Subway’s 185 halal stores in the UK

Local papers The Bristol Post, Gloucestershire Echo, Plymouth Herald, Lincolnshire Echo, Stoke Sentinel, and the Burton Mail all provide coverage on The Daily Mail’s report that of the approximate 1,500 Subway outlets across the UK and Ireland, 185 stores now sell halal-only meat.

A Subway spokesman explained to the Daily Mail that it was accommodating “the values of religious communities” and the “growing popularity of the Subway chain with the diverse multicultural population”. In 2007, the food chain implemented a programme to ensure that the population demographic was considered for new store openings in order to meet customer demands.

Gloucestershire Echo reports that there are three Subway stores in Cheltenham as it takes note of Subway’s halal stores in the UK, but it fails to mention these three stores do not sell halal-only meat.

Moreover while the Bristol Post and the Stoke Sentinel report that two Bristol stores and two outlets in Stoke-on-Trent are serving halal-only products, the Lincolnshire Echo, Plymouth Herald and the Burton Mail note that none of the halal-only UK branches are in Lincolnshire, Plymouth, Burton and Swadlincote.

Rather, one of the nearest halal-only Subways to Lincolnshire is in Nottingham. Despite a mere 12% of Subway outlets are serving halal food, the Daily Mail’s article has caused an outcry among its readership with 2,868 comments submitted in response to its online article.

Some of the anti-Muslim comments posted include:

“Why do we keep “accommodating” this vile Halal slaughter practice?”

“In conflict, the same as it has throughout history when two incompatible cultures clash. They are a small minority currently, about 5% of the populations (although 10% amongst newborns), if they are capable of changing so much now, how do you think things will be in the future, particular for cities where their number are much more sizable? You’re seeing the early stages of the Balkanisation of the U.K. Only our politicians are unwilling to accept this, their future generations will have no choice.”

“So, another retailer pandering to Islamic pressure. Sharia law next with public stoning and hanging!”

“First sharia law, then banning bacon, ham whatever next, soon we will all be wearing burkha’s – I just hope this nonsense comes to an end, if Muslims don’t want to live the way we do then leave, end of”.

“Once again Muslims forcing their cult beliefs upon us. This is how they’ve taken over countries across the globe, bit by bit with the help of cowering politicians. History has shown us where appeasement takes us and it isn’t pleasant. Eventually there’ll be trouble in our land and it couldn’t come sooner for me!”

Alarmist reporting on halal meat in the UK has become something of a media pastime with the Daily Mail leading the way with its considerable, biased reporting on the issue. Given the lucrative size of the halal industry, it is not surprising that business is leading the way with its ‘free market’ approach to meeting the needs of a diverse consumer base.