Most halal meat in UK shops and restaurants carries one of two logos: HMC (Halal Monitoring Committee) or HFA (Halal Food Authority). Both are halal certifiers, but they follow different standards, and many UK Muslims choose between them.
The main difference: stunning
HMC does not accept any stunning. Animals must be fully conscious when slaughtered by hand, with a Muslim slaughterer reciting the tasmiyah for each animal.
HFA accepts some forms of stunning — typically low-voltage electrical stunning that it considers reversible, so that the animal would recover if not slaughtered. HFA's position is that the animal is still alive at the moment of slaughter.
Machine slaughter of poultry
HMC requires hand slaughter. Standards on mechanical slaughter of poultry differ between certifiers and have changed over time, so check the certifier's own current published standard if this matters to you.
Monitoring
HMC is known for placing inspectors at the premises it certifies, from the abattoir to the shop. Ask any certifier how often sites are checked.
Which should you choose?
That is a personal and scholarly question. Many scholars accept reversible stunning when the animal is confirmed alive; others hold that any stunning should be avoided. If you follow a particular scholar or mosque, ask them. Whatever you choose, check the certificate is current — both bodies publish lists of the businesses they certify.
How to check a restaurant or butcher
- Look for the certificate on display, with an expiry date.
- Search the business on the certifier's official website.
- Ask which supplier the meat comes from.
This guide summarises publicly stated positions and is not a religious ruling.
