Is halal meat stunned?

Animals in England must be stunned before slaughter unless they are slaughtered by religious rites in an approved slaughterhouse. The FSA says halal slaughter "can include stunning", while all kosher meat is unstunned.

In the FSA's 2024 survey, most halal meat came from stunned animals: about 88% of halal chickens, about 90% of halal cattle and about 65% of halal sheep (Muzzmi's sums from the FSA tables, apart from the FSA's own 88% figure for chicken).

HMC (UK): "Part of our criteria is that animals are not stunned." HFA (UK): reported to permit stunning as long as it does not kill the animal. HFSAA (US): stunning is "highly discouraged", and where it is necessary it must be reversible. HMA (Canada): does not approve of stunning except tightly limited CO2 or water bath stunning where every bird is still alive at slaughter. HMS (US): its published standard does not discuss stunning.

US federal law treats ritual slaughter by a single cut of the carotid arteries as humane, and religious slaughter is exempt from the stunning rules. Canada's food regulations allow Islamic and Jewish ritual slaughter by one continuous cut through the jugular veins and carotid arteries. Neither country publishes how much halal meat is stunned.

Look for a certifier whose standard matches yours, then check the restaurant is on that certifier's own list. Muzzmi links every certified place to its certifier. Start with HMC certified places in the UK or HMA certified places in Canada.