What was claimed
Minced beef from Asda labelled ‘HMA’ means it is halal.
Our verdict
This is a code for a specific supplier, and has nothing to do with whether the meat is halal.
HMA label on Asda beef does not mean it’s halal
20 October 2023
Posts on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook show packaging of minced beef from Asda with claims ‘HMA’ on its label proves it’s halal.
But it doesn’t. The ‘HMA’ code on this packaging refers to a specific supplier, and has nothing to do with whether the meat is halal.
A spokesperson for Asda told Full Fact: “Product labels will often contain different combinations of letters that determine where a product is supplied from. This has no connection to halal meat.”
This claim and image have been circulating since at least 2015. One eight-year-old post with over 35,000 shares claimed: “You are being unknowingly sold halal meat! Pls check for this 'HMA' (Halal Monitoring Authority) when buying meat, especially if you are boycotting halal meat.”
Other examples have been shared more recently.
Although there is a halal certifying organisation operating in Canada called the Halal Monitoring Authority, or HMA, this is not what the label on the Asda packaging is referring to.
‘Halal’, when describing meat, refers to the process of slaughtering the animal in accordance with Islamic law. There are several parts to this process.
We’ve previously checked false claims that all Tesco meat and all chicken served in Nando’s restaurants is halal.
This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as false because the code ‘HMA’ on Asda beef signifies it came from a specific supplier and has no connection to halal meat.