Halal Macon Rashers gain approval in UK first

Halal food manufacturer KFQ has launched the UK's first 'bacon-tasting' product to be certified by the Halal Monitoring Committee (HMC).

KFQ's Halal Macon Rashers are strips of beef or chicken, which have been smoked over beech wood chips to give the smokey taste of bacon.

"We've been working hard on new product development," KQF managing director Faruk Vali reported. "In particular, we've been looking to introduce healthier kinds of convenience food - tasty snacks and family meals that make life easier without piling on the sugar, fat and salt.

"The Halal Macon Rashers are the first of these new products and, in the trial stages, customer feedback has been excellent. They come ready-cooked and they can be eaten on their own or used to add flavour and texture to other dishes such as pasta, salads, wrapped sausages or oven roasts. The beef and chicken versions each have distinctly different flavours."

The Blackburn-based company is inspected by the HMC, which ensures that genuine halal food manufacturers comply with the UK laws for food production, as well as Islamic dietary compliance laws.

There are several certification bodies for halal meat, including the Halal Food Authority which recently accused food supplier Hermolis of displaying its halal logo on products, despite the company's accreditation having expired.