Supermarket in Austria Drops Halal Line After Complaints
4 December 2015 11:14 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Vienna - A supermarket chain in Austria has taken halal meat products off its shelves after complaints — and is now faced with criticism for doing so.
The Spar market says it acted just a few weeks after introducing the products after accusations from those saying it was supporting holy war and others who objected on grounds of cruelty to animals.
The company says animals were stunned before being slaughtered for the halal product, just as animals prepared for non-Muslim consumers were. It said on its website Thursday that the only difference was that a Muslim prayer was uttered during the halal slaughters.
It says it now is being accused of bowing to extremists in pulling the products, adding that "we are sad and shocked at the tone of the discussion."
AP