While the recent news about Pizza Express serving entirely halal chicken raised some eyebrows, research shows that the majority were more displeased by The Sun’s anti-Islamic coverage (according to social analytics by Crimson Hexagon). However, the story has once again brought the issue of food labelling into the public eye, particularly with regards to information surrounding meat production.

Since the horsemeat scandal in 2013 the consumer lens has been firmly focused on food supply chains. This latest attempt at battering a food company’s reputation may have fallen short of the mark, but it is testament to the continuing pertinence of the subject. Nick Clegg chose to comment on the story saying, “It is a question of labelling. I think there should be more information.”

What the public wants is transparency. It has been revealed that Pizza Express did, in fact, tweet about its use of halal in 2012, and that the information is available on its website. Labelling of halal food is erratic in many restaurants and supermarket chains and it appears that it is this lack of clarity that has people’s backs up.

Consumers seek clarity on their food packaging and this appears to extend to halal or kosher products. Consumers are increasingly looking for more information with regards to the origin and slaughter of their meat products.