Butterball Turkeys Are Certified Halal: True or False?

Online rumors claim that Butterball turkeys are “certified Halal” – meaning they are prepared according to Islamic law – but they are not labeled as such.

Online Rumor

The rumor claims that Butterball turkeys are “certified Halal” but do not carry any label or statement to inform consumers. Halal is the Arabic word for “lawful” or “permissible” and applies to a wide variety of objects or actions. In the scope of this article, Halal applies to the proper slaughter of animals, which follows certain guidelines, and must be done in the name of Allah.

For the last several years, this rumor has been circulating every November prior to Thanksgiving.

History

A 2011 article published by American Thinker appears to be the origin of the Butterball Halal claims. In this article, blogger Pamela Geller writes of the meat industry’s “halal scandal” and discusses the practice of “not separating halal meat from non-halal meat.” The blogger reported that one of her readers wrote to Butterball and received a response that confirmed Butterball meat to be Halal, “Wendy Howze, a Butterball Consumer Response Representative, responded: “Our whole turkeys are certified halal.” In a little-known strike against freedom, yet again, we are being forced into consuming meat slaughtered by means of a torturous method: Islamic slaughter.”

A full copy of this email appears on the anti-Butterball Facebook page Boycott Butterball Turkey:

“November 14, 2011

Thanks for contacting Butterball. Our whole turkeys are certified halal. However, if you would like to know about any other Butterball products, please email us back as to which products you are interested in using and we can get that information for you.

Again, thanks for your interest in Butterball. We hope you find this information helpful.

Sincerely,
Wendy Howze
Consumer Response Representative

Ref: Y453882”

Butterball Responses

Shortly after The American Thinker article was published, The Blaze attempted to contact Butterball and settle the matter. The response they received was deemed “murky at best,” with the statement that the way in which Butterball slaughters its turkeys “allow for Halal certification.” The ritual prayers are not recited, but reserved for “Islamic second-party distributors.”

On November 19, 2012, Butterball began issuing a direct response to claims of Halal turkeys with the following statement, “At this time, Butterball branded products are not certified halal. This applies to both domestic and international Butterball products.”

Sameer’s Eats, a webshow which “highlights top Halal Food around the country” posted an online chat with a Butterball representative about the issue and an email from Butterball received by a friend. While the chat included the stock answer above, the email contained a slightly longer explanation:

“At Butterball, we pride ourselves on our ability to provide consumers around the world with a variety of wholesome and nutritious products. At this time, Butterball branded products are not certified halal. This applies to both domestic and international Butterball products. We remain dedicated to feeding a diverse, growing global population while adhering to all USDA guidelines.”

In 2013, Butterball’s Facebook page continued to receive questions regarding halal turkeys. Their response mirrors the original 2012 response, “At this time no Butterball branded products are certified Halal. This applies to both international and domestic products.”

Muslim blogger Sheila Musaji of The American Muslim responded to the original report by pointing out her difficulties in finding Halal turkeys:

“I checked out the Butterball website and could find nothing about halal turkeys.  I have never received any notices from any of the Muslim listserves that I am on that halal turkeys were available from Butterball. I have looked at the Butterball (and all the other brands) in my local supermarket, and none of them are marked “halal” or “kosher”.

Halal vs Kosher

Some have commented on the similarities between kosher meat and halal meat, and pointed out the lack of outrage regarding the availability of kosher meat. Musaji issued the following comparison:

“..the rules for Kosher and Halal slaughter are very similar.  Both slit the throat in one cut without cutting the spinal cord and the blood must be drained. Both must use a sharp knife with no nicks, and not sharpen it in front of the animal. For kosher the animal must also be soaked in salted water to remove the last of the blood.  One difference is that Muslims must pronounce God’s name before slaughtering each animal, Jews must only pronounce a prayer before the first and last animals that are to be slaughtered at one time.  After the actual slaughter there are differences in which parts of the animal may be used, etc.  Kosher rules are more strict, and therefore observant Jews will not substitute halal for kosher, but many Muslims will substitute kosher for halal if halal is not available.”

Questions Remain

The current Butterball statement regarding halal turkeys has typically been reported as being a change in Butterball’s policy, and that the company “no longer” provides Halal turkeys. Some have pointed out the use of “at this time” in Butterball’s statement to imply that the company’s possible past – or future – production of Halal turkeys.

“Halal Certified” – Web Archive

Butterball’s website, did in fact mention “halal certified” products, as seen in this web archive capture from January 31, 2012:

This mention of Halal certification, however, was listed in under the “International” section of the website, and did not specify where these Halal products were available. This page has since been redesigned and the certification is no longer mentioned.

Bottom Line

Butterball does not currently offer halal turkeys. The company did cite “Halal Certified” products as recently as January 2012, but it is not clear if those products were available in the United States or internationally. We have reached out to Butterball for further explanation and will post their response if and when they reply.

Sources

• Happy Halal Thanksgiving (Pamela Geller, American Thinker: November 21, 2013)
• The Islamic Butterball? Your Thanksgiving Turkey Could Be Halal Certified (Tiffany Gabbay, The Blaze: November 24, 2011)
• Pamela Geller Discovers Muslim Thanksgiving Turkey Plot (Sheila Musaji, The American Muslim: November 29, 2011)
• Butterball Turkeys No Longer Halal (SameersEats.com: November 20, 2012)
• Butterball no longer halal (Neil Munro, The Daily Caller: November 21, 2012)