HOSPITAL bosses have sacked their new supplier of Halal meat after Asian community leaders failed to give it their blessing.

Burnley General Hospital awarded the £20,000-a-year meat contract to a Liverpool firm of importers, which easily undercut the long-established supplier in an open bid battle for the work.

But the new supplies which came in from all over the world, failed to curry favour with a chef who prepared the Asian dishes for Muslim patients.

He felt the meat used in dishes which are supplied by Burnley Health Trust to other hospitals throughout the North, was not really Halal - specially killed and blessed in the traditional Muslim manner - and he complained to Burnley and Pendle Racial Equality Council which launched its own inquiry.

They too were unconvinced by Halal guarantees from producers in New Zealand, Australia, France, Holland and the Botswana Meat Commission and gave Burnley Health Trust bosses a grilling. Equality council chairman Dr Ikram Malik told his members that he had given assurances to patients attending most of the 22 North West Hospitals - including Blackburn and Accrington - supplied with meals by Burnley General, that they were genuinely Halal dishes. "I feel I have let them down," he said.

But now Health Trust chiefs have dropped the "suspect" meat and are advertising the contract all over again.

Trust hotel service manager Stuart Bloor said the problem had arisen because of the lack of confidence in the new meat supplies.

"Although there were certificates and we had assurances from the suppliers, we still had a problem because they were not happy with the meat. Our new supplier recognised this and agreed to pull out of the contract. We will work closely with Asian community leaders in future to ensure no similar problem recurs."

Mr Bloor said the former supplier from Blackburn who provided fresh rather than frozen meat, had been easily outbid in the tender process.

He added that Burnley supplied around 1,000 meals a week to other hospitals, more as a service than as a profit-making move.

The Racial Equality Council has decided to link with the Lancashire Council of Mosques continue to monitor the meat supply situation at the hospital.

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