After being given official halal status, the franchise owner was forced to remove the claims by head office.
The burgers may be better at Hungry Jack’s, but they are not halal. So how did a Hungry Jack’s in the Melbourne suburb of Tullamarine gain halal certification in December?
Issued by the offical Islamic coordinating Council of Victoria, it clearly lists all foods which are considered Halal - from Whoppers to Angus burgers, cheeseburgers and chicken salad.
More stories from Today TonightMuslim using online forums rejoiced at the fast food offering, saying “at last halal Hungry Jack’s in Australia".
The problem is the food served here is exactly the same that's served in every other Hungry Jack’s outlet - and none of it is Halal.
Pork and bacon, alcohol, birds of prey, and carnivorous animals are not considered halal. Nor is any food which comes into contact with the above.
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The Halal Certification Authority-Australia is the largest organisation in the country responsible for assessing whether foods are halal.
Chairman Mohamed E-Mouelhy has slammed the Victoria group for making a mockery of their work.
Halal means ‘permitted’ in the Arabic language, which is the language of Islam. According to Mohamed El-Mouelhy from the Halal Certification Authority Australia “the animal must be slaughtered in a ‘halal’ manner, and that's the old fashioned type of slaughtering from ear to ear. All halal slaughtering in Australia is done after stunning, so that there is no question that we don't follow the law.”
More stories from reporter Lynda Kinkade
Hungry Jacks Head Office moved quickly, contacting the franchise.
Chief Executive Aaron McKie today released a statement saying halal-certified items have never been available from any of their restaurants.
We understand the owner was unaware of the Halal claims until he was contacted by the head office.
There are reports customers may have applied to the certification and posted it online. Perhaps not surprisingly the authority which issued the certificate won't comment.
“They are not doing the right thing by their religion. They are not doing the right thing by even the trade description act of this country - you mustn't call something halal when it isn't,” El-Mouelhy said.
Nicholas Raptis has been the Tullamarine franchise owner for the past five years. He wouldn’t comment of camera, fearing he may lose his licence due to the halal hoax.
“Amatuers will also be in every business, including halal certification. There is a lot of amateurs too - big amateurs .This is something that should never have happened. The Islamic organisation should have never done any work without actually discussing the matter with the head office,” Raptis said.
Halal food is a booming industry. Worldwide it’s worth $15 trillion.
In Sydney McDonalds and KFC have established halal outlets in the western suburbs.
There are also a handful of halal-only fast food outlets in Melbourne.
All Nandos stores are Halal certified, although Red Rooster is not.
Statement from Hungry Jack'sHungry Jack’s can confirm Halal-certified items are not now, and have never been available from any Hungry Jack’s restaurant, including Tullamarine Hungry Jack’s.
No Halal product was supplied to the restaurant by any of Hungry Jack’s approved suppliers, nor to the best of our knowledge following an internal investigation, by any unapproved external supplier.
The company’s management acted promptly to stop false claims from the franchisee of its Tullamarine store that Halal choices were available.
“Our internal processes discovered the franchisee, through unauthorised claims and actions, was breaching the trust of customers and the company,” said Aaron McKie, CEO, Hungry Jack’s Australia.
The company is still trying to establish the chain of events which led to the Islamic Co-Ordinating Council of Victoria (ICCV) awarding an Halal certificate to the restaurant.
The franchisee involved at Tullamarine has been issued with a notice from the company seeking clarification of his actions and an explanation as to how the ICCV certification may have been obtained.
Hungry Jack’s has previously investigated the possibility of providing Halal-certified menu items and we continue to constantly review our offering. There are some significant operational impediments to meeting the strict Halal food preparation requirements which at this time cannot be overcome.
Hungry Jack’s apologises to those customers who may have been misled by the actions of the Tullamarine franchisee.
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