The Sultanate’s largest fully integrated poultry and snacks food producer - A’Saffa Foods produces high quality fresh and frozen poultry products; and are fed with 100% natural fodder, produced in a highly sophisticated factory, and slaughtered manually by knife (real halal) as per Islamic law (Sharia’a). Families across the Sultanate and beyond can hence buy A’Saffa Foods products with confidence this Ramadan, as A’Saffa chicken are in accordance with ‘real Halal’ principles and are hand-slaughtered with knife as per Islamic Sharia’a.

Having best-in-class technology and equipment at their plant, A’Saffa Foods SAOG is accredited and certified by the highly recognized international certifying body TUV and has ISO 9001:2008 - Total Quality Management System, ISO 14001:2004 - Environmental Management System, and is certified by HACCP - for Food Quality and Hygiene. The brand has implemented the same in all sections of their farm management procedures, whilst strictly adhering to the highest biosecurity and hygiene standards, thereby ensuring that their chicken are free from any disease.

Sidhartha Lenka, Head marketing and sales, A’Saffa Foods states, “For the slaughtering of our chicken the techniques that we use at our farm ensures that all of our birds are slaughtered by hand using a knife, processed in a way that is hygienic and ensures that the birds are of the highest quality and fit for human consumption.”

It is noteworthy that A’Saffa Foods specially employ trained Muslim staff to slaughter chickens by hand at their farm ensuring that the staff member pronounces ‘Bis miallah Allah ho Akhbar’ whilst facing ‘Makkah’ during the slaughtering of each individual bird in accordance with Sharia’a principles.

This Ramadan, customers in Oman and across the GCC can rest assured that they can buy A’Saffa chicken and chicken parts with the confidence that they have been raised and slaughtered by hand using real halal techniques in accordance with Islamic Sharia’a; whereas many other poultry producers around the world practice killing their chicken using electrical impulses known as stunning. As markets in the region continue to import produce from companies around the world where there is no strong Islamic tradition, A’Saffa Foods practices and reiterates that it is ‘real halal’.

“Using electricity dries up the blood and fluid content of the bird which means a lot of dried blood and toxins will remain in the flesh and veins which is not hygienic. Through ‘real halal’ the slaughtering is done by hand from the top of the neck ensuring each drop of blood and toxin flows out of the bird and is hygienic for consumption,” Mr. Lenka explained. “Also, worldwide during stunning 3 to 4 out of every 100 chicken die before slaughter and goes unnoticed in mechanical slaughtering which means ‘halal’ is not guaranteed. Mostly companies also use mechanical devices to slaughter poultry which is also contrary to the strict guidelines that should be carried out to ensure that birds are slaughtered in accordance with proper Islamic Sharia’a.”

“‘A’Saffa’ chicken does not contain hormones, steroids, artificial flavor, colour or chemical preservatives, synthetic ingredients and no artificial injection of water is used to increase chicken weight. This is part of our effort to give our consumers the most natural product - thereby making A’Saffa a trusted name in 100% natural, tasty and healthy food products. Biosecurity at A’Saffa Foods Farms is of utmost importance, and several measures have been implemented to make sure that good hygiene practices are in place throughout our plant. This helps prevents disease not only in our poultry, but also healthy for those who consume our products, and helps to protect public health and the community at large”, said Sidhartha Lenka.