British soldiers are 'secretly' being fed HALAL food as MoD admits it doesn't label meat in its UK or overseas bases - even though just 650 soldiers are Muslim

Canteen meals are not being labelled as halal, kosher or otherwise

MoD says food provided meets MoD, UK and EU quality standards

Ration packs provided for operations and exercise are labelled

Around 650 of 200,000 armed forces personnel are Muslim - 1% of total



Soldiers are being fed halal meat in military canteens without their knowledge as the Ministry of Defence admits it does not label meat bound for bases in the UK or overseas.



Canteen meals are not labelled as being halal, kosher or otherwise, and military personnel would only be told if they had asked in advance for a specific meal, according to MoD policy.

In recent months, consumer, animal rights groups and the British Veterinary Association have all condemned the unmarked sale of halal food.

Marching on their stomachs: The Ministry of Defence has admitted that armed forces personnel are being fed halal meat without their knowledge

The method sees animals' throats cut while they are still alive - in some cases without even being stunned first.



Religious leaders claim the method kills the animals immediately, but some researchers have suggested that birds may still be conscious and be able to feel pain.

In a response to a Freedom of Information Act request the MoD said it does use Halal and Kosher meat in meals, but that the percentage of which meat is used and its cost was not held by the ministry, and was a matter for contractors.

Controversy: Religious leaders claim the method kills the animals immediately, but some researchers have suggested that birds may still be conscious and be able to feel pain

RITUAL SLAUGHTER: HOW HALAL MEAT SCANDALS CAME TO LIGHT

Fears over the correct labelling of Halal meat came to light last month when it was revealed several leading chains were serving the meat to unsuspecting customers. Subway was one leading chain which had decided to swap meat for Halal products in some stores, while Pizza Express was exposed for failing to inform consumers that some food they were purchasing contained Halal. It was also revealed that leading supermarkets are selling New Zealand lamb killed in accordance with halal ritual without providing labels. And a number of top British universities, including Oxford, also admitted serving halal meat to students.

In Arabic the word Halal means ‘permitted’ or ‘lawful’ and defines anything that is allowed or lawful according to the Koran. It is often used to indicate food – particularly meat – that has been prepared in accordance with Muslim principles and techniques. In Britain, killing an animal without prior stunning is illegal, but the law gives special exemption to Muslim and Jewish meat producers on the grounds of religion. In the UK there are thought to be around 12 abattoirs dedicated to unstunned slaughter, while hundreds practise stunned halal slaughter.

The MoD said all food procured for personnel had to comply with MoD food quality standards, which meet those set by all UK and EU production standards, including the Animal Welfare Act.

Current Government guidelines say there is no requirement to state whether a dish contains hala or kosher meat.

Ration packs eaten by forces personnel on operations or training exercises are provided in several variants - general purpose, vegetarian, Sikh/Hindu, halal and kosher - which are labelled and given only to those who have pre-requested them.

There are currently around 650 Muslims in the British armed forces, which comprise around 200,000 people, making up less than one percent.

Across the UK as a whole around 4.8 percent of people are Muslim.



'Halal ration packs are clearly labelled and supplied only on request to troops,' an MoD spokesman told MailOnline.



'Our policy is in line with current UK legislation and Government guidelines and while there is no requirement for menus to state that a dish may or may not contain halal produce, service personnel with special dietary requirements are fully informed as to which dishes are suitable for them to eat.'

Conservative MP Philip Hollobone said the MoD should inform service personnel about the meat being served.

'I absolutely think they [the MoD] should label the meat they are serving to their servicemen and women. We all want to know what we are eating,' he told the Telegraph.

