Questions answered
There are 12 questions about “Halal” in the “What's in the food?” topic.
Click on a question to read our answer.
- 1. I am a muslim who has boycotted all mcdonalds products for over two years now, because of contraversy around which of your items are suitable for muslims and vegeterains. Recently i have recommenced research into your products and came across your french fries decleration and the logo afforded to them. I would like to know weather your fillet of fish are cooked in a simular fashion? I would for yourselves to clear up the rumours that your mcflurry icecream is unsuitable for muslims.
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Thank you for your question. McDonald's is currently running a Halal trial, for its chicken menu items only, in one restaurant in Southall, London. For this trial, McDonald's has worked closely with the Halal Food Authority to ensure that McDonald's meet their requirements for accreditation, covering all areas from the farms and suppliers that work with McDonald's, through to the restaurants themselves, to ensure that McDonald's source, handle and serve the highest quality Halal options.
As you mention McDonalds French Fries are 100 percent vegetarian and are also officially accredited by the Vegetarian Society. With the exception of the Smartie McFlurry, McDonalds McFluries are suitable for vegetarians and muslims. The ingredients for the ice cream base used in the McFlurrys are as follows: Skimmed milk, cream, sugar, whey powder, glucose syrup, stabilisers (E412 guar gum, E471 mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, E407 carrageenan (standardised with sugars), flavouring and dextrose. Ingredients will vary depending on the topping used in the mix.
With regards to the Filet-O-Fish, each product is prepared in separate fryers. However, when it comes to filtering the oil, McDonald's has two different filtering processes. One process is self-filtering where each fryer has its own inbuilt filtration system. In the case of fries this ensures a self contained system. In the case of chicken, filet and pie products ,filtration is carried out in a specific order with the filtration unit being thoroughly cleaned at the end of the filtering process. Unfortunately the company does not maintain a central record of the processes used in each restaurant, so if this is an issue for you please contact the restaurant prior to your visit or speak to the restaurant manager to find out which method that particular restaurant uses
For a full list of ingredients for all of McDonalds menu items please visit the ‘Nutrition’ section at www.mcdonalds.co.uk. (July 2009)
SEPTEMBER '09 TRIAL RESULT: McDonald’s began this trial because we wanted to assess customer demand for certified Halal food in our UK restaurants. We have learnt that Halal is only popular with a very small percentage of our customers and to offer it we would need to make significant changes to our kitchen procedures and supply chain. Given this, we have decided that we are not currently in a position to roll out Halal food in the UK.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 2. your french fries are fried in veg. oil but you add natural flavouring to it which is directly extracted from beef tallow/beef fat. is this true?????? and is the tallow/fat flavouring used halal????
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Firstly apologies for the delay in answering your question, the team has been very busy with all the questions that are pouring in and everybody is working hard to answer them all.
You can rest assured that there are no animal fats of any kind in McDonald's UK French Fries. The fries are made by McCain’s using Russet Burbank, Pentland Dell and Shepody potatoes, which are chosen for their quality, taste and long shape when cut. The fries are cooked in dedicated frying vats in a non-hydrogenated blend of sunflower and rapeseed oil which is 100 percent suitable for vegetarians. You may be interested to know that although McDonald’s French Fries are officially accredited by the Vegetarian Society, none of the food on the menu is certified as Kosher or Halal. However, this is something the company is currently looking at with a trial being run in a McDonald's restaurant in Southall, London with a few chicken products available on the menu as Halal. Feedback from the trial is still being gathered from customers and any future developments will be made known once everything has been thoroughly analysed and discussed.(Jan 2008)
SEPTEMBER '09 TRIAL RESULT: McDonald’s began this trial because we wanted to assess customer demand for certified Halal food in our UK restaurants. We have learnt that Halal is only popular with a very small percentage of our customers and to offer it we would need to make significant changes to our kitchen procedures and supply chain. Given this, we have decided that we are not currently in a position to roll out Halal food in the UK.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 3. Are the chickens used in the Southall halal trial stunned prior to slaughter? Yes or no?
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Yes, they are. McDonald’s has worked closely with the HFA (Halal Food Authority) to make sure that they meet all of their requirements to supply Halal chicken to the Southall restaurant.
(October 2007)
SEPTEMBER '09 TRIAL RESULT: McDonald’s began this trial because we wanted to assess customer demand for certified Halal food in our UK restaurants. We have learnt that Halal is only popular with a very small percentage of our customers and to offer it we would need to make significant changes to our kitchen procedures and supply chain. Given this, we have decided that we are not currently in a position to roll out Halal food in the UK.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 4. are the cheese burgers(double)... halal?
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No, none of the items on McDonald’s menu are classified as Halal. Today, McDonald's UK lacks the necessary infrastructure in its supply chain to guarantee the requirements of Halal. It is something the company is currently looking at and you may be interested to know that McDonald’s has been trialling Halal chicken at a restaurant in Southall, London. (September 2007)
SEPTEMBER '09 TRIAL RESULT: McDonald’s began this trial because we wanted to assess customer demand for certified Halal food in our UK restaurants. We have learnt that Halal is only popular with a very small percentage of our customers and to offer it we would need to make significant changes to our kitchen procedures and supply chain. Given this, we have decided that we are not currently in a position to roll out Halal food in the UK.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 5. why is there no halal mcdonalds in newcastle? and could you please tell me if and when you plan to make one up here? thanks!
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There are no Halal McDonald's in the UK and none of the food in the restaurants is certified as Halal. Today, McDonald's UK lacks the necessary infrastructure in its supply chain to guarantee the requirements of Halal. However, it is something the company is currently looking at and you will be happy to hear that McDonald's is trialling Halal chicken at a restaurant in Southall, London. The trial is still on going, and McDonald's is conducting in-depth consumer research around the country to fully understand views. However, it is too early to determine if the trial will expand.(September 2007)
SEPTEMBER '09 TRIAL RESULT: McDonald’s began this trial because we wanted to assess customer demand for certified Halal food in our UK restaurants. We have learnt that Halal is only popular with a very small percentage of our customers and to offer it we would need to make significant changes to our kitchen procedures and supply chain. Given this, we have decided that we are not currently in a position to roll out Halal food in the UK.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 6. Is Your Tea Halal And Which Brand Tea Do You Use?
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McDonald's currently has no food on its menu certified as being Halal. Tetley tea is sold in McDonald's.
JUNE '07 UPDATE: McDonald's trials Halal chicken at a restaurant in Southall, London.
SEPTEMBER '09 TRIAL RESULT: McDonald’s began this trial because we wanted to assess customer demand for certified Halal food in our UK restaurants. We have learnt that Halal is only popular with a very small percentage of our customers and to offer it we would need to make significant changes to our kitchen procedures and supply chain. Given this, we have decided that we are not currently in a position to roll out Halal food in the UK.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 7. is mcdonalds mc chiken halal?
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McDonald's currently has no Halal items on the menu.
JUNE '07 UPDATE: McDonald's trials Halal chicken at a restaurant in Southall, London.
SEPTEMBER '09 TRIAL RESULT: McDonald’s began this trial because we wanted to assess customer demand for certified Halal food in our UK restaurants. We have learnt that Halal is only popular with a very small percentage of our customers and to offer it we would need to make significant changes to our kitchen procedures and supply chain. Given this, we have decided that we are not currently in a position to roll out Halal food in the UK.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 8. Would you be able to confirm all the ingredients in the fish, roll, fillings etc and also the handling, cleaning, etc for the Fillet o Fish is Halal please. Thank you Khalid
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Today, McDonald's UK lacks the necessary infrastructure in its supply chain to guarantee the requirements of Halal. It is something the company is currently looking at, however. The Filet-o-Fish ingredients are: Filet portion (McDonald's is now using Hoki fish to protect depleting cod stocks), a regular bun, a Cheddar cheese slice and tartare sauce. All McDonald's food, ingredients and nutritional information are available online in 'Eat Smart' section of www.mcdonalds.co.uk under the 'Nutrition Counter' section.
JUNE '07 UPDATE: McDonald's trials Halal chicken at a restaurant in Southall, London.
SEPTEMBER '09 TRIAL RESULT: McDonald’s began this trial because we wanted to assess customer demand for certified Halal food in our UK restaurants. We have learnt that Halal is only popular with a very small percentage of our customers and to offer it we would need to make significant changes to our kitchen procedures and supply chain. Given this, we have decided that we are not currently in a position to roll out Halal food in the UK.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 9. i heard that your fillet o fish what you cook is halal. what do the people who don't agree with sloughtering animals and saying prayers over it do about this? also how can the throat of a fish be slit before it dies as they die of suffocation?
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No, the Filet-o-Fish meals are not Halal.
JUNE '07 UPDATE: McDonald's trials Halal chicken at a restaurant in Southall, London.
SEPTEMBER '09 TRIAL RESULT: McDonald’s began this trial because we wanted to assess customer demand for certified Halal food in our UK restaurants. We have learnt that Halal is only popular with a very small percentage of our customers and to offer it we would need to make significant changes to our kitchen procedures and supply chain. Given this, we have decided that we are not currently in a position to roll out Halal food in the UK.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 10. can muslims drink milkshakes from your restaurants as a staff member said we couldnt as it had animal extratcs in it?
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McDonald's does not classify any of their Menu items as Halal. However, all the Milkshakes are suitable for vegetarians. This is because McDonald's no longer uses E120 cochineal as a colouring in the Strawberry Milkshakes. The new colouring is a beetroot juice concentrate (E162) which is a natural extract of beetroot.
JUNE'07 UPDATE: McDonald's trials Halal chicken at a restaurant in Southall, London. (June 2007)
SEPTEMBER '09 TRIAL RESULT: McDonald’s began this trial because we wanted to assess customer demand for certified Halal food in our UK restaurants. We have learnt that Halal is only popular with a very small percentage of our customers and to offer it we would need to make significant changes to our kitchen procedures and supply chain. Given this, we have decided that we are not currently in a position to roll out Halal food in the UK.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 11. i would like to know that as a muslim is vegie burger,and any of your milkshakes,or ice cream suitable for vegiterians and is it alcohol free
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Today, McDonald's UK lacks the necessary infrastructure in its supply chain to guarantee the requirements of Halal. It is something the company is currently looking at, however. All items certified for vegetarian consumption are listed online in the ‘Eat Smart’ section at www.mcdonalds.co.uk, or on the back of the tray liners in restaurants. You will be happy to know that the Strawberry Milkshake is now suitable for vegetarians. McDonald's no longer uses E120 cochineal as a colouring in the Strawberry Milkshake. The new colouring is a beetroot juice concentrate (E162) which is a natural extract of beetroot. There are no McDonald's menu choices that contain alcohol.
JUNE '07 UPDATE: McDonald's trials Halal chicken at a restaurant in Southall, London. (June 2007)
SEPTEMBER '09 TRIAL RESULT: McDonald’s began this trial because we wanted to assess customer demand for certified Halal food in our UK restaurants. We have learnt that Halal is only popular with a very small percentage of our customers and to offer it we would need to make significant changes to our kitchen procedures and supply chain. Given this, we have decided that we are not currently in a position to roll out Halal food in the UK.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 12. Hi I am muslim and am wondering do any of you burgers contain pork of any sort?
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None of the hamburger patties contain any pork. They are made entirely from 100 percent beef and seasoned with a little salt and pepper once cooked. There are burger sandwiches which do contain bacon: the Deluxe Bacon Quarter Pounder, the Chicken Deluxe with Bacon, the Bacon Cheeseburger and the BLT with Cheese. And there are breakfast menu items such as the Bacon and Egg McMuffin, the Big Breakfast, the McBacon Roll, the Pancakes and Sausage, the Sausage and Egg McMuffin, the Sausage, Egg and Cheese Bagel which all contain pork. Please note that all beef patties are cooked on a separate grill to the bacon.
JUNE '07 UPDATE: McDonald's trials Halal chicken at a restaurant in Southall, London. (June 2007)
SEPTEMBER '09 TRIAL RESULT: McDonald’s began this trial because we wanted to assess customer demand for certified Halal food in our UK restaurants. We have learnt that Halal is only popular with a very small percentage of our customers and to offer it we would need to make significant changes to our kitchen procedures and supply chain. Given this, we have decided that we are not currently in a position to roll out Halal food in the UK.
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