A text being circulated today states that Ulemas (scholars) from three major mosques in Blackburn had travelled to an official KFC slaughterhouse to check for themselves whether the food would fit their criteria of halal.

KFC serves Halal food in several restaurants across the UK.

These ulemas were NOT representing the Lancashire Council of Mosques (LCM).

The LCM had in October urged ‘caution’ when asked by Asian Image to clarify their stance on KFC food.
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It followed the opening of a new halal branch in Whitebirk, Blackburn. The new KFC at the new service by near junction six of the M65 opened in October.

It is part of the £100m 90-acre Frontier Park development by Euro Garages.

KFC chicken is certified by the Halal Food Authority (HFA) - a certification that is used by the vast majority of restaurants and takeaways across the UK.

However, some Muslims will not consume food that has been stunned before slaughter.

Asian Image has confirmed the authenticity of the following text which states, “Given recent enquiries about KFC being halal (Frontier Park, Blackburn), today (10/12/18) a visit to One Stop Halal slaughter <a href="http://www.asianimage.co.uk/homes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">house</a> was conducted by Maulana Suhail (Masjid e Tauheedul Islam Blackburn), Maulana Ilyas (Masjid e Hidayah Blackburn) and Mufti Siraz (Masjid e Irfan).

“They saw the whole halal slaughtering process and had all their questions answered. Following the visit they have deemed the facility thorough, professional and more importantly halal -Alhamdulillah!”

A LCM statement in October read, “Lancashire Council of Mosques confirms that it does not endorse poultry that is stunned before slaughter. This is contrary to the Prophetic method of slaughter.

“Such products do not conform to the Halal criteria of the Lancashire Council of Mosques which was adopted after extensive consultation with Lancashire based scholars and Imams from the various schools of thought. We would therefore request the community to exercise caution.”
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Shaykh Abu Yusha Yasin posted, “I have spent the day today at a Halal Chicken Slaughterhouse with some well respected Ulema from Blackburn who represent some of the largest Islamic institutions in the area.

“The Ulema had reservations and skepticism about the halal status of chicken which are stunned before slaughter.

"This had previously led to confusing statements about the halal status of KFC Halal Stores due to the question mark and reservations regarding the halal status of stunned chicken before slaughter.

“In the meeting the Halal Food Authority (HFA) who are responsible for certifying the halal slaughter facility and KFC Halal stores explained their standards and how they <a href="http://www.asianimage.co.uk/jobs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">work</a>. Following a site visit and detailed inspection of the stunning process, all Ulema who visited unanimously agreed that their misconceptions about the halal status of stunned and slaughtered chicken had been completely dispelled.
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"They had commented that much of the misconceptions was down to misinformation and myths created about the stunning process. Alhamdulillah!”

The KFC website states, “We set ourselves high standards across all our restaurants and with our suppliers. As part of our commitment to maintaining these standards, we work closely with the Halal Food Authority, who accredit and regularly audit our Halal restaurants.
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“In our Halal restaurants we do not handle any pork ingredients, and all the food and drink items served in these restaurants are approved by the Halal Food Authority. This ensures the very best Halal standards but does mean that certain menu items and limited time offers may not be available.

“Another key consideration for us was that we were able to ensure that the halal certified chicken would also meet the rigorous animal welfare standards we employ in the UK, and we consulted leading animal welfare groups about this."

Source: Lancashire Telegraph