About GB 8349
Stillmans (Somerset) Ltd is a business in England. The Food Standards Agency approves it for cutting meat, making mince and processing meat products.
Is meat from GB 8349 halal?
The code shows which plant cut, prepared or packed the meat, not whether it is halal. Look for a halal logo from a named certifier, such as HMC or HFA, or ask the brand which certifier approves the product. More in halal meat codes.
What this approval means for halal
A cutting plant cuts carcasses into joints and portions. It does not slaughter animals, so the meat arrives from a slaughterhouse and the halal question moves upstream: where the meat came from, and whether halal meat is kept apart from non-halal meat while it is cut.
A mince approval means the plant makes minced meat. Mince is made from trimmings, so one batch can combine meat from several carcasses and suppliers.
A processing plant handles processed products of animal origin, which includes cooked, cured and ready-to-eat meat products. Recipes can include gelatine, alcohol-based flavourings or other additives that the meat's own certificate does not cover.
What to ask before you rely on it
- Which slaughterhouses supply this plant, and are they halal certified?
- Is halal meat cut on separate lines or at separate times from non-halal meat?
- Is the raw meat halal certified at source?
- Is halal mince made separately from non-halal mince?
- Is the finished product certified, not just the raw meat?
- Do the recipes contain gelatine, alcohol or other doubtful ingredients?
Ask the brand on the pack, or the halal certifier named on it. Plants rarely publish this, so a written answer from the brand is the best evidence.