Date of issue 2nd October 2009

HMC Offers Support In Bradford School Meals Dilemma

The Halal Monitoring Committee is a not for profit charity organisation. The charity's main ethos is to provide assurance to the Muslim community that they are eating genuine Halal food through an inspection based programme.

Fraught with dishonesty and deception the Halal food market has been highlighted frequently in the national media. Since HMC was founded in 2003, it has become the largest and most trusted halal certifying body in the UK.

HMC monitors over 280 shops and restaurants nationwide and has now been approached to certify schools in many parts of the country. In June 2009, Tauheed-Ul-Islam Girls High School & Sixth Form College in Blackburn, Lancashire, became the first school to be certified by HMC.

Muslims in Bradford have expressed great concern over their school meals issue and HMC was asked to carry out an audit of the supplies to schools in May 2008. The confidential findings of this report were passed to the Bradford Council of Mosques and the Borough Council.

Since the inspection and our report, HMC has received no communication from Bradford Council of Mosques nor the council to inspect, monitor or certify halal school meals in Bradford.

On Tuesday 29th September 2009 when HMC were invited to attend the Parent Working Group Meeting, HMC made clear its findings and progress to date. Bradford Parents have now refused to accept halal provision within their schools and have asked all children to follow a vegetarian diet.

Yunus Dudhwala, HMC Chairman comments "HMC would be delighted to work with parents, schools and the council to provide the assurance of Halal to those parents who wish to ensure their children are eating Halal food in their schools and community". For further information or to arrange an interview please contact Yunus Dudhwala on 07931 735206 or info@halalmc.org

About HMC

HMC was established in 2003 out of a few individuals’ concern that the food that was being consumed, marked as ‘Halal’, may in fact not be. After research into the origins of meat and products conducted by the individuals, it quickly emerged that there was much need for alarm as many products did not meet the basic criterion of Halal but sold as such by many unknowingly. This was the seed that led to the formation of HMC in 2003!

Today HMC is an independent not for profit charity organisation operating in over 25 cities from Scotland to the far South. It employs over 90 staff, monitors over 45 slaughterhouses and processing plants, has over 280 outlets nationally which are monitored regularly during the week.

There is no other Halal certifying body in the UK that operates to this size and scale and to universally acceptable standards for Halal acceptable to all Muslims.