Paris Mosque Doubts Purity of French Burger Chain's Halal Food Read more

By: Chris Gentilviso (257 days ago)

Topics: fast food, Food Fight, France, french burger, Halal Food, Paris Mosque, Quick, Quick Restaurants, world

REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen

An employee prepares halal burgers at the counter of Beurger King Muslim in Clichy-sous-Bois, France.

With close to five million Muslims roaming the streets of France, fast-food giant Quick made a faith-conscious business move: serve meats that are safe for Europe's largest Islamic population to purchase.
On Tuesday, Reuters reported that France's No. 2 burger chain announced its plans to expand its eight halal-only trial branches to 22 full-service outlets. As the patties rolled in, some Muslims were far from satisfied.
The AP found one local Islamic group contending that Quick was too quick in overlooking ingredients outside of the meat -- the buns, the fries, the condiments.
"The rest must be validated too, or else there's no point," Cheikh Al Sid Cheikh, assistant to the rector of the Paris Mosque, told the wire service.
Quick Restaurants spokeswoman Valerie Raynal noted in the same report that her company's aim is not to abide to an all-Halal menu. Despite alcohol being outlined as Haram (forbidden) in the Koran, beer is still served by the chain.
For meat to qualify as Halal, the AP writes that it must originate from animals who were slaughtered via an incision to their jugular vein. But foods like bread or potatoes hit grey areas, especially if they are manufactured with items on the Islamic Council of America's list of borderline additives.

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/09/02/paris-mosque-doubts-purity-of-french-burger-chains-halal-food/#ixzz1Md0ClYbD