Did Subway Really Cut Bacon and Ham From 185 Stores Due to Islamic Demand?

Popular fast-food chain Subway has decided to remove ham and bacon from the menus of nearly 200 of its locations in the United Kingdom and Ireland, replacing it with halal meat, according to the Daily Mail.

An "all meats are halal" sign now appears at Subway locations where these changes have been adopted, with turkey ham serving as a replacement, the Daily Mail reported.

Muslims cannot eat pork or consume any non-halal meat -- meat that is not slaughtered and prepared in accordance with Islamic law.

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A Subway spokeswoman confirmed to TheBlaze Wednesday that the company has responded over the past few years to an increasingly diverse population by providing halal meats, but declined to comment directly on whether ham and bacon have been removed from the menu at select locations.

"Due to the growing popularity of the Subway chain, with the diverse multicultural population across the U.K. and Ireland, we put a program in place in 2007 to ensure that the population demographic is taken into account when new store openings are considered in order that we meet consumer demand in each location," the spokeswoman said in a statement.

"All our suppliers comply with EU animal welfare legislation as a minimum and we require suppliers of halal products to adopt the stunning of animals prior to their slaughter. All halal meats are certified by the appropriate halal authorities," the statement said.

The spokeswoman declined to address whether certain stores display "all meats are halal" signs, saying only that there are signs at select locations letting customers know that meats sold within comply with Islamic standards.

"All halal Subway stores have numerous signs stating that they serve halal food," she said. "These are situated on the menu panels, nutritional information and in the front window of the store."

Pressed further about reports that ham and bacon have been removed completely from menus at 185 locations, the spokeswoman did not answer directly.

"It is factually correct to say that the Subway brand have approximately 185 stores that serve halal food in the UK and Ireland," she said.

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She added that the Daily Mail article infers that there has been a "sudden change" in policy over Subway's handling of the issue, which the company says is "incorrect," saying that the program has been in place since 2007.

The U.K. Bristol Post reported this week that two specific locations have indeed cut ham and bacon from their menus, serving only halal meats, which staff members at the two locations confirmed to TheBlaze.

The meat practices at the remaining 183 stores were not confirmed.

(H/T: Daily Mail)

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