By: Ahmed Kilani & Ali Cabban
Source: MuslimVillage.com
SYDNEY – Fresh Poultry, Australia’s only Muslim owned Halal Hand slaughtered poultry producer, has rubbished claims that they have been supplying non Halal chicken. Sydney’s Muslim community was inundated on the weekend with sms and social media posts alleging that Fresh Poultry was deceptively supplying non Halal food.
The claims where made by an organisation called “Taqwa Halal Certification” and endorsed by Sheikh Abo Adnan & Sheikh Omar El Banna, both of whom are directors of Taqwa. The message they circulated was as follows:
TAQWA HALAL CERTIFICATION UPDATE
(Regarding Fresh Poultry)
Assalam alikom, brothers and sisters in Islam the Prophet of Allah (pbuh) said: “Whoever amongst you sees an evil, he must change it with his hand; if he is unable to do so, then with his tongue; and if he is unable to do so, then with his heart; and that is the weakest form of Faith”.
Over the past month the Managment (sic) at Taqwa Halal Certification (Sheikh Abo Adnan and Sheikh Omar El Banna) had Fresh Poultry chicken under investigation, and conducted numerous meetings with their management.
Unfortunately despite oaths and promises that Fresh Poultry Chicken has completely stopped buying machine slaughtered chicken from other chicken slaughter houses and that all chicken supplied by Fresh Poultry are (hand slaughtered), it has been proven beyond doubt that Fresh Poultry is still buying machine slaughtered chicken and supplying it to their customers!
In our last meeting, fresh poultry promised that starting 7/4/2103 this will completely stop but over the past few weeks they were caught by our inspectors again and again!
Thus, we advise our brothers and sisters to completely avoid eating fresh poultry chicken and warn others from eating their products.
Our families and children deserve to be eating 100% halal food. This will never be achieved unless Australian Muslims become strict about their food and refuse to be disadvantaged and deceived.
We announce this as an Amanah and responsibility and Allah knows our intention.
Spread the word please
TAQWA HALAL CERTIFICATION
Sheikh Abo Adnan / Sheikh Omar El Banna
admin@taqwahalal.com.au
MuslimVillage.com has investigated these claims and found them to be completely false and without basis.
Our investigation has found that the chicken’s being supplied to Fresh Poultry that Taqwa Halal Certification have an issue with are supplied by Red Lea Chicken, an AFIC and Export Halal Approved processor of chicken.
Although the Red Lea Chickens may not be deemed suitable for those that only eat hand slaughtered meat (such as those following the Hanafi school of thought), it is still Halal and permissible in the Shafi school of thought.
The Shafi ruling, which is followed by a large proportion of Muslims including those of our biggest export markets of Malaysia and Indonesia, has been agreed upon by many scholars in Australia and globally.
The second issue is that even if the Red Lea chicken was indeed not Halal, which is not the case, Fresh Poultry have always been open about the fact that they use Red Lea produce to supply their non Muslim clients.
Management from Fresh Poultry have stated that the products they buy in from Red Lea only represent 10% of their sales and are stocked to supply the demands of many of their non Muslim clients that don’t specify they require hand slaughtered Halal, or even Halal at all. These products are also mostly for items that Fresh Poultry don’t have the facilities to produce.
Fresh Poultry strictly controls these products and it is packed on a separated premises to the Halal slaughtered produce to avoid any chance of contamination.
Fresh Poultry has always been fully transparent with regards to this issue and have not hidden this fact that they use Red Lea Halal products. The justification for this is that they can not commercially survive as the only remaing fully licenced Halal hand slaughtered producer in Australia if they don’t service their non Muslim clients.
The announcement from Taqwa is effecting not only Fresh Poultry, but many other Muslim owned businesses that are supplied by Fresh Poultry. It is also having an effect on other Halal suppliers and besides creating confusion amongst the Muslim community, it is damaging the reputation of the Halal brand in Australia.
At this stage it is not known if any legal action will be taken by Fresh Poultry or other effected parties.
MuslimVillage.com will be following up with a more in-depth story on this issue that will bring to light further details.
Disclaimer: Fresh Poultry is a commercial client of MuslimVillage.com. We report without fear or favour, but make this disclosure in the interests of full transparency.
