(Photo: The Guardian)

A food wholesaler is facing serious allegations of misrepresenting chicken as halal meat, as revealed in a recent jury hearing. Hamil Miah, a 46-year-old resident of Kilcredaun House in Cardiff, is the owner of Universal Food Wholesale Limited. During the proceedings at Merthyr Crown Court, prosecutor Alex Greenwood highlighted the absence of any established policies or procedures within the company, indicating a lack of due diligence in labeling their food products.

In his defense, Benjamin Waidhofer stated that Mr. Miah firmly denies purchasing or supplying any meat that does not meet halal standards. Mr. Miah asserted that his company primarily dealt with dried foods and soft drinks, explicitly stating that they did not supply chicken to various businesses across South Wales.

The court heard that several restaurants and takeaways in Cardiff, Newport, and Blaenau Gwent received supplies from Mr. Miah’s company. The prosecution pointed out that Mr. Miah had previously informed law enforcement that a different entity was responsible for the sale of halal chicken. This entity, Universal Poultry, was reportedly owned by his childhood friend, Noaf Rahman, who Mr. Miah claimed was merely helping him out by taking on the role of director.

When questioned about whether this arrangement was due to his disqualification from being a company director, Mr. Miah maintained that the responsibility for any issues in the chicken preparation process lay with the employees in the cutting room. He argued that if they were “lazy or dishonest,” it was beyond his control.

Prosecutor Greenwood countered this by suggesting that these companies served as mere “badges of convenience” to obscure the true nature of the products being sold. He further inquired if the two companies were in competition with one another, to which Mr. Miah responded that there was “no competition,” as each business catered to its own clientele.

Mr. Waidhofer then guided the jury through the financial records of Universal Food Wholesale Limited, questioning Mr. Miah about his previous dealings under the name GNA Chicken. Mr. Miah claimed he had transferred all assets from GNA Chicken to his business partner, Mr. Rahman, and denied making any orders or communications with suppliers under that name. When asked if forensic evidence was necessary to confirm the halal status of the meat, he dismissed the idea, asserting, “Whatever I buy and sell is halal.” The trial is ongoing.

Original Article:

BBC. (2025, April 10). Man falsely sold halal meat to restaurants, jury told. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce3vv4jvj9no