When compared to other meat, halal meat is considered not only healthier, but also tastes better. Due to the absence of blood in the meat, it makes the meat more tender, and taste better. The absence of blood in halal meat also makes it bacteria-resistant.
Halal meat is prepared by slaughtering the animal in a specific way, which ensures that the animal is healthy and free from disease & pathogen infestation. The meat is also drained of all blood, which reduces the risk of foodborne illnesses.
The Big Picture
To be Halal, animals must be raised in a healthy, clean and humane environment. If the animals are in an unclean or abusive environment, they must be removed and nurtured back to a healthy and detoxified state prior to slaughter. This is commonly known as “proper animal welfare”.
“Halal is considered healthier because after slaughter, blood is drained from the animal's arteries, ejecting most toxins because the heart continues to pump for a few seconds after slaughter. In jhatka, not all the blood is drained, leaving the meat tougher and drier.”
Muslims choose to eat halal food because it meets requirements that they believe make it suitable for consumption. Halal originates from rules set out in the Qur'an and the Hadith (the Prophet Muhammad's example), which have been followed throughout generations of Islamic practice.
The animals are handled with dignity, and the practice is thought to be entirely ethical. Halal meat is tender, supple, and juicy since most of the blood from a slaughtered animal is removed. Blood clots are unlikely to form within animals, resulting in no toxic generation in the flesh.
Islamic ritual slaughter has been attacked as cruel, but Muslim authorities say the method is humane. Halal meat is an essential part of the Muslim faith and advocates argue that the practices of traditional Islamic slaughter are humane.
Minimally painful and complete bleeding is required during halal slaughter, which is difficult to perform in large animals [69]. Previous researchers have indicated an association between the location of the cut and the onset of unconsciousness during slaughter without stunning, such as in halal slaughter.
Halal Slaughter
The slaughterer must cut both the windpipe and the esophagus along with the jugular veins. This ensures that the main nerves that relay pain to the animal are severed immediately.
Halal food is that which adheres to Islamic law, as defined in the Koran. The Islamic form of slaughtering animals or poultry, dhabiha, involves killing through a cut to the jugular vein, carotid artery and windpipe. Animals must be alive and healthy at the time of slaughter and all blood is drained from the carcass.
Certification bodies
Halal certification in Australia began in 1974. The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) was initially recommended by a 1974 delegation from Saudi Arabia, as the "sole authority in Australia to certify that meat had been killed in accordance with Islamic rites" for Muslims in Australia.
Unlike many other forms of livestock, pigs are omnivorous scavengers, eating virtually anything they come across, including carrion and refuse, which was deemed unclean. Furthermore, a Middle Eastern society keeping large stocks of pigs could destroy their ecosystem.
All Shechita (Jewish) and some Halal (Muslim) slaughter involves cutting the animal's throat without stunning them first.
“Verily Allah has enjoined goodness to everything; so when you kill, kill in a good way and when you slaughter, slaughter in a good way. So every one of you should sharpen his knife, and let the slaughtered animal die comfortably.”
The Sikh code of conduct on the Sikh diet (Rehat Maryada)
The Rehat Maryada states that Sikhs are bound to avoid meat that is killed in a ritualistic manner such as Halal (Muslim), Kosher (Jewish).
Halal meat does not taste any different from non-halal meat, as the taste is determined by the breed of the animal, its diet, and how it is cooked. Another myth about halal meat is that it is tougher and drier than non-halal meat. This is also untrue.
Allah has forbidden Muslims to eat animals that did not die as the result of man, contain blood, are pigs, or have been sacrificed to another god (Qur'an 2: 173).
The most humane methods are those which cause a rapid loss of blood so that death is brought about as quickly as possible. These include ventral neck cuts (for poultry, sheep and goats) and chest sticking (for cattle, sheep, goats and pigs).
They were stressed, petrified and piled up on top of each other. While waiting to be killed, the animals screamed in agony as they wounded themselves on the metal gratings. When animals are slaughtered, they are not completely stunned and are still aware of what is happening.
When compared to other meat, halal meat is considered not only healthier, but also tastes better. Due to the absence of blood in the meat, it makes the meat more tender, and taste better. The absence of blood in halal meat also makes it bacteria-resistant.
According to a major halal abattoir based in Somerset, the stun used 'knocks the animal out for around 15-20 seconds. ' Opinion is that halal slaughter takes at least 4 minutes, and hence all that a 'low voltage stun' does is knock out the animal so that its throat can be cut with the least resistance.
Slaughterhouse work has been associated with many negative effects on mental health, and workers have higher levels of depression and anxiety than other professions. Workers in Brazil report cognitive impairments, stress, and difficulty sleeping.
The law states that, with few exceptions, all animals must be stunned before 'sticking' (neck cutting) is carried out. Sticking is when an animal's neck is cut, using a very sharp knife, to sever the major blood vessels in its neck and chest that supply the brain, ensuring rapid blood loss and therefore death.
The first issue is a lack of awareness about Halal food requirements. The difficulty lies with both the applicant (business owner) and the authority (Halal certifying body). On the applicant's side, there can be a lack of familiarity with the Halal certification process.
Animals must be fed vegetarian diets, which means that many chickens and cows raised on U.S. farms don't qualify (some feed contains animal byproducts). Halal animals also can't be treated with antibiotics or growth hormones, since the hormones may contain pork-based ingredients.