Halal food in public schools in the UK.

[Jagare]

Tim, I could go on for days about all the things wrong with our schools. Our public schools have been in a downward spiral for at least 30 years. Quite frankly, I thought it very unlikely that the UK, would require Halal food be served to everyone. As far as I can gather, in Europe religion and state run institutions are to be very separate. That’s how it’s supposed to be here too.

I seem to recall Halal slaughter is banned in Sweden and I think I read , heard that Halal slaughter without stunning first has been banned in the EU. So whats different from normal slaughter apart from the religious aspect. Halal food served in schools? No. Mind you it may be a healthier option when compered to some of the shite they serve to children.

 

[Apthorpe]

Suppose 20% of your pupils are Muslim, which is not by any means a high estimate for many areas of the UK. Does the school buy and cook two sets of food, with all the extra expense and hassle of avoiding dripping bacon fat on the chicken etc.? Or just buy one thing they can serve to everyone?
It's a basic consequence of religious freedom in a civilised country. Once a group of people in a particular place with a sound religious reason need a particular dietary choice, everyone will end up eating it.

 

[A Guy Out West]

I seem to recall Halal slaughter is banned in Sweden and I think I read , heard that Halal slaughter without stunning first has been banned in the EU. So whats different from normal slaughter apart from the religious aspect. Halal food served in schools? No. Mind you it may be a healthier option when compered to some of the shite they serve to children.

The religious aspect is the point. When traveling and served Halal or Kosher food, I eat it with no problem. If however, I was told by the state that I must eat it, I would become a very unhappy camper.

 

[A Guy Out West]

Suppose 20% of your pupils are Muslim, which is not by any means a high estimate for many areas of the UK. Does the school buy and cook two sets of food, with all the extra expense and hassle of avoiding dripping bacon fat on the chicken etc.? Or just buy one thing they can serve to everyone?
It's a basic consequence of religious freedom in a civilised country. Once a group of people in a particular place with a sound religious reason need a particular dietary choice, everyone will end up eating it.

So the 20% mandate how the other 80% must eat?

 

[gixer1]

I will say, having lived in the US (which I love dearly as a nation and people) it surprises me that so many US people say “oh, you guys have lots of rules in the U.K.”.....and they claim land of the free - but really, that’s not the case, as the HOA tells you what car you can have, what colour you paint your house, when you take your bin/trash can in....you can’t buy alcohol when and where you want, you can’t walk where you want, you must wear orange and have tags in place etc to shoot, you can only shoot XX amount....I understand the reasons for some of these but I imagine some US people would be surprised at how “free” the U.K. is.

regards,
Gixer

 

[Crowstalker]

It's a perfect example of neo Marxism. Attack, ridicule, demonise anybody that disagrees with your views.

You will find the same things happening to people who speak out against what is a popular topic or trend going at the time. For example black lives matter, if somebody said actually all lives matter not just black people would be out to lynch them because they went against the grain of popular opinion. Its a form of coercion and silencing your oppents and a very dangerous and slippy slope. People ought to be allowed to have different opinions without others taking a hissy fit and getting offended.

 

[Jagare]

The religious aspect is the point. When traveling and served Halal or Kosher food, I eat it with no problem. If however, I was told by the state that I must eat it, I would become a very unhappy camper.

The least of my worries how a animal is slaughtered and nobody will tell me what I will eat. I see on the telly so it must be true that you say grace before eating in the US. That would be a greater concern to me than what food was put in front of me. Did I not read that if it was not for school meals many children in the US would go hungry? If thats the case its better to eat up and shut up. Or as my dear old mum used to say, its worse where there's none. In the area where I live they have gone over to organic and near produced products if possible for school meals and in one kommun using more wild boar meat.

 

[User00025]

No, at least I can be certain that my children’s primary school doesn’t.

I take it that your children are at a church school then Mike.
I'm afraid that my view may be considered racist, but is this not a Christian country, with our Queen as defender of the faith. Certainly there are other religions here and the tolerant ones I can appreciate and live with as most want to assimilate into our main culture. The others, and those who don't want to be part of our overall culture would be better off in a country that suits their ways.
If that's racist so be it, but I served for the Queen and our country not one that some other race or religion wanted to impose.

 

[jimmer.13]

Personally I think as long as the animal welfare is maintained prior to slaughter and its done humanely there is no issue.

If its important to you to have some voodoo, religious or pagan ritual committed over the animal before you eat it that's up to you but as a previous post said its better to have some than none.
If your hungry you'll eat owt ....... of that I'm sure...... prayer or no prayer......and be grateful for it.

 

[Apthorpe]

So the 20% mandate how the other 80% must eat?

Not really. The school mandates how 100% eat, although I think there is an option to take their own lunch in. If the school decided they wanted to spend extra money on cooking not teaching, then there would be a wider choice.
Have to admit that my 4yr old is v unimpressed with "chicken sausages" etc.
Ultimately it's one meal a day, and the rest of the time she eats proper meals. School meals are traditionally inedible anyway.
I'd far rather schools did halal food than allowed veggie teachers to spread their views.

 

[Hayduke]

Mind you it may be a healthier option when compered to some of the shite they serve to children.

School food now is very healthy, much better than when most of us were at school. It is varied and balanced compared to what we got. So much so that some children don’t like it because it isn’t like the poorer diet they get at home!
I’ve never heard of a school serving halal in rural counties. Probably happens in a few cities with large Muslim populations.
But I really don’t have a problem with it. I would actually prefer it if it was cooked by folks of Pakistani or Bengal heritage - their curry and fire grill meat is so damn fine!
It is usually folks who are anti Muslim, racist, or ignorant who get all worked up about halal.
I think that it is respectful to thank God where life is taken for the meat I eat (that will upset the atheists

 

[Crowstalker]

I take it that your children are at a church school then Mike.
I'm afraid that my view may be considered racist, but is this not a Christian country, with our Queen as defender of the faith. Certainly there are other religions here and the tolerant ones I can appreciate and live with as most want to assimilate into our main culture. The others, and those who don't want to be part of our overall culture would be better off in a country that suits their ways.
If that's racist so be it, but I served for the Queen and our country not one that some other race or religion wanted to impose.

It was a Christian country but its nominal Christian now. Apparently it was ww1 that did a lot of damage with so many young people slaughtered.

 

[Apthorpe]

It was a Christian country but its nominal Christian now. Apparently it was ww1 that did a lot of damage with so many young people slaughtered.

I'd have thought it was the Church of England that did most of the damage. Who can remember the past time the Archbishop of Canterbury said anything about God, among his many public pronouncements on topics which are none of his business. His predecessors weren't much better. It's not entirely clear that most Anglican vicars I come across even believe in God, and I can think of at least one that certainly didn't.

 

[User00025]

I appreciate you have your own view, but look at metal currency Her Majesty's head and the two abbreviated Latin words. Still stands from my angle religious or not.
The original subject Halal, Kosher slaughter is up to the individual cultures but as I said my view is, if you want your own culture/identity go to where it exists, mine is here so here I stay.

 

[tozzybum]

Wise old saying of my dad,s probably nicked from someone else tbh ,"If you want a fight talk religion or politics and if you like fighting talk about them both "

 

[Crowstalker]

I'd have thought it was the Church of England that did most of the damage. Who can remember the past time the Archbishop of Canterbury said anything about God, among his many public pronouncements on topics which are none of his business. His predecessors weren't much better. It's not entirely clear that most Anglican vicars I come across even believe in God, and I can think of at least one that certainly didn't.

That would definitely be a big part of it too, you have to wonder why thy are in the job.

 

[palmer_mike]

I take it that your children are at a church school then Mike.

nope just the local village primary school.

interestingly, as we have an army base local to us it’s quite multicultural. We have families from many faiths there (there are soldiers from all corners of the old empire on the base seemingly). Lots of the faith groups represented at the school have special dietary requirements, seems like there’s usually a vegetarian option alongside the ‘normal’ option to cater for most eventualities.

either that or bring a packed lunch

 

[A Guy Out West]

The least of my worries how a animal is slaughtered and nobody will tell me what I will eat. I see on the telly so it must be true that you say grace before eating in the US. That would be a greater concern to me than what food was put in front of me. Did I not read that if it was not for school meals many children in the US would go hungry? If thats the case its better to eat up and shut up. Or as my dear old mum used to say, its worse where there's none. In the area where I live they have gone over to organic and near produced products if possible for school meals and in one kommun using more wild boar meat.

If anyone goes hungry in this country it’s because they or there parents don’t ask for help. There is a program called SNAP that provides money for people to buy food. All they have to do is ask for it. Google it if you care to, the requirements are set very low. Before I lost my job due to the virus, I was involved with supplying head start kids (pre school for poor kids) with food. As much as possible, we gave them very expensive organic food, it made me sick to see how they would not eat the produce. The centers ended up throwing most of the produce out. No one is forced to pray before they have a meal here, as far as I know anyway.

 

[Pedro]

I don't adhere to any religion, so how my food transits from being an animal to meat concerns me on only two points. It needs to be as painless and stress free as possible and it needs to taste good.

If any religion, be it Muslim, Jewish or whatever needs to do it in a certain way or say a prayer when doing it, for me, they can crack on. So long as the above criteria are met.

 

[Jagare]

School food now is very healthy, much better than when most of us were at school. It is varied and balanced compared to what we got. So much so that some children don’t like it because it isn’t like the poorer diet they get at home!
I’ve never heard of a school serving halal in rural counties. Probably happens in a few cities with large Muslim populations.
But I really don’t have a problem with it. I would actually prefer it if it was cooked by folks of Pakistani or Bengal heritage - their curry and fire grill meat is so damn fine!
It is usually folks who are anti Muslim, racist, or ignorant who get all worked up about halal.
I think that it is respectful to thank God where life is taken for the meat I eat (that will upset the

In the late 50's early 60's when I was at school I loved school dinners. My mother allway bought fresh food but was one of the worst cooks of her day. Plus being 5 children and not much money non of us carried an extra ounce. I've got to agree about Pakistani and Indian food. My ex wife is half Jamaican so I went from bland English food to food that was well seasoned.
My work mate is Muslim and recently he made a batch of Balkan salami that he makes every year. For some reason he thought this year 150kg would be a good amount to make. Unfortunately he could not envisage what a 150 kg pile of salami looked like. He ended up with so much that he had to wedge the freezer door closed with a length of 4x2. He came round with about 5 kg for me. Lovely fried with bacon and eggs but very spicey: A breakfast where Halal meets bacon.
As a atheist it never bothers me if people want to pray to their god over a dead animal. Each to their own