHFAapprovedmeat
wasnotHalalbecause theHFAacceptsthepractice of
stunningbeforeslaughte r.
Ofthosewhowereawareofthedebateontheissue,most
believedthatstunningisHaram–thatisitrendersthemeat
non-Halal.Therewas,however,agreatdealofconfusion
andlittleengageme ntinthemeritsfororagainst stunning.
Mostbelievedthatnon-stunni ngiswhattheyregardedasthe
correctIslamicmethodofslaughter andsodidnotquestion it
further.Theytendedalsotobelievethatnon-stun methods
arelesscrueltoanimalswhichwould otherwise suffer pain
fromthestunprocess.
Attheconclusionofthediscussion, fewofthegroup
respondentswereabletosaywithcertaintywhether their
butchersellsmeatthathasbeenstunned ornotstunned .
EATINGNON-H ALALMEAT
When askediftheyhadevereatennon-Ha lalmeat, either at
homeorout-of-home,nearlyallrespondentsofSouth Asian
originandwomenofMiddleEasternorigin maintained they
hadnevereatennon-Halalmeatandthattheyhadnever
cookeditathome.Afewresponde ntsdidreport theyhad
eatennon-Halalmeatonoccasions, butonlywhen ithad
beendifficulttoobtainHalalmeat.
WomenofTurkishCypriotorigin andmenofMiddle Eastern
appearedtobethemostrelaxedaboutthematter: the
womenexplainingtheywerenotparticularlyreligious,the
menperceivingthatsayingtheirownprayeroverthemeat
wassufficient.
Wheneatingout,themajority ofrespondentsensuretheyeat
onlymeatthatisHalal, choosingMuslim-o wnedrestau rants
andtake-aways.WhilemostalsoeatfromKFCandNando’s
Halaldishes,somedidexpressdoubtsabouttheauthenticity
ofthemeatgiventhatcertificationwasbyHFA,inwhich they
hadlessconfidence(seeStunningornon-stunningabove).
MostrespondentsreportedthatifHalalmeatisnotavailable
onthemenu,theywouldchooseavegetarian orfishdish.
Asmallnumberofindividualswithinthegroupsclaimed tobe
verystrictwheneatingout:thisisnotrelatedtoethnicitybut
tothelevelofindividualreligiousadherence.Theyhadeither
neverorrarelyeatenoutbecau setheycouldnottrustthatthe
meatwouldbeHalal.OnerespondentofBangladeshiorigin,
forexample,relatedthathermother,whohadlivedintheUK
for30yearshadnevereatenoutside ofherownorher
relatives’home.Ifsheneededtobeaway fromhomeforany
lengthoftime,shewouldprepa refoodtotakewithher.
Otherswhochoosetoadherestrictly totheirreligiousbeliefs
wouldeatonlyinmosquerestaurants.
Attheotherendofthespectrum ,othersfromthegroups
admittedtoeatingnon-Halalmeatout-of-home;thosebeing
mainlyfromtheTurkishCyprio t,MiddleEastern orSomali
communities.Twoyoungermen(18-30yearolds)ofPakistan i
originreportedtheyhadeatennon-Halalmeatorchickenin
fastfoodrestaurants.
Inalaterdiscussiononmarketingcommu nication sandthe
informationMuslimconsumerswante d,therewasaclear
desirefortheissuesofstunningversesnon-stunningandthe
meritsofeachtobeclearlyspeltout.Detailed information on
theprinciples,constitution ,structureandoperatio nsofthe
variouscertificationbodies(outlined below inthenextsection)
wasalsofelttobemuchneeded.
SOURCESOFINFORMATIONWHENBUYINGHALALMEAT
Thefocusgroupparticip antsreportedthattheprimary source
ofinformationwhenbuyingHalalmeatwasmembe rsoftheir
family,especiallyrecommendationsonwhichbutchertouse.
Secondandthirdgeneration consumerswere,therefore,
usingthesamebutcherastheirparentsandonewhoknows
thefamilywell.

20. 18
WordofmouthwithintheMuslimcommunitiesisalsoan
importantsourceofinform ation, withmembers ofthe
communitydiscussing whichsupermarkets, takeaways and
productstouseandwhethertheyareHalal.Friends would
alsodiscuss wheretoshopforthecheapestdealsonfresh
meat.
Imams andotherreligious leadershaveinfluence andgive
adviceandmake recomme ndations.Twomembers of
differentgroupsinLondon reported thattheirlocalImam had
declaredthatHFA-approv edmeatwasnotHalalbecause of
thestunningissueandthatbothhadstoppedusing HFA-
certifiedsources.Theinternetwasusedasasourceof
informationtocheckthevalidityofcertificationbodiesand
inthisconnectiontheHFAwasagainsingledout.
Aware nessofHalalcertificationbodies
Totestawarenessofthevariouscertification bodies among
thefocusgroups,logoswerepresented.There wasuniversa l
awarenessofthewordHalalwritteninArabic
Awarenessandrecognition ofthelogos ofthecertification
bodiesvaried.MosthadseentheHMClogo,recognised by
twothirdsofthegroups;about halfrecognised theHFAlogo.
Knowledgeoftheorganisa tionwas,however, low:most
perceivedHMCtobethelongest-established certification
bodyandknewthatbusine sseshadtopaytobeHMC-
certified.Fewpeopleknow whattheinitialsstandfor,where it
based orwhorunstheorganisation.
Evenlessisknownabout theHFA,otherthanitaccep ts
stunningbeforeslaughte r;onerespondent volunteered the
organisationoriginated inMalaysia.
Twofurtherlogoswerepresented:thoseoftheEuropean
HalalDevelopmentAgencyandoftheMuslimJudicial
Council.Ahandfulofpeopleonlythoughttheymighthave
seentheEHDAlogopreviously,butcouldnotbesure.No-one
claimedtohaveseentheMJClogobefore.
Opinionwasdividedonwhetherthelogoofacertification
bodycarriedmoreweight orinspiredmoretrustthanthe
wordHalalinArabic.Whilesomefeltitprudenttotrustthe
stampofaMuslim-runbodybecauseitimpliedthatsome
formofaudithadtakenplacetoauthenticate theproducts
andwereconfidentthatMuslimswould‘dotherightthing’,
othersfeltthatthewordHalalissufficientassuran ce.This
maybeduetotherelativelylowprofileandlackof
awarenessofthecertificatio nbodies.
Therewasalsosomefeedback thatthewordHalalinArabic
isover-used,withrespondentsclaimingtohaveseeniton
packetsofcornflakesandoncucumbers.
Otherswerepreparedtonominateotherbodiesorindividuals
theywouldtrusttoprovideHalalcertification ,suchas:
•LocalImams
•Respect edMuslimclerics
(DrZakirNaikwasmentionedbyname)
•TheFoodStandardsAgency
•TheMuslimCouncilofBritain
•TheCouncilofMosques
However,no-oneinanyofthefocusgroupsnamedor
mentionedanyotherHalalcertification body.
Non-Muslimretailerassurances
Followingthediscussion sonHalalcertification bodies,the
groupswereaskedtoconsiderwhatreassurancesthey
wouldlookforwhenbuyingHalalproductsfromanon-
Muslimstoresuchasasupermarket.Despitethefactthatin
researchamongbutchers andinthequantitativeresearch
amongconsumersthatpeopledonotcurren tlypaymuch
attentiontoaccreditationcertificates, amajorityoffocus
grouprespondentssaidtheywouldlookforthose
TheHalalMonitoring
Comm itteeLogo
TheHalal
FoodAuthorityLogo
TheEuropeanHalalDevelopment
AgencyLogo
TheMuslimJudicial
CouncilLogo

21. accreditationcertificatestobeprominently displayed.Both
HMCandHFAcertification werementioned spontaneously.
Positivewordofmouth recommendationorassurance within
thecommun itywouldalsobeafactor: ifotherMuslims or
familyandfriendsgiveassurance thatastoreisselling
authenticHalalproducts,thatwould betakenontrust.
When askedabouton-packlabelling,respondentswould
prefertoseebothHalalinArabicandacertification stamp
(despitetheirlowawarenessofthelatter). Theyalso
suggest edalistofingredientswouldbeuseful tocheck there
wasnogelatine,porkoralcoholcontaine dintheproduct and
thecountryoforiginormanufacturewould bewelcome.
Afewrespondentssaidtheywouldliketoseepre-packed
meatandchickenstatewhetherthemeatwasstunnedor
non-stunned,butthiswasnotuniversallysupported.
ThepresenceofMuslimstaffin-storewouldgivereassura nce
forsomerespondents whileotherswouldprefer toshopin
storeswhichdidnotsellporkoralcohol. Afewquestioned
howitispossibleforlargemultiple chainswithcentral
sourcingpoliciestohavesome branches which areHalaland
otherswhicharenotandwould wantclarificationbefore
makingaHalalpurchase.
Halalbutcherreassurance
Bycontrasttoneedingreassurance sonHalalpurchasesfrom
supermarketsandothernon-Muslim stores, noneofthefocus
groupconsumersfelttheneedtoseekreassurance when
buyingmeatfromaHalalbutcher sincetherewasan
inherenttrust,established through custom overmanyyears
orbyword-of-mouthrecom mendation.Inanycase,asthe
butchersareMuslimtheywould notbeuntruthful aboutthe
Halalstatusoftheirmeatasthiswouldbeasin.
MarketingCommunications
Whenitcomestocommunicating withtheMuslimcommunity
aboutHalalmeat,thevastmajorityoffocusgroup
respondentsfeltthemosttrustedchannelofcommunicatio ns
wouldbearespected mosqueleaderorMuslim cleric.In
addition,wordofmouthisclearlyapowerfulchannel.Itwas
evidentthroughouttheresearch thatMuslim commu nities
discuss amongmembersoftheirfamiliesandfriendswhatis
HalalandwhatisHaramandwheretobuythebestqualityor
freshestHalalmeat.
Therespondentssugge stedtheuseofspecialistmediato
conveymessagesandsubsequentlygeneratepositiveword
ofmouth.EthnicandIslamicbroadcastmediasuchasNoor
TV,PeaceTV,SunriseRadioandRadioRamadan were
mentioned.Halalbutchersshopsthemselve sandother
Muslim-ownedshopsandrestaurantswereidentifiedas
communicationchannels.
Indiscussi ngmarketingmorefully,some respondents
sugge stedin-storesignageinsupermarkets wouldbeuseful
whilespecialpromotionsonHalalmeatandchickenon
supermarketloyaltycardswouldbeanattractiv eincentive.
Door-to-doorleafletingandaccessingschoolsand
communitygroupswouldalsoprovidegoodcommun ications
channels.
Informationalneedsincludedlistingwhich E-numberfood
additivesareHalal;whereproductssuchasorganicHalal
andfree-rangeHalalareavailable andwhattheycost;anda
definitivelistofHalalcompaniesandbrandspublishedbyan
independentandtrustwo rthyorganisation .
19

22. Purchaseandconsum ption–aquantitative overview
ATTITUDESTOANDIMPOR TANCEOFHALAL
Theoverwhelmingmajority ofMuslims inEngland–90%-
eatonlymeatthatisHalal,andtheremaining 10%eatmostly
Halalmeat.Thereissome, butrelatively little,difference
betweenthegenerations inthisadherence toeatingHalal
meat:94%offirstgeneration Muslim seatonlyHalalmeat
comparedwith90%ofsecondgeneration consumers and
81%ofthirdgenerationfamilymembers(Chart 1).
WhatconstitutesHalalmeatcontinue stobesubject to
debatewithintheMuslim comm unitiesandvalidatingHalal
meatisdeterminedbyanumberofattributes. Forexample,
highlevelsofimportance areattachedtothefactthebutcher
isMuslim(Chart2),registering 4.3onascaleof1to5where
5isveryimportant.While consumersalsoindicatetheylook
foraHalalcertification logo
(registering4.2ontheimportance
scale),ofalmostequally high
importanceisiftheshopk eeper
testifiesthatthemeatisHalal.In
otherrespects,Muslimconsum ers
areconcernedaboutconvenience
andprice,lookforwhatthey
considertobethebestcutsand
aremoderatelyconcerne dabout
countryoforigin.
Allofthesefactorsareintegral
pre-requisitesirrespective ofhow
themeatisslaughtered.When it
comestotheslaughterprocess
itself,morethan80%of
respondentsholdtheviewthatthe
animalshouldbeconscious atthe
timeofslaughter(Chart 3).Asmall
number ,lessthan10%,takethe
viewthattheanimalshould be
unconsciousbutaliveatthetime
ofslaughter.Fornearly40%of
respondents,animalwelfareis
important:forasmallpercentag e
ofrespondents,animalwelfare is
moreimportantthanwhethe rthe
meatisHalalwhile5%holdthe
viewthathealthandsafety
standar dsoutweighslaughter
methods.
20
TheHalalConsumer (2)
0
1
2
3
4
5
Meanscores1=notatallimportant,5=veryimportant
Itisimportantthat
thebutcherisMuslim
Ilooktoseeifthemeat
iscertifiedHalal(logo)
Iftheshopkeepersays
itisHalalthatisfinebyme
Ishopforconvenience/price
Ilookforthepiece ofmeat
Iconsidertobethebest
Countryoforigin
A
B
C
D
E
F
A
B
C
D E
F
Chart 2
Attributes thatvalidate meat isHalal
FirstGeneration
SecondGeneration
ThirdGeneration
%
All 76-98% 51-75% 26-50%<25% None
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Chart 1
Proportion ofmeat/chicken consumption thatisHalal
(bygeneration)
Itisimportantthat
thebutcherisMuslim
Ilooktoseeifthemeat
iscertifiedHalal(logo)
Iftheshopkeepersays
itisHalalthatisfinebyme
Ishopforconvenience/price
Ilookforthepieceofmeat
Iconsidertobethebest
Countryoforigin
A
B
C
D
E
F
Chart 3
Halal slaughter process
Theanimalshouldbe
conciousattimeofslaughter
Animalwelfareisimportanttome
Theanimalshouldbeunconcious
butaliveattimeofslaughter
Iamnotconcernedaboutmethods
ofslaughterprovidingitadheres
tohealth&safetystandards
Iammoreconcernedwith
animalwelfarethanifthe
meatisHalalornot
A
B
C
D
E
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
A
B
C
D
E
Whichofthesestatementscomesclosesttoyourviews?
Howimportantarethesestatementstoyou?

23. Whenaskedtostate
spontaneouslytheir
understandingofHalalmeat,65%
ofrespondentssaidthataprayer
isofferedatthetimeofusinga
sharpknifewithalmostasmany
sayingthatslaughtershouldbein
accordancewithShariahlaw
(Chart4).Whilebetweenaquarter
andathirdofrespondents
mentionedalsothatnoother
animalsshouldseetheslaughter
andthattheshopkeepershould
confirmthemeatisHalal, 40%
statedtheyunderstoodthemeat
tobeHalaliftherewasaHalal
logointheretailpremises.
However,whenpromptedwitha
seriesofshowcards,respondents
showedadegreeofacceptability
thatHalalslaughterwasalso
characterisedbyarangeof
methodsthatreflectedthe
customsofamodernsociety.
Forexample,whenbuyingHalal
meat,19%ofrespondents
believedthattheanimalis
stunnedpriortoslaughter(Chart
5).MorebelievethattheirHalal
meathasbeenslaughtere dusing
amechanicalknifeandthatthe
prayerbeingofferedwasbytape
thanbelievethattheprayerwas
offeredinpersonandknife
slaughterwashand-delivered.
Giventheoverwhelming
importanceofHalalmeattothe
Muslimcommunities,theresearch
alsosoughttounderstandwhat
constitutednon-Halal (Haram )
meat.Formostrespondents
(80%),thismeanttheabsence ofa
prayer(Chart6).While50%of
respondentsbelievedthathaving
otheranimalsinproximitytothe
slaughterinvalidatedthemeatas
Halal,45%believedthatstunning
theanimalbeforeslaughter
renderedthemeatHaram.
Interestingly,40%believedthat
buyingmeatfromanon-Muslim
wouldrenderthemeat
unaccept able.
21
Chart 5
Slaughter methods usedforHalal meat purchased
Prayerofferedbytape
Mechanicalknifeslaughter
Knifeslaughteracross
thethroatmadeinperson
Prayerinpersonoffered
Animalscannotview
slaughterofotheranimals
Animalisstunned
Don’tknow
Iamhappywithanymethods
ofslaughterprovideditissafe,
cleanandhygenic
Prayernotofferedatall
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
A
B
C
D
E
F G
H
I
Chart 4
Understanding ofHalal meat
Prayerofferedatthetime
ofusingsharpknife
Animalslaughteredin
relationtoShariah
IfthereisaHalal logo
Nootheranimalscan
seetheslaughter
Iftheshopkeeper
saysit’sHalal
Don’tknow
Other
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
A
B
C
D
E
F G
WhatisyourunderstandingofHalalmeat?
Whichofthefollowingmethod sisusedonHalalmeatyoubuy?
Chart 6
Characteristics ofnon-Halal (Haram)
Prayernotoffered
Otheranimalsinproximity
toslaughter
Iftheanimalisstunned
Buyingfromanon-Muslim
Mechanicalknifeslaughter
IftheshopkeeperwasMuslim
andsaiditwasHalaland
youhaddoubts
Prayerofferedbytape
Other
Don’tknow
Spokenprayerbyperson
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
What doesnotconsti tuteHalalmeat?

24. Thestrengthofsuchviewswere
exploredfurtherbymeansofa
scoreanalysiswhereascore of1
indicatedstrongdisagree ment
and5strongagreement. This
showed(Chart7)thestrongest
agreementwasthatHalalmeat
shouldbeslaughteredby
traditionalmethodsandthat
animalsmustbefullyconscious at
slaughter.However,therewas
alsoameasu reofaccep tance that
Halalmeatcanincorporateboth
traditionalmethodsandthose
involvingnewtechnology. The
lowestmeanscoresforattitudes
suchasanimalscanbe
unconsciouswhenslaughte red
andthatmodernhealthandsafety
standar dsoutweighthe
importanceofHalalsuggesta
neutralstanceonthese views.
Despitethevariedinterpretations
thatareheldforHalalslaughter,
sixoutof10Muslimsbelievethatif
apersonofMuslimfaithsays
meatisHalal,thenitisHalalfor
thepurchase r(Chart8).This
suggeststhattheappare nt
complexitiesassociated with
determiningwhethermeatisHalal
maywellbesecondarytothe
simpledeclarationofaMuslim
andreinforcestheimportance of
theroleofthebutcher(as
indicatedinChart2).
STUNNI NG:ACCEPTORS
ANDREJECT ERS
Theresearchwentontoexplore
attitudestostunningbefore
slaughterandhowthatcompa red
withactualconsumption practice.
Respondentswereabletobe
dividedintotwogroupswherethe
notionthatanimalscould be
stunnedbeforeslaughte randstill
beclassifiedasHalalcreated
stunning‘acceptors’andstunning
‘rejecters’.Theoverwhelming
majority-76%-fellintothe
‘rejecter’category(Chart9).
22
Chart 7
Attitudes onHalal slaughter
Chart 8
Determining Halal meat slaughter
IfaMuslimsays
itisHalal,itisHalal
Buymeatclosest
tomyrequirements
Iknowthatmeatisnot
reallyHalalbutIbuyit
becausesomeonesaiditis
Ibuyitbecauseitis
convenient/cheap
A
B
C
D
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
A
B
C D
Chart 9
Acceptability ofHalal classification using stunning techniques
Veryacceptable
Fairlyacceptable
Neitheracceptable
orunacceptable
Fairlyunacceptable
Veryunacceptable
A
B
C
D
E
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
A
B
C
D
E
STUNNINGACCEPTORS
STUNNINGREJECTERS
0
1
2
3
4
5
Meanscores1=stronglydisagree,5=stronglyagree
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
Which ofthefollowinggeneralattitudestowardsslaughterforHalal meatdoyouagree/disagre ewith?
Slaughteredbytraditional
Islamicmethods
Animalsmustbefullyconcious
whenslaughtered
Halalmeatcanincorpo rateBOTH
traditonalandnewtechnology
Halalmeatcanfullyembrace
theuseoftechnologies
Halalstandardswereoriginally
introducedforhealth&safeltyreasons
Animalscanbeunconcious
whenslaughtered
Modernhealth&safetystandards
meanHalalislessimportant
A
B
C
D
E
F
G

25. Amoredetailed,demographicanalysis
ofthetwogroupsrevealedno
discerniblestatisticaldifferen ces
betweenthemforgender,age,
generation,socialclassandethnicity
exceptforTurkishMuslims(whowere
split50/50betweenaccepto rsand
rejecters)andamongABsocialclasses
(showinga40/60acceptor/rejecte r
split),indicatingmorepotentialfor
stunningtobeacceptab lewithin these
sub-groups.
Almostonethirdofrespondents(31%)
believedtheyboughtonlynon-stunned
meatfromtheircurrentsupplier (Chart
10)withslightlymore(36%)claiming
theydidnotknowwhethertheirretaile r
providednon-stunnedmeat.One
respondentinfivebelievedthattheir
retailerprovidedbothstunnedand
non-stunnedmeat;lessthan10%were
unconcernedwhetherthemeatwas
stunnedornotandevenfewer
believedtheirretailersoldonlymeat
fromanimalsthathadbeenstunned.
Therewas,however,amarked
differenceinattitudetobuying
betweenacceptorsandrejecters:
stunningrejectersareclearly more
inclinedtobuytheirmeatfrom
supplierswhosellonlynon-stunnedor
meatorbothstunnedandnon-
stunned(Chart11).Whatissignificant,
though,isthatnearlyoneinfourof
theserejecters(23%)didnotknow
whetherthemeatfromtheirsupplier
hadbeenstunnedornot.Thiswould
indicatethatevenforthose whoheld
thestrongtheologicalviewthatstunned
meatwasunaccep table,itnevertheless
didnotcreateanabsolutebarrierto
purchaseandconsumption.
23
Chart 11
Attitude tosupply ofunstunned meat
Yesallthemeatisunstunned
Bothstunned/unstunned
areprovided
Iamnotconcernedwhether
themeatisstunned
orunstunned
Noitdoesnotprovideany
unstunnedmeat
Don’tknow
A
B
C
D
E
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
A B C D E
Stunningunacceptable
Stunningacceptable
Chart 10
Awareness ofmethod ofslaughter
Don’tknow
Yesallthemeatisunstunned
Bothstunned/unstunned
areprovided
Iamnotconcernedwhetherthe
meatisstunnedorunstunned
Noitdoesnotprovideany
unstu nnedmeat
A
B
C
D
E
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
A
B
C
D
E
Doesyourcurrentbutcher/supermarket /supplierprovidemeatthatisunstunne d?
Doesyourcurrentmeatsupplierprovide unstunnedmeat?

26. Thereareparadoxeswithintheviewsofacceptors
andrejectersovertheirattitude totheIslamiclaw
thatdeemsallanimalsmustbeconscious at
slaughter.Forexample, those whobelievestunning
isacceptablenevertheless believethatslaughter
withoutstunning–describe dastraditiona lIslamic
methods-isalsoacceptable(Chart 12).Equally,
stunningrejectersalsotaketheviewthatHalalcan
embracetheuseofnewtechnologie sandcan
incorporatebothtraditional andnewtechnology
methodsofslaughter. Anynotion thatHalalisan
obsoleteconceptofdiminishing importance, even
amongaccept orsofstunning, isrejectedas
demonstratedbythelowestlevelsofagreement
attachedtotheattitudethatmodernhealth and
safetystandards render Halallessimportant andto
anyperceptionthatMuslims arehappywithnon-
Halalslaughtermethods.
MEAT PURCH ASEANDCONSU MPTION
MostMuslimconsumers –72%-buymeatatleast
onceaweekwithoneinfourbuying severa ltimes
aweek(Chart13).Across thegenerations, thereis
stillhighpurchase freque ncy:whilethirdgenera tion
Muslimsbuyonceaweekmuchmorethanfirstand
secondgenerations,morethan10%ofthemare
buyingmeatseveraltimesaweek
(Chart14).
24
Chart 12
Attitude towards slaughter bystunning/unstunning acceptors/rejecters Slaughteredbytraditional
Islamicmethods
Halalmeatcanfullyembrace
theuseoftechnologies
HalalmeatcanincorporateBOTH
traditionalandnewtechnologies
Halalstandardswereoriginally
introduced forhealthandsafety
Modernhealthandsafetystandards
meanHalalislessimportant
Animalsmustbefully
conciouswhenslaughtered
Animalscanbeunconcious
whenslaughtered
Iamhappywithnon-Halal
slaughtermethods
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
%
0
1
2
3
4
5
A B C D E F G H
Stunn ingunacceptable
Stunn ingacceptable
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
Daily Several
times
aweek
Atleast
once
aweek
Atleast
once
every
2weeks
Atleast
once
amonth
Chart 13
Frequency ofpurchase
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Daily Several
times
aweek
Atleast
once
aweek
Atleast
once
every
2weeks
Atleast
once
amonth
FirstGeneration
SecondGeneration
ThirdGeneration
Chart 14
Frequency ofpurchase bygeneration
Onaveragehowoftendoyoupurchasemeat
(chicken,lamb,mutton,beefandgoat)?
Onaveragehowoftendoyoupurchasemeat
(chicken,lamb,mutton,beefandgoat)?

27. Lambpurchaseisafeatureacrossall
ethnicgroups(Chart15)withhalfof
consumersinmostethnicgroupsbuying
onaweeklybasis;MuslimsofIndian
ethnicitybuylambwithlessfrequency
thanothergroups.
Beefpurchaseismostfrequentlythe
domainofAfrican,Indian,MiddleEastern
andTurkishethnicgroups(Chart16).
ThoseethnicgroupsfromIndiaand
Pakistanbuylessfrequentlyby
comparison.
Muslimfamiliesspendmoreonpoultry
thanonothermeat(Chart17).Around
halfofconsumersspendbetween£10
and£30amonthonpoultry;44%spend
asimilaramountonlamb/mutton.
25
Chart 15
Frequency oflambpurchased byethnicity
Indian PakistaniBangladeshiAfrican Turkish Middle
Eastern
Other
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Aboutonceaweekormore
Aboutonceamonth
Buylessoften/donotbuy
Chart 16
Frequency ofbeefpurchased byethnicity
Indian PakistaniBangladeshiAfrican Turkish Middle
Eastern
Other
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Aboutonceaweekormore
Aboutonceamonth
Buylessoften/donotbuy
Chart 17
Monthly spend onmeat
£0.01-4.99 £5-9.99 £10-19.99£20-29.99£30-39.99£40-49.99 £50+
%
0
10
20
30
40
Poultry
Lamb/Mutton
Beef

28. MostMuslimconsumers tendtoeatmeatregularly(Chart 18):
eightoutof10eatmeatatleastmostofthetimewithalmost
oneinthreeeatingmeatateverymeal(‘allthetime’).
Thereisnodiscerniblediffere ncebetween thegenerations.
Lamb/muttonandchicke naremostfrequently consumed
meats(Chart19);halftheresponde ntseatneithergoatnor
beef.
Beefconsumptionishighest amongMuslims ofAfrican,
MiddleEasternand‘other’ethnicity (Chart 20).
26
Lamb Mutton Beef Chicken Goat
%
Afew
times
aday
Atleast
once
aday
Afew
times
aweek
Atleast
once
aweek
Atleast
oncea
fortnight
Atleast
oncea
month
orless
Never
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Chart 19
Frequency ofmeat consumption bytypeofmeat
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Allthetime Mostofthetime Occasionally
Chart 18
Frequency ofmeat consumption
Indian Pakistani Bangladeshi African Turkish MiddleEastern Other
%
Atleastonceaweek
ormore
Atleastonce
afortnight
Atleastoncea
monthorless
Never
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Chart 20
Frequency ofbeefconsumption byethnicity
Howoftendoyoueatthefollowingmeats?
Howoftendoyoueatmeat
(chicken,lamb,mutton,beefandgoat)?

29. Thereareethnicdifferencesapparent
inmuttonconsumptionwiththose
MiddleEasternandotherethnicgroups
eatingmuttonmoreoftenthanthose
fromtheIndiansubco ntinent,Africa
andTurkey(Chart21).
Whenitcomestolambandmutton
consumption,chopsanddiced arethe
mostpopularcuts,withminced
lamb/muttonalsofeaturing frequently
(Chart22).
27
Indian Pakistani BangladeshiAfrican Turkish MiddleEastern Other
%
Atleastonceaweek
ormore
Atleastonce
afortnight
Atleastoncea
monthorless
Never
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Chart 21
Frequency ofmutton consumption byethnicity
Aboutonceaweekormore
Aboutonceamonth
Aboutonceeveryfewmonths
Don’tknow
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
Whole
lamb/
mutton
Whole
leg/shoulder
oflamb/
mutton
Diced
lamb/
mutton
Lamb/
mutton
chops
Lamb/
mutton
neck
Lamb/
mutton
offal
Lamb/
mutton
mince
(mincedby
butcher)
Chart 22
Frequency oflambconsumption bycut

30. Almost80%ofresponde ntsbuy
meatfreshfromthebutche r’s
counterwithlittleincidence of
pre-packe d/frozenpurchase
(Chart23).Thisisacomm on
featureacrossthegenerations,
though secondandthird
generationMuslimsaremore
inclinedtobuypre-packa gedon
occasi ons(Chart24).
Whilerespondentswereincline d
verymuchtobuyfreshmeat,they
tendtofreezetheirpurcha sesat
home –76%ofresponde ntswill
freeze freshmeatpurcha sesat
leastsomeofthetime(Chart 25).
28
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
FirstGeneration
SecondGeneration
ThirdGeneration
Alwaysfreshfrom
thebutcherscounter
Wholecarcassthat
Ibutcherathome
Sometimesfreshfrom
thecounterandsometimes
pre-pac kaged
Alwayspre-packagedfresh
Pre-packagedfrozen
A B C D E
A
B
C
D
E
Chart 24
Fresh/packaged meat preferences bygeneration
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
All
ofthem
Most
ofthem
Some
ofthem
None
ofthem
Chart 25
Proportion offresh purchases thatarefrozen
Alwaysfreshfrom
thebutcherscounter
Wholecarcassthat
Ibutcherathome
Sometimesfreshfrom
thecounterandsometimes
pre-packaged
Alwayspre-packagedfresh
Pre-packagedfrozen
A
B
C
D
E
Chart 23
Fresh/packaged meat preferences
Alwaysfreshfrom
thebutcherscounter
Wholecarcassthat
Ibutcherathome
Sometimesfreshfrom
thecounterandsometimes
pre-pac kaged
Alwayspre-packagedfresh
Pre-packagedfrozen
A
B
C
D
E
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
A
B
C
D E

31. MEATPURCHASINGOUTLETS
Giventheperceivedimportanceof
HalalmeattoMuslimconsumers,
itislittlesurprisethatmorethan
halfactivelyseekoutHalalmeat
butchers/supplierstobuytheir
meat(Chart26)withafurther15%
addingthattheyactivelyseek
thosewhocomplystrictly with
Halalguidelines.Thereisahigh
degreeoftrustamongMuslim
consumersintheirbutchers:
almostoneinthreetendtobelieve
andtrustthepersonselling meat
andbelieve/trustthemwhen they
saymeatisHalal.Thereisatiny
minoritywhorefusetobelievethat
trueHalalmeatisavailable.
Almostone-thirdofmeatprovided
bybutchers,supermarketsor
othersupplierswasperceivednot
tobestunnedwithafurther20%
believingsupplytobea
combinationofstunnedandnon-
stunnedmeat(Chart27).
Thatsaid,82%ofrespondents
expressed confidencethattheir
currentretailermettheirHalal
requirements(Chart28).This
wouldsuggestthatmuchofthe
onusformeetingHalal
requirementsisbeingdivestedto
thebutcherand,arguably,ifthe
retailertookstepstopreserv eor
promotetheirHalalcredibility,
consumerswouldbemorelikelyto
endorsethemaccordingly.
29
Chart 27
Knowledge ofsuppliers ofstunned/unstunned meat
Don’tknow
Yesallthemeatisunstunned
Bothstunned/unstunned
areprovided
Iamnotconcernedwhether
themeatisstunned or
unstunned
Noitdoesnotprovide
anyunstunnedmeat
A
B
C
D
E
Chart 26
General attitude towards suppliers ofHalal meat
IactivelyseekoutHalalmeat
butchers/suppliers
Itendtobelieve/trusttheperson
sellingthemeatandiftheysay
it’sHalalIbelieve/trustthem
IactivelyseekoutHalalmeat
butchers/supplierswhocomply
strictlywithHalalguidelines
Idon’tbelievetrue
Halalmeatisavailable
Noneofthese
Don’tknow
A
B
C
D
E
F
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
A
B
C
D FE
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
A
B
C
D E
Doesyourcurrentbutcher/supermarket/supplierprovidemeatthatisunstunne d?
Chart 28
Confidence thatretailer ismeeting Halal requirements
Veryconfident
Fairlyconfident
Neither
Notconfident
Notatallconfident
Iamnotconcerned
thattheydon’tmeet
myrequirements
A
B
C
D
E
F
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
A
B
C
D FE
Howconfidentareyouthatyourmainmeat butcher/supermarket/supplier meets yourHalal standards?

32. Ananalysisofthedriversof
satisfaction(asexpressedby
mean scoresonascaleof1to10
withverygoodbeing10)showed
thatqualityofthemeatsold
followedcloselybythelevelof
assurance(intheformofa
certificateoraccreditation logo)
rankedhighest(Chart29).
MostMuslimconsumers areto
somedegreehappy withthe
availabilityofHalalmeatintheUK
(Chart30).
HALALCERTIFICATION
RecognitionofthelogosofHalal
certificationbodieswasgenerally
low(Chart31).ThatoftheHalal
FoodAuthority(HFA)wasthemost
recognisedlogo(by37%of
respondents).Furtheraspectsof
theresearchshowedittobefairly
importantratherthanvery
important.
30
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
AvailabilityofmeatintheUK
AvailabilityofHalalmeatintheUK
Very
happy
Fairly
happy
Neither
happyor
unhappy
Notvery
happy
Not
atall
happy
Chart 30
Levels ofsatisfaction ofavailability
ofmeat andHalal meat intheUK
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Yes
No
Don’tknow
Chart 31
Recognition ofaccreditation logos
0123456789 10
Qualityofmeat
LevelofassuranceofHalalmeateg.certificate ,logo
Cleanlinessofshop
Price
Rangeofmeat
Responsivenesstocustomerrequests
Friendlinessofstaff
Informativeeg.specialoffers,recommendations
Extraserviceseg.homedelivery
Recipecards/leaflets
Meanscores1=notgoodatall,10=verygood
Chart 29
Drivers ofsatisfaction ofmeat butcher/supermarket/supplier

33. EATINGOUT
Wheneatingout,70%ofMuslim
consumersindicatetheywillonly
eatinHalalestablishments(Chart
32).Afurther18%ofconsumers
willnoteatmeatifaHalal
restaurantisnotavailable.This
responseisrelativelyuniform
acrossthegenerations(Chart33)
thoughsecondandthird
generationMuslimsaremore
inclinedthanthoseofthefirst
generationtoeatatnon-Halal
establishments,albeittheyare
likelytochoosenon-meatmeals.
31
Chart 33
Attitudes toeating outbygeneration
IonlyeatatHalalestablishment s
ItrytoeatatHalaloutlets-ifnot
availableIeatatnon-Ha laloutlets
butchoosenon-meatmeals
Iamnotconcernediftheoutlets
areHalalornotandwilleatHalal/
non-Halalmeats
ItrytoeatatHalaloutlets-ifnot
availableIeatatnon-Ha laloutlets
andwilleatnon-Ha lalmeat meals
A
B
C
D
Chart 32
Attitudes toeating out
IonlyeatatHalalestablishmen ts
ItrytoeatatHalaloutlets-ifnot
availableIeatatnon-Halaloutlets
butchoosenon-meatmeals
Iamnotconcernediftheoutlets
areHalalornotandwilleatHalal/
non-Halalmeats
ItrytoeatatHalaloutlets-ifnot
availableIeatatnon-Halaloutlets
andwilleatnon-Halalmeatmeals
A
B
C
D
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
A
B
C
D
%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
FirstGeneration
SecondGeneration
ThirdGeneration
A B C D
INCONCLUSION
Althoughthisresearch
establishestheviews,
knowledgeandunderstan ding
oftheMuslimcommunityon
issuessuchascertification
organisationsforHalalmeat
andthestunningofanimals,
theseissuesarebynomeans
front-of-mindor
spontaneouslydiscussedby
theMuslimcommunity.
Ourresearchershadtoprobe
toextracttheviewsand
observationscontainedinthis
report,indicatingthatfor
Muslims,buyingHalalmeatis
aculturalnormandbuyingit
fromHalalsuppliersisan
acceptedpartofeveryday,
normalroutine.
Opportunitiestodevelopthe
marketfurthermayliein
appealingtoyoungerMuslim
consumerswithawider range
ofmodernHalalproducts.
Therewouldappeartobea
latentdemand,forexample,
forconvenienceproductssuch
asreadymealsandprepared
sandwichesusingHalalmeats
aswellasawiderrangeofcuts.

34. Despitereassurancesbythecompanies concernedthattheir
menuitemsreallyareHalal,manyMuslimshavequestioned
this.Somearguethatanyenvironmentwhich servesnon-
Halalmeat,porkoralcoholmustbeavoidedbyMuslims
sincetheenvironmentitselfisnotHalal.Debates oninternet
forumsalsosuggestthereissomeconfusionamongcertain
sectionsoftheMuslimcommunityaboutHalalslaughter
methods.Suchuseofinternetforumsandinterestinfast
foodchainssuggeststheconfusionislikelytobeamongthe
youngergenerationofMuslims,anditispossible thatthisis
fuelledbydebateaboutthevaryingslaughtermethods
advocatedbythedifferentcertifica tionagencies.
HalalMeatCertification
FourUKorganisationswereidentifiedduringthisresearch,
allofwhichclaimtomonitor,inspectandcertifyHalalfood
andmeatproducts.However,theorganisationsappearto
beworkinginisolation, witheachoffering itsownspecific
certification.Thisisnotdissimilar toothersectorsofthe
Muslimcommunity,whereitisoftendifficult toidentifyone
organisationasthe‘official’ voiceofMuslims.
ThefiveUKorganisationsare:
HalalFoodAuthority(HFA)
www.halalfoodauthority.co.uk
HFAwasestablishedin1994asavoluntary, ‘notforprofit’
organisation.Ithasalargewebpresen ceandclaims tohave
introducedauniquesystem ofidentifyingHalalmeatfrom
non-halalbytaggingforauthenticityofHalalonthe
carcasees,soonafterslaughteratabattoirs.
TheHFApositionisthatmonitoredstunningbeforeslaugh ter
ispermissible.Itencouragesthehand-slaughteringmethod
butsaysthatmechanical slaughteringcanbeacceptab le
wheretheprocess ofslaugh tering iscontrolledbyan
adequatenumberoflicensedMuslimslaughtermen.
HalalMonitoringCommittee
www.halalmc.co.uk
Establishedin2003,HMCaimstoregulateandateverypoint
inspectHalalproductsfromthesourcestotheconsumer.Its
websiteclaimsanaccessib ledatabaseofHMC-certified
butchers,restaurantsandtakeawaysinBritain.
HMChasablanketpolicydisallowingstunninginanyform.
AllThingsHalal
www.athalal.com
AllThingsHalalcertifiesfoodproductsandfood
establishments,andclaimstoholdthelargest up-to-date
Halalfoodcompanyinformationonline.
Noinformationisavailableaboutpreferred slaughter
methods.
32
Appendix1
DESKRESEARCH
Priortoboththequalitative andquantitative research,
theresultsofwhicharecontained inthisreport, an
intensiveperiodofthoroug hdeskresearchtook
place.Thefindingsofthatdeskresearchcanbe
presentedunderthreemainheadings:
•BackgroundtoHalalmeatintheUK
•OverviewoftheMuslim community intheUK
•ProfilesofindividualMuslimcommunities
byethnicity
HALALMEATINTHEUK
MuslimdietaryrulesaresetoutintheKoran,which
laysdownregulationsrelating specifically tomeat
consumptionandwhatconstitute sthemeattobe
Halal–orlawful.MeatbecomesHalalonlywhenthe
animalisslaughteredaccord ingtoreligious
regulation.However,ambiguitiesonauthentic
slaughteringprocedures havearisenasaresult of
Koranicguidelinesbeing interpreteddifferently.
MuslimsviewtheKoran, believingittobethewordof
God,astheprimarysource ofIslamiclaw.However,
variousschoolsofthought haveemergedindifferent
partsoftheIslamicworld,eachinterpreting theKoran
intheirownway,accord ingtotheirgeographical
location.Itisthiswhich cansometimesleadto
differencesinopinionwithin Islamonthematterof
thecorrectmethodofslaughter.
LeadingaHalallifestyleintheUK
Halal,ofcourse,doesnotapplyonlytorulesrelating
tofoodandalcoholbutequally tomattersof
business,financeandindeedlifestyleingenera l.
Many practisingMuslimswishtoensure everyaspect
oftheirlifestyleisconducted inamannerwhich is
Halal,i.e.permissiblewithin Islam.
Thishasanimpact on,forexample,those
mainstreamfastfoodrestaurantchainswhich have
trialledHalalmeatproducts instoreswhere thereis
alocaldeman dforHalalproducts.Therestaurant
chainsconcernedhaveontheonehandattempted to
reassuretheirnon-Muslimcustom ersthattheyare
stilladheringtoanimalwelfare legislationwhileatthe
sametimeconvincingtheirMuslimclientele thatthe
meatandpoultrytheyservereallyisHalal.

35. TheMuslimFoodBoard(UK)
www.tmfb.net
TheMuslimFoodBoard(UK)claims toofferconsulta ncyand
researchaswellasauthentication ofproductsforHalaa l(its
spelling)consumption.Informa tiononitswebsite doesnot
setoutitspreferredmethodofslaughter.
TheEurope anHalalDevelopmentAgency (EHDA)
www.eh da.co.uk
TheEHDAclaimstohaveproduce danadvanced European
HalalStandard(EHS),compiledbyleading technica land
religiousexperts,toensure allareasofHalalcertification and
auditingarecoveredfromfarmtoplateandtodeliver 100%
HalalAssurancetotheMuslim consum er.Thisstanda rdis
saidtoreflectBritishEN45011requirements.
Internationally,thereappearstobetwokeybodies:
TheWorld HalalCouncil(WHC)
TheWHCwasestablished in1999asafederation ofHalal
certifyingbodiesworldwidewiththeaimtostandardisethe
Halalcertificationandaccreditation process among member
organisationsrepresenting differentcountries and
nationalitiesworldwide.
EuropeanAssociatio nofHalalCertifiers(AHC)
www.ah c-europe.org
ThisisanIslamic,independent,non-p rofitandnon-
governmental(NGO) institution withmembersfromBelgium ,
Bosnia,France,Germany,Spain,theNetherlands, Turkey and
theUK.Itaimstocreateco-operation andfacilitateactivities
amongstitsmember organisations andtobethereferentia l
institutionforHalalaffairs inEurope.
OVERV IEWOFTHEMUSLIMCOMMUNITY INTHEUK
Mostofthebodyofresearchthatcurrently exists aboutthe
MuslimcommunityintheUKrelatessolely tothePakistani
andBangladesh icommunities, asthesearethelargestand
bestestablishedoftheMuslimgroups. Thisisparticula rly
trueofanyresearchconducted beforethe2001Census. In
addition,giventhatPakistanis andBangladeshisaccount for
59%oftheUKMuslimpopula tion,theirprofiles tendtodrive
theoverallfiguresontheMuslimcommunity.
Forthepurposesofthisresearch,wehavetriedtounpick this
wherewecanandhavespecifically referred tootherMuslim
groups whereinformationrelatingtothesmallerMuslim
commu nitiesisavailable.
PopulationSizeandProfile–2001Census
The2001CensusfoundthatMuslimswerethesecondlargest
religiousgroupinBritain,afterChristians,withapopulation of
1.6million,comprising3%ofthetotalpopulation.
TheprofileoftheMuslimpopulation atthattimewasas
shownbelow.Thetableshowsthataroundthree-quarters of
BritishMuslimswerefromaSouthAsianbackgro undin2001.
LaterPopulationEstimates–LabourForce Survey
Theearliestsuitablefaithpopulationestimates usingthe
LabourForceSurvey(LFS)datefrom2004.Whilethereare
severalmethodologicalreasonswhyLFSdatashouldnotbe
directlycomparedwithCensusdata,itisneverthelessuseful
toreviewtheselaterfigures.
Estimatesbased onLFSdatasuggestthatthetotalMuslim
populationincreasedbyhalfamillionpeople(or30%)
betweenthethirdquarterof2004andthesameperiodin
2008,toatotalof2.4million.TheLFSestimates thatthetotal
numberofMuslimsinGreatBritain hasincreasedsteadily
between2004and2008, asfollows:
33
TotalMuslim Population
South Asianorigin
-Indian
-Pakistani
-Bangl adeshi
-Other Asian
WhiteBritishorigin
OtherWhiteorigin
(Turkish,Cypriot,
Arab&Easter nEuropea n)
Blackorigin
(predom inantlyofBlack African
origine.g.Nigeria,Somalia)
Mixedorigin
Chinese/other
100
74
-8
-43
-16
-6
4
7
7
4
4
%ofMuslim
Population
Origins ofUKMuslims
1,591,000
1,172,886
-132,566
-686,179
-261,380
-92,761
63,891
117,713
107,43 1
65,592
60,471
Nos.
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
1,870
2,017
2,142
2,327
2,422
Populationnos
(thousands)
Number ofMuslims inBritain:
Jul-Sept2004 to2008
n/a
+7.9
+6.2
+8.6
+4.1
%increase
yearonyear

36. TheprofileproducedbytheLFSin2007-8 issimilar tothat
ofthe2001Census,inthatthePakistanipopulation remains
byfarthelargestgroup within theMuslim community.
Bangladesh isandotherSouth Asiansaccount fora
considerableproportion ofBritishMuslims intheLFSasthey
didinthe2001Census.However,theLFSdatashows a
relativelyhighproportionof‘Other’ethnicgroupswithin the
Muslimpopulation.
PopulationDistribution –2001Censusfigures
Thehighestareasofpopulationconcentrationin2001–by
absolutenumbersandbypercentageofpopulation -are
shownbelow.
AgeDistribution–2001Censusand2008 LFSfigures
Muslimshadtheyoungestageprofile ofallthereligious
groupsinGreatBritainin2001.AboutathirdofMuslims (34%)
wereunder16years ofagein2001,compare dto18%of
Christianswhofellwithinthesameagebracket.
TheLFSconductedbetwee nJulyandSeptember 2008
producedverysimilarfiguresfortheMuslimpopulation
(basedonanestimatedtotalpopulation sizeof2.42million ).
PROFILESOFINDIVIDUALMUSLIMCOMMUNITIES
Thefollowingtablesarebased onthe2001Censusfigures
Afghans
34
TotalMuslimPopul ation
British
OtherWhite
Indian
Pakistani
Bangladeshi
OtherAsian
BlackAfrican
OtherBlack
WhiteandAsian
OtherMixed
WhiteandBlackCaribbean
WhiteandBlackAfrican
BlackCaribbean
Chinese
Other
100
-4
-4
-8
-40
-14
-6
-7
-1
-1
-1
-
-
-
-
-14
%ofMuslim
Population
OriginsofGBMusli ms:
July2007toJune2008
2,379
-95
-97
-189
-953
-335
-131
-170
-17
-23
-21
*
*
*
*
-339
Nos
(thousands)
1.Birmingham
2.Bradford
3.TowerHamlets
4.Newham
5.Kirklees
6.Manchester
7.WalthamForest
8.Brent
9.Ealing
10.Leicester
MuslimAreasofConcentration
140,017
75,201
71,383
59,290
39,323
35,825
32,904
32,301
31,028
30,875
Number ofPeople
1.TowerHamlets
2.Newham
3.BlackburnwithDarwen
4.Bradford
5.WalthamForest
6.Luton
7.Birmingham
8.Hackne y
9.Pendle
10.Slough
MuslimAreasofConcentration
36.40%
24.31%
19.40%
16.08%
15.07%
14.62%
14.33%
13.76%
13.43%
13.35%
%ofPopulat ion
0-15
16-34
35-64
65andover
TOTAL
34
37
25
4
100
Muslim%AgeGroup
18
22
41
19
100
Christian%
25
35
34
6
100
Sikh%
21
33
39
7
100
Hindu%
0-15
16-34
35-64
65andover
TOTAL
AgeGroup
12
34
49
5
100
Buddhist%
17
22
39
22
100
Jewish%
10
32
49
9
100
Other%
0-15
16-34
35-64
65andover
TOTAL
33
37
27
4
100
AgeGroup Muslim %
TotalAfghan Population intheUK
14,876 peoplelivingintheUKrecorded theirplace
ofbirthasAfghanistan inthe2001 census
10,526 or70.78% areMuslims
0to14
15to44
45to65
65andover
3,036
10,262
1,174
404
PopulationSizeAgeGroup
20%
69%
8%
3%
%ofAfghans

37. Communitysourcesnowestima tethattherearebetween
40,000 and50,000AfghansintheUK.Mostwhohavecome
totheUKhavebeenrefuge eswhocameinthelate1990s
followingtheemergenceoftheTalibanregimein1996and
theUSAairstrikesin1998.Evenbeforetherecentconflict ,
around800,000hadlosttheirhomesasaresult ofdrought
andthepoliticalsituation.
Many peoplewhocametotheUKwerefromtheprofessiona l
classes andheldmoderatepoliticalviews. Withtheeasingof
thepoliticalsituationinAfghanistan, theUKgovernm enthas
introducedstrictercontrols onasylum applications from
Afghans,apackageofassistance forthose peoplewho
choose togohomevolunta rily,aswellasenforced returns for
failedasylumseekers.Despitethis,however ,Afghanistan
wasthefifthhighestcountry oforigin forasylum seekers in
2005.
Bangladeshis
Bangladeshimigrationwasslightlydiffere ntfromIndianor
Pakistanimigration.WhilemanyBangladeshimencame to
Britaininthemid-1960s, theywaited longertobringtheir
familiestoBritain.Theresultwasthat,whilesome oldermen
havebeeninBritainfortwentyorthirtyyears,theirfamilies
mayhavearrivedrelative lyrecently,withthepeakphaseof
migrationinthe1980s. MostBangladesh ipeopleinBritain
comefromtheruralareaofSylhetinNorthEastBangladesh .
Theirfamilybackgroundswereinlandholdingorfarming.
NinetytwopercentofBangladeshipeopleinBritainare
Muslims.
Accordingtoresearch,Bangladesh ipeoplehadthelowest
levelsoffluencyinEnglishofalltheethnicgroupssurveyed,
with24%claimingitastheirmainlanguage.Bengaliisthe
nationallanguageofBangladesh andisthemainlanguage
readamongnon-Englishspeakers.Themostcommo n
spokenlanguageisSylheti,adialect ofBengalispokeninthe
Sylhetregionandwhich isnotwritten.
Bangladeshisareoneofthemostdepriv edcommunitiesin
socio-economictermswithover73%ofthepopulation inthe
DEsocio–economicgroup.Theemploymen trateofthe
communityasawholeis39%,thelowestamongstallthe
establishedethnicminoritygroups.
Bangladeshishavethelargestaveragehouseholdsizein
GreatBritainat4.46peopleandhouseholdsaremorelikely
tocontainbothdependentchildren andextendedfamilies.
35
0to15
16to24
25to49
50to59
60to64
65to72
75andover
107,9 45
55,19 1
90,68 8
10,54 0
7,398
7,391
1,677
PopulationSizeAgeGroup
38%
20%
32%
4%
3%
3%
1%
%ofBangladeshis
TotalBanglade shiPopulation intheUK283,063
1.Ealing
2.Hounslow
3.Brent
4.Harrow
5.WestMidlands
6.Barnet
7.Hillingdon
8.RichmondUponThames
9.GreaterMancheste r
10.Newham
AfghanAreasofConcentration
2,459
1,357
1,129
1,021
1,019
666
551
405
390
319
No.ofPeople
1.TowerHamlets
2.Newham
3.Birmingham
4.Camden
5.Oldham
6.Luton
7.Hackney
8.Westminster
9.Bradford
10.Islington
Bangladeshi AreasofConcentration
65,558
21,462
20,812
12,574
9,821
7,633
5,963
5,003
4,957
4,237
No.ofPeople
1.TowerHamlets
2.Newham
3.Camden
4.Oldham
5.Luton
6.CityofLondon
7.Hackney
8.Westminster
9.Islington
10.Birmingham
Bangladeshi AreasofConcentration
33.43%
8.80%
6.35%
4.52%
4.14%
3.84%
2.94%
2.76%
2.41%
2.13%
%ofPopul ation

38. Egyptians
Indians
PeopleofIndianoriginintheUKmainlycamefromthe
regionsofthePunjabandGujarat,withmigration reaching a
peakinthelate1960sandearly1970s. Althoug hthereare
highnumbersofIndianMuslims inIndia,themajority ofthose
whomigratedtotheUKwereHindu andSikh.Indian
MuslimsintheUKmainly hailfromGujara torEastAfrica(i.e.
theyortheirfamiliesfirstmigratedfromtheIndiansub-
continenttoEastAfrica,mainlyUgandaandKenya).This
secondgroupissometimesreferred toas‘EastAfrican
Asians’andtheytendtohaveamoreurbanandmiddleclass
background.
Itisalsoworthbearin ginmindthatreligio usaffiliation within
theIndiancommunityisverydiverse,thusitisdifficultto
provideanaccuratepicture oftheIndianMuslimcommunity.
Bytheearly1990s,Asians(mostlyGujaratis orEastAfrican
Asians)werethoughttoownover90%oftheindependent
grocerswithintheM25and65%nationally.Thesefiguresare
nowfallingassecondandthirdgeneratio nsappeartohave
littleenthusiasmforcarryingonwiththefamilybusinessand
thereisincreasedcompetitionfromlargersupermarkets.
Anecdotalevidencesugge ststhatindependentpharmacies
arenowthepreferredretailoptionwithin theIndian
community.
Iranians
NB:Iranwasthemostpopular country oforigin forasylum seekers in
2004and2005, therefore many community leaders believe thesize
ofIranian community ismuch larger.
OnerecentstudyfoundthattheIraniancommun itywasthe
seventhmosteconomicallysuccessfulethnicgroupinthe
country.
36
TotalEgyptianPopula tionintheUK
24,705peopleborninEgyptin2001census
8,317or33.67%wereMuslims
TotalGujaratiPopul ationintheUK
Noofficialfiguresbutestimatedtobe300-350,000
13%ofIndiansidentified themse lvesasMuslimsin2001
0to14
15to44
45to65
65andover
1,542
6,417
11,031
5,715
PopulationSizeAgeGroup
6%
26%
45%
23%
%ofEgypt ians
1.Westminster
2.Surrey
3.KensingtonandChelsea
4.GreaterManchester
5.WestMidlands
6.Ealing
7.Barnet
8.Brent
9.Hampshire
10.Kent
EgyptianAreasofConce ntration
877
760
758
719
710
674
639
634
620
588
No.ofPeople
2001UK
Population
1991UK
Population
%Increase
since1991
Male:Female
Ratio
TotalMuslims
%Muslims
1,053,411
-
-
50:50
62,430
13.69%
India
Country
ofBirth
129,635
112,422
15%
50:50
14,534
11.21%
Kenya
32,635
-
-
51:49
7,740
23.72%
Tanzania
55,207
-
-
51:49
7,751
14.04%
Uganda
TotalIranian Population intheUK
42,495 peoplewereregistered ashaving been borninIran
inthe2001Census -25,722 or60.53 %were Musli ms
0to14
15to44
45to65
65andover
2,867
24,807
11,816
3,005
PopulationSizeAgeGroup
7%
58%
28%
7%
%ofIranians
1.Barnet
2.Greater Manchester
3.Ealing
4.Westminster
5.Kensi ngton andChelsea
6.WestMidlands
7.Brent
8.Camden
9.Tyne&Wear
10.Surrey
IranianAreasofConcentration
3,039
2,399
2,225
1,616
1,408
1,361
1,276
1,182
1,150
1,111
No.ofPeople

39. Iraqis
Pakistanis
PakistanipeoplecametotheUKmainlyfromruralareasin
Azad, KashmirandMirpur.Thefirstgeneration wereafairly
homogeneouspopulation,typicallyholdingfewformal
qualifications.Justunderoneinfivemigrantswhoarrived
aged16orolderhadatleastAlevelequivalentqualificatio ns,
whilearoundtwothirdshadnoformalqualifications. Many
PakistanipeopleinBritainworkedinmillsandfactorieswhen
theyfirstarrived,andthecommunityhasbeenseriou sly
affectedbythedeclineofmanufacturingindustry inthose
areas.JustliketheBangladeshicommunity,92%of
PakistanisinBritainareMuslims.
Accordingtoresearchconductedin1994,overhalfof
Pakistanipeoplewereconfidentreadingandunderstanding
English.UrduisthenationallanguageofPakistanandthe
mostcommonlanguagereadamongolderPakistanis.
However,mostPakistanis speakUrduandPunjabi/Mirpu rias
PunjabiistheregionallanguageintheareaofPakistan from
whichmostBritishPakistanisoriginate(Mirpu riisalocal
dialectofPunjabi).Indeed,thosewhohavehadlessformal
educationmayspeakonlyPunjabi/Mirpuriandthisisthe
caseforsomeolderwomen.
ThePakistanicommunityisoneofthemostdisadvantagedin
theUKandsuffersfromhighunemploymen trates,poor
housingconditionsandrelatedhealthproblems. Peopleare
lesslikelytohaveacadem icqualifications.40%ofPakistani
womenand27%ofPakistanimenhadnoqualification sin
2001.Oneinsix(16%)ofthepopulationwasunemplo yed.
ThePakistaniextendedfamilyoftenlivestogetherandso
familiesmaybelargeandhomesovercrowded.
In2001,oneinseven(14%)Pakistanisofworkingagewerein
amanagerialorprofession algroupbutalarger proportion
(23%)wereinaroutineormanualoccupationalgroup,the
reverseofthepatternobservedformostethnicgroups.There
wasalsoasignificantgenderdifferen ce,withPakistani men
ofworkingagealmosttwiceaslikelyasPakistaniwomento
beinamanagerialorprofessionaloccupation algroup.The
relativelysmallproportion ofwomenclassified toany
occupationalgroupreflected thelargeproportion ofPakistani
womenofworkingagewhowereeconomically inactive.
Morethantwo-fifths(44%) ofPakistaniwomen ofworking
agewereclassifiedasneverhavingworkedorbeinglong-
termunemployed.
Popularformsofemploym entforfirstandsecondgeneration
Pakistanisareindependentretailers orcaterersservingthe
community,garmentfactoriesandminicabbusinesses.
MuslimmenaresixtimesmorelikelythanChristian sorthose
withnoreligiontobetaxidrivers.Self-employmentisstillvery
popularwithinthecommunity.Aroundafifth(22%)of
Pakistanipeopleinemploymentareself-employed .
37
TotalIraqiPopulation intheUK
32,231peopleregistered ashavingbeen borninIraq
21,961or68.13%wereMuslims
0to14
15to44
45to65
65andover
3,115
18,990
7,764
2,362
PopulationSizeAgeGroup
10%
59%
24%
7%
%ofIraqis
1.Ealing
2.Westminster
3.WestMidlands
4.Brent
5.GreaterManchester
6.WestYorkshire
7.KensingtonandChelsea
8.Barnet
9.KingstonuponTham es
10.HammersmithandFulha m
IraqiAreasofConcentration
3,043
2,026
1,865
1742
1,614
1,114
1,007
932
839
784
No.ofPeople
0to14
15to44
45to65
65andover
19,292
191,956
82,565
27,371
PopulationSizeAgeGroup
6%
60%
26%
9%
%ofPakistanis
1.Bradford
2.Pendle
3.Slough
4.Birmingham
5.Luton
6.BlackburnwithDarwen
7.Newham
8.WalthamForest
9.Rochdale
10.Kirklees
PakistaniAreasofConce ntration
14.54%
13.42%
12.06%
10.65%
9.23%
8.74%
8.46%
7.92%
7.71%
6.83%
%ofPopulat ion
TotalPakistaniPopulation intheUK747,285

40. Somalis
TheSomalicommunity hasbeenintheUKsincetheturnof
the20thcentury.Britain hashistorica llybeenclosely
connectedtoSomalia throug hthecolonisa tionofSomaliland
in1897.Thisledtoseamen fromthecitiesandruralareas of
Somal ilandmigratingtotheUKtoworkandliveinthe
docklandareasofLondon, CardiffandLiverpoolintheearly
20thcentury.Duetoashortageofjobsinthissector fromthe
1960sonwards,many Somaliseamenwenttoworkinthe
steelindustryinthenorthofEnglandasitexpand edandthey
werelaterjoinedbytheirwives.
However,thelatestphase ofmigration fromSomaliahas
occurredasaresultofthecivilwarperiodof1980s and
1990s.Initially,thesemigrantsweremainlywomen and
childrenseekingasylum, butmoremenhavesincearrived.
Somal iswhohaveapplie dforasylum intheUKhavetended
toliveincitieswheretheyalreadyhadrelativese.g.London,
Manch ester,SheffieldandBirmingham .Others havelivedin
othercitiesandtownsaround theUKwhileawaiting their
casedecisions.
Theprecisesocio-econom icprofile isnotknown, butthisis
likelytobeapredominantly DEaudience.Research shows
thatmany arefromprofessional andbusiness backgrounds,
yetthereislittleevidence toindicatethegradualintegration
ofSomal isintotheBritishlabourforce.There ismore
evidenceofoccupational andsocialdowngrading.
Throughrestrictionsonbirthcontro landacultural emphasis
onfemalefertility,SomaliMuslimfamiliestendtobelarge-to
havesixorsevenchildren isnotunusual.Newarrivalsoften
havedifficultyfindingsomewheretolive,andtakeadvantage
ofnormsoffamilyorclanobliga tiontomoveinwithrelatives.
Thisinturncanleadtoovercrowdin gwhich inturncanresult
inillhealth.
Turkish
Thesefiguresdonotbreakdown thenumber ofCyprio ts
livingintheUKwhoareofGreekorTurkishorigin,although
communityleadersestimatetheGreek:Turkishratioto
be80:20.
Althoughtherearenoofficialfigures,thetotalpopulatio nwho
considerthemselvestobeofTurkishextractio nisaround
200,000people.
38
TotalSomaliPopulation intheUK
43,532Somalibornpeoplewererecordedin2001Census
0to14
15to44
45to65
65andover
12,196
26,450
3,349
1,537
PopulationSizeAgeGroup
28%
61%
8%
4%
%ofSomali
1.Newham
2.Haringey
3.Camden
4.GreaterManchester
5.SouthYorkshire
6.Islington
7.HammersmithandFulham
8.WestMidlands
9.Lambeth
10.Southwark
SomaliAreasofConcentration
3,163
2,194
1,904
1,367
1,314
1,226
1,197
1,012
982
981
No.ofPeople
TotalTurkish Population intheUK
54,088 peopleborninTurkey living inUKtoday
40,397 or74.7% areMuslims
TotalTurkish Cypriot Population intheUK
78,000 peopleborninCyprus living inUKtoday
17,949 or23.11% areMuslims
0to14
16to44
45to64
75andover
6,010
38,686
7,733
1,659
PopulationSizeAgeGroup
11%
72%
14%
3%
%ofTurkishborn
0to14
16to44
45to64
75andover
4,148
32,791
27,995
12,738
PopulationSizeAgeGroup
5%
42%
36%
16%
%ofCyprusborn
1.Haringey
2.Hackney
3.Enfield
4.Islington
5.Waltham Forest
6.Barnet
7.Croydon
8.Southw ark
9.Hertfordshire
10Lewisham
Turkish AreasofConcentration
8,589
7,729
6,176
3,123
1,730
1,135
931
804
756
738
No.ofPeople

41. AsurveyofyoungTurksandKurdscarriedoutbytheJoseph
RowntreeFoundationinFebruary 2005found thatmostdid
notidentifythemselve swiththebroaderMuslim comm unity
intheUKalthough,forsome,religion wasanimportant part
oftheirethnicidentity.
Yemenis
39
1.Enfield
2.Haringey
3.Barnet
4.Islington
5.Hackney
6.Lewisham
7.Southwark
8.WalthamForest
9.WestMidlands
10.Hertfordshire
CypriotAreasofConcentration
11,802
6,036
3,584
2,313
2,283
1,941
1,906
1,698
1,667
1,659
No.ofPeople
TotalYemeni Population intheUK
12,500peoplesaidtheirbirthplaces wereinYemen
6,113or68.23%wereMuslims
0to14
15to44
45to65
65andover
1,435
6,967
2,596
1,502
PopulationSizeAgeGroup
11%
56%
21%
12%
%ofYemenis
1.WestMidlands
2.SouthYorkshire
3.Merseyside
4.Cardiff
5.Barnet
6.GreaterManchester
7.Brent
8.Harrow
9.Westminster
10.Newport
IraqiAreasofConcentration
2,666
1,326
688
274
273
235
231
136
128
125
No.ofPeople

42. 40
EBLEXHALALSTEERINGGROU P
TermsofReference
OverallAim
ToensurethatEBLEX activity intheHalalsector is
appro priateandrelevant tothesector basedon
soundscienceandgoodunderstand ing.Thiswill
bebestachievedbyensuring thatallpartiesinvolved
inthesector’sopinionsaretakenintoaccount, issues
areproperlyunderstood andthecorrectadviceis
passedontotheEBLEX boardandstaff.Thehighest
qualityinformationwillalwaysbeused,duplication
willbeavoidedandtheadvicewillalways take
accountoftheconditions EBLEX operatesto.
RoleoftheGroup
•Toidentifygapsinknowledgeand:
-todeterminewhetherthegapis
sufficientlyimport anttoneedfilling
-todetermineifEBLEX resource sshould
beusedtoresearchthegap
•TorecommendtoEBLEX areasofactivitythatwill
benefitthewholesector andbecompatiblewith
theoverarchingaimsofEBLEX
•Toidentifyopportunitie sandencourag e
co-operationintheHalalredmeatsector
•Toidentifykeyissueswhich areobstacles tosuccess
anddevelopment intheHalalredmeatsector
Memb ersoftheEBLEX HalalSteeringGroup:
SimonWarren,chairman (EBLEXsectorboard memb er)
NavedSyed(JananMeat)
RyanWilliams(EBLEX sector board member)
AdamQuinney(NFU)
Rizvan Khalid(EuroQualityLambs)
NormanBagley(Association ofIndependentMeatSuppliers)
David Mainon(Asda)
MullanYounes(HalalMonitoring Comm ittee)
DrShujaShafi(MuslimCouncil ofBritain)

44. PublishedbyEBLEX ©Copyr ightreservedbyAgriculture andHorticultur eDevelopment Board2010
DataSources:ConnectResearch&Consultancy ,Ethnic Focus ,STRC-World
Written,designedandproducedbyHDCommunications Ltd
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