News Desk |
Officials working to regulate the Halal meat sector have said that animals are not being slaughtered according to Islamic practice as the country fails to ensure ‘Halal’ standards are met. The lack of certified Halal meat in Pakistan had made most Muslim countries hesitant from importing Pakistani meat products, which is why Pakistan share in global Halal meat trade is extremely low.
Secondly, most Pakistanis are unknowingly eating dead donkey meat. Donkey meat may be cheap but its skins are valued in the international market, especially China, where it is used for medicinal treatment. Lahore in Punjab has been a hub of selling donkey meat in the past few years. In a report, it mentioned about the police in Karachi saying the citizens of Lahore have been eating the donkey meat while the skins are being recovered in Karachi.
“Karachiites have recovered the skins and Lahoris have eaten the meat”
said Sharae Faisal SHO Israr Afridi
Lastly, Meat safety teams and vigilance cell of the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) jointly carried out an operation against illegal slaughterhouses on Sunday (Sep 10th, 2018) in Lahore. The enforcement teams seized and destroyed 3,600 kilograms of poor quality unhygienic meat. The illegal slaughterhouses have been closed in the area of Bakar Mandi, Allama Iqbal Town and at Chundri Road where sick animals were being slaughtered to supply to the local butcher shops in the city.
Quality assurance and quality control checks are regularly done to avoid any noncompliance or defect that might be present in the process and product. In short Zabeeha’s meat is hygienically safe to eat as it is ISO 9001:2015, HACCP, Halal PS 3733:2013, ISO 14001 and ISO 2200 certified.
If Pakistan established the right infrastructure, it can take advantage of its huge livestock population, considered 4th largest in the world, and would be able to take a huge share in the international Halal market. Fauji Meat Limited plant located in Port Qasim, Karachi has state of art Halal Meat Processing Plant having a daily production capacity of 100 tons of meat which includes 85 tons Beef and 15 tons mutton daily (30, 000 tons/year). Zabeeha is a domestic sub-brand of Fauji Meat Limited. It is the only facility within Pakistan that is in compliance with EU and international Standards.
Scandals around meat industry, Zabeeha ensures best meat choices for their customers, by delivering organic poultry, beef, mutton, and seafood products with zero external artificial additives. Zabeeha is incorporating 100% halal slaughtering techniques by offering premium quality meat. Our plant also has a three-day animal holding area so that animal’s muscles are relaxed before slaughtering, resulting in fresh quality meat. The health and cleanliness of the animals are not compromised at any cost and is given top priority.
Read more: Zabeeha’s launch Ceremony
For that reason, animals are inspected and vaccinated by the professional vets on regular basis in order to avoid infection and diseases. The meat handlers are also well experienced and trained. Moreover, a team of qualified/professional vets keeps a proper check on the health status of the animals by providing regular medical assistance, vaccination, and feed to animals in accord to their requirements for keeping livestock in good health.
After animal slaughter, the meat is tested to validate that the product is perfect for delivery. In case the meat is not validated the product is discarded and wasted to ensure that no harm is derived from it. Quality assurance and quality control checks are regularly done to avoid any noncompliance or defect that might be present in the process and product. In short Zabeeha’s meat is hygienically safe to eat as it is ISO 9001:2015, HACCP, Halal PS 3733:2013, ISO 14001 and ISO 2200 certified. We don’t want our customers missing out on the flavorsome taste and quality of Zabeeha meat.
PK Meat and Food Company, on the other hand, is a subsidiary of PK Livestock and Meat Company Pvt Limited. It entered the retail market in 2010 and offers a range of ready to cook and partially cooked frozen meat products.
Talking about Zabeeha’s competitors, the Al Shaheer Corporation Limited entered the local meat market by launching Meat One in 2011. The company was already a major player in the export of meat to the Middle-East and decided that it could cater to the local demand and expand its operation. Meat One – a high-end meat retail chain offers a variety of beef, chicken and mutton cuts along with a range of ready to cook products. Al Shaheer also operates a low-end brand Khaas Meat, which offers the same quality of meat at lower prices.
It has focused on vertical integration and has slaughterhouses in Lahore and Islamabad, with beef slaughter plant capacity of 40 heads per hour and mutton slaughter plant capacity of 200 heads per hour. The Company says that once Islamabad and Lahore slaughterhouses come online, its total capacity will reach 175 tons of meat per day compared to 100 tons per day at present (Al Shaheer Corporation Limited – 2016 Report).
Read more: Halal Food Authority back in business
PK Meat and Food Company, on the other hand, is a subsidiary of PK Livestock and Meat Company Pvt Limited. It entered the retail market in 2010 and offers a range of ready to cook and partially cooked frozen meat products. PK’s daily export tonnage is more than 60,000 kgs (60 tons), with a production capacity of 40 Beef animals per hour and 240 Mutton Animals per hour.
Zenith meat has been verified by the HACCP and provides high-quality meat domestically as well as internationally. Slaughter capacity of Zenith is 450 large animals (Cattle & Buffalo) & 3000 small animals (Sheep & Goat) per shift.
read more: Poultry, meat and eggs may contain harmful drugs, NA committee told
Health and hygiene probably wasn’t a big priority back in the day but today it is. Today, people feel its okay to live in a small house, but wish to provide their family with a good upbringing and hygienic food – Zabeeha promises every family by providing hygienic meat. For that, Zabeeha guarantee’s reaching out to every Pakistani consumer by making Zabeeha their meals must-have and first choice.