FSA considers rule change for meat during Muslim holiday
A Food Standards Agency (FSA) consultation is looking at changing the rules around the sale of meat during a religious festival.
Qurbani is a religious practice that takes place during Eid al-Adha. Some Muslims prefer to collect meat and offal shortly after slaughter as this signifies the beginning of the festival. Eid-al-Adha is a four-day Islamic holiday but the exact date varies year to year.
Because products cannot complete normal chilling processes before leaving the slaughterhouse during the holiday, there could be greater growth of pathogens, with the potential to increase risk of illness.
Industry representatives asked the FSA to look at alternative options for the supply of Qurbani meat and offal during Eid al-Adha and the existing rules. In Qurbani, one share of the animal is given to charity, another is kept at home, and a third is given to relatives or friends. Slaughterhouses are currently allowed to supply meat that does not adhere to the regulations as long as certain mitigation steps are followed.
The agency is seeking comments on whether changes should be introduced to the chilling requirements of Qurbani meat and offal supplied from slaughterhouses in England and Wales during Eid al-Adha. Comments are open until Sept. 11, 2022.
Rebecca Sudworth, FSA director of policy, said Qurbani meat should be available to people that wish to prepare and consume it.
“This consultation and our dialogue with authorities in the Muslim community broadens the discussion to ensure that this practice can continue, whilst providing for highest food safety and hygiene standards possible to protect consumers,” she said.
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