McDonald's India faces Twitter backlash for claiming it serves only halal meat

New Delhi: After food delivery platform Zomato, McDonald's is now facing a major backlash from Twitterati over whether the fast food company serves Jhatka or halal meat to its customers.

After a Twitter user asked McDonald's India whether their restaurants are halal certified, the company said it does serve halal meat to its customers.

"The meat that we use, across our restaurants, is of the highest quality and is sourced from government-approved suppliers who are HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) certified".

"All our restaurants have halal certificates. You can ask the respective restaurant Managers to show you the certificate for your satisfaction and confirmation," McDonald's India tweeted.

The response left Netizens attacking the company's Twitter handle.

"McDonald's we Hindus want jatka meat," posted an angry user while another wrote: "I don't want to eat needlessly cruel halal meat. What option do I have? Or should I not eat at McDonald's?"

The response irked many users who blasted the fast food major for serving halal meat to a nation where 80 per cent people are non-Muslims.

"Dear @McDonalds, per your response, should I understand that your products are not meant for non-Muslims in India? Do let me know," tweeted another.

In a similar incident, Zomato faced flak after it said that food doesn't have any religion while responding to a customer declining to accept an order delivered by a Muslim delivery agent.

"Thanks for the info what about jhatka meat which we Hindus eat either start serving or we ain't gonna come to ur outlets ever," posted an angry user to McDonald's India.

The halal method of slaughtered in one swift cut to its throat to ensure its blood is drained from its body. According to Wikipedia, the head of an animal that is slaughtered using halal methods is aligned with the qiblah. In addition to the direction, permitted animals should be slaughtered upon utterance of the Islamic prayer Bismillah "in the name of God".

On the other hand, Jhatka means the meat from an animal killed instantaneously, such as by a single strike of a sword or axe to sever the head. The animal must not be scared or shaken in any way before the slaughter.

(With inputs from IANS)