Morrisons supermarket is bringing in halal-only pick-and-mix counters so that Muslim customers don’t have to check the ingredients of their sweets, according to a report in the Daily Mail.
A selection of 36 sweets – including liquorice sticks, cola bottles, jelly beans and gummy bears – are on sale, all guaranteed to be free of animal products or alcohol-based ingredients.
The 10 stores trialling the scheme include Blackburn, Bolton, Preston, Bradford, West Bromwich, Birmingham, Leamington Spa and three in London.
John Brooksbank, store general manager of Morrisons in Blackburn, said: “Many customers have asked us about Halal sweets, so we have designed and introduced a new range. We are the first big supermarket in the UK to do this. It’s a large range so we hope that it will provide a sweet treat for every taste.
“We would consider introducing the halal sweets range at other stores, should there be a demand. Yummys, the brand available, is a recognised Halal confectionery brand, which we are also selling in single bags in our world food aisle.
The supermarket has been praised by Muslim figures after announcing the move.
Salim Mulla, chairman of the halal sub-committee at the Lancashire Council of Mosques, said: “I think there are quite a few manufacturers who sell halal sweets but this is the first major supermarket to sell halal confectionery. I really welcome that.”
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And Abdul Hamid Qureshi, chairman of the Lancashire Council of Mosques, added: “More and more supermarkets are introducing halal products to meet the needs of the customers, but this is the first halal pick and mix I have heard of.
“There will be financial reasons behind it. Businesses will not just sell products for social needs. Chains such as KFC have started offering Halal products to attract a new, younger audience and a larger demographic.”
