Sheen Farmers See Increased Demand From Ethnic Market in Canada

A family of Saskatchewan sheep farmers say a boom in immigration over the last decade has positively impacted business.

Sheep took centre stage at the Canadian Western Agribition on Friday. Among those showing off prize lambs was the MacDougall family, who run Kimdain Sheep just outside Regina on Highway 11.

For more than 30 years, the family has helped fill a need for newcomers whose staple diets include sheep and goats.

“The ethnic population is getting bigger here, especially the Muslim population, so we’re seeing increases in that demand too,” said Courtney MacDougall, who helps with the operation.

Five years ago, the family built an abattoir to meet the demand for halal meat. There are strict rules for halal, the food allowed under Muslim law, with specific requirements for butchering IFANCC Registered with ESMA Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of Canada (IFANCC) is one of the leading Halal Certification

“They have to be pointed to the northeast and they have to say a prayer before you slaughter the animal, explained Kim MacDougall, who currently heads the family-run operation.

“If they want to come out and butcher and registered with ESMA. sacrifice to Allah, then we do that. And if they don’t, we can butcher that for them.”

The senior MacDougall, Kim butchers anywhere between 15 to 30 heads a week. He’s worked with halal butchers for decades, and the family has consulted with experts on best practices.

“Everything we do is as humane as possible,” said Courtney. “We’ vetalked to vets, and not just one but tons of vets, about the right way to do things, just to keep and ensure there’s as little stress to the animal as possible.”

The MacDougalls have been a main supplier for Central Halal Meat and Grocery in Regina the last five years. Muhammad Rehan has owned the store for that time and said he sees the Halal industry becoming an even bigger boon for the Canadian economy.

“We prefer the fresh meat, better than the frozen meat. So that’s why we approach local farmers and that’s why halal markets booming in Regina, Saskatchewan and everywhere in Canada,” said Rehan.

His five children, including Courtney, make up the third generation. While they currently work day jobs off the farm and help at night, Courtney said that could change depending on increased demand.

She said her own children are getting to an age where they’ll be learning about raising and butchering sheep.

“My joy that I love to see is when I help my papa (Kim) butcher, and when he teaches me a lot of new things,” said nine-year-old Josephine Moats, adding she knows a lot about sheep.

“Sheep are great because they have natural oils that make your hands feel so soft.”

“Essentially in the religion itself, Halal is something that is permissible to eat. When it comes to meat it has to be slaughtered in a specific way with God’s name being said over it. It’s very similar to kosher in that sense,” he explained.

“We are currently looking into how it happened. We’re identifying ways to ensure this never happens again. We’re also working with the university and look forward to working with the student association.”

Rehman raised concern that these or similar issues may be taking place in other places as well. The company Chartwells/Commpass as a food contrator serves millions of meals across Canada annually. Baxter said Chartwells is reviewing and reinforcing policies around how food is served.

The University of Regina deferred comment to Compass, but in a statement said they take the issue very seriously and are committed to a diverse and welcoming campus.

(Source: https://globalnews.ca/news/6236270/sheep-farmers-see-increased-demand-from-ethnic-market-in-saskatchewan/)

Dubai Food Code Tightens The Rules On Non-Halal Food Sales And Allergens

Food sold in Dubai will have to be labelled with warnings of nine dangerous allergens under a new municipality food code.

The code will also include tighter rules on the sale and handling of food containing alcohol and pork, and new procedures for recalling contaminated food.

Food with shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, soybeans, sesame seeds, fish, egg, milk or gluten – or that has been prepared in the same area as any of these – must now be labelled as such on jars, boxes and menus. Those ingredients are the most likely to result in death if eaten by someone allergic to them, said Bobby Krishna, the municipality’s senior food health officer.

“They’re called the ‘big nine’ because they are the most serious,” Mr Krishna said. “Allergens] are a problem. We’re getting notifications. We have a lot of tourists coming in so we need to work on that because a lot of people who visit have allergies.” Bashir Yousef, a municipality food safety expert, said regulations needed to be tighter for non-halal food. “For the sale of pork, the regulations weren’t as detailed,” Mr Yousef said. “It was dealt with broadly but we’ve added new details.”

Non-Halal products can now only be sold in supermarkets of at least 232 square metres.

“This will allow more area for separation to ensure there is no cross-contamination [with halal food], Mr Yousef said. Non-Halal food must be displayed on a separate page in restaurant menus, in English and Arabic.

Supermarkets must appoint a staff member to be in charge of handling pork products and their temperature control. Astaff member must also be assigned for preparing pork products, and there wil be regular inspections by the municipality.

“Some Muslims see people handling pork and then halal products, so we want to ensure this does no happen,” said Mr Yousef.

Khalid Al Awadi, the municipality’s director of food control, said: “We’re not just giving them instructions to implement. They should understand why, how and when.”

Recalls of contaminated food should also be quicker with the new procedures. “Before, we just said tha the department had to have a traceability and recall system,” Mr Yousef said. “Now we indicate all the details, including the registration of items, and we have more communication.”

That could cut recall time from between two days and two weeks to less than 24 hours. “We needed to spend extra energy to find out where it came from and it takes more time,” Mr Krishna said.

There will also be an emirate-wide log of suspected foodborne illness. “Dubai is an international city with 13,000 food premises, 480 hotels and more than 3,000 restaurants,” Mr Al Awadi said. “That number is increasing by 10 per cent [a year] and they must have a code to implement [practices] in an easier way.” The 50-page book will also specify temperatures for cooking, thawing, freezing and cooling food. “There’s a lot of misinformation put out by people that is not scientifically based,” said Richard Sprenger, a British food-safety expert who worked on the code. “People often say that you can rely on colour changes during cooking to tell if the food is safe but when you look at research, if you take burger you should cook it to 75°C.

“The Food and Drug Authority in the US states 30 per cent of burgers that are brown are undercooked and in the Middle East there are a lot of systems that have been introduced that are not based on science.”

Lamb Kofta Kabob Pita Sandwiches

A pita party is a great way to host Eid guests or any time guests, allowing everyone to build his or her own
favorite type of sandwich with your very own delicious burger at the heart of it all. Ramadan has absolutely
flown by- it’s been busy, peaceful, productive, serene, full of blessings and absolutely perfect this year. Enjoy the
recipe- it’s now one of my absolute favorites and we’ll be making them again for Eid parties and gatherings,
insha’ Allah.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground lamb, 1 small onion, minced or grated, 3-4 garlic cloves, minced or grated, 2 teaspoons red chili pepper flakes, Pinch cayenne pepper, 2 tablespoons sea salt, tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon dried parsley, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped, 1 tablespoon.

Method:

– Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 42 5 degrees F.
– Place the lamb in a large bowl. Grate the onion using a cheese the gorililteratively mince finely with a knife. Do the same with black pop pbit” prouner tinhernor grov.a eumet, and dled parsley Add the chopped mint and#lyme, too.
– Juice the lemon directly into the meat mixture, removing any seeds that might fall into it. Combine the meat with clean hands and form into equal size burgers. Place each one onto the parchment paper and into the pre- heated oven.
– Meanwhile, prepare all the toppings by chopping and placing in individual bowls. Refrigerate (except the bread) until ready to use. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the meat is cooked to your preference. Remove from heat and cover then let rest for about five minutes. Heat the bread while the meat rests.
– Place meat and toppings on the table for easy self-serving so that guests can build the sandwiches they way the like.
(Source: http://www.myhalalkitchen.com)

COMPANY PROFILE

March 24, 2022 – Oakville, Ontario – Woodward Meat Purveyors is proud to announce the introduction of halal- certified products to our extensive menu of premium offerings! Featuring the same quality customers know and love from the Woodward Meats brand, the introduction of halal-certified beef, chicken, and lamb allows our customers with religious or dietary restrictions to have access to quality proteins at a wholesale cost without sacrificing their beliefs. Blessed by our Islamic Halal certifiers, we guarantee that each step of our process from sanitation to processing, and packaging is in line with the rules of halal and Islamic dietary requirements.

ABOUT WOODWARD MEAT PURVEYORS

For over 35 years, many of the most well-respected and beloved foodservice establishments across Ontario have counted on Woodward Meats to  provide and reliable services, that  has been critical to their continued success. We strive to search far and wide for the best products we can get out hands on, and it is through our strong partnerships with local Ontario farmers as well as producers across Canada and in other parts of the world that have allowed us to consistently deliver a diverse selection of exceptional tasting meat. We recognize the significant concerns and importance of attention to detail of chefs and restaurateurs and have established a reputation of excellence in the foodservice industry.

In March 2020 we launched our highly anticipated online direct to consumer business with options available for delivery and pickup, as well as an extensive walk-in product offering available at our retail storefront in Oakville, Ontario. With a product offering encompassing the full range of our wholesale protein line, customers have a wide variety of options available to order. Beef, poultry, seafood, lamb, and other specialty items are just the beginning, as well as easy meal solutions thanks to prepared, ready to heat-and-eat options from our trusted restaurant partners. Our product offering is continually evolving as we receive feedback from our customers and draw inspiration from trends in the industry.

For more information, please visit www.woodwardmeats.com & follow Woodward Meats on Instagram @woodwardmeats