Carleton Dining Services announced late July on their Facebook page that they would be adding labels to foods for those with dietary restrictions, including one for halal food. Since then, they have added daily menus for students observing a halal diet, with a range of choices available at either the Fresh Food Co. or the Food Court.
However, some students said these measures have yet to overcome their inherent suspicion.
“When I was growing up, even though I was raised here my parents always taught me that if something is halal just don’t eat it, because they were very suspicious,” said Zaynab Al-hemed, a first-year social work student.
Al-hemed added that she will usually order a vegetarian or vegan option from the cafeteria in order to avoid the possibility of eating non-halal meat, but that she would “like to see more options” on campus for those observing a halal diet.
While students following a halal diet have two locations on campus for certified food, this pales in comparison to other universities across Canada. The University of Toronto’s St. George campus alone is home to 17 different establishments offering certified halal food as part of their menu, according to the university’s food services website.
However, the call for more dietary diversity and recognition doesn’t come solely from Muslim students. Lewis Novack, a Carleton graduate who pushed for more kosher food at Carleton, said in an email that students have previously raised concerns over a lack of kosher food being offered on campus.
“For students and the Carleton community to get kosher options, they would have to go to the kosher Loblaws [30 minutes away from campus by bus],” he said.
Kosher and halal diets are quite similar in most aspects, with fish lacking scales and pork being prohibited in both, along with a certain method of slaughter for animals.
However, Novack said that while people observing a halal diet can eat kosher food, the inverse is not possible. One of the biggest differences lies in the slaughter process: in halal a prayer is said prior to the slaughter, whereas in kosher there is no prayer required.
Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) president Fahd Alhattab said the association offers a variety of halal options at its businesses.
“We have drastically increased the amount of halal food on campus since last year,” Alhattab said. “Rooster’s was one of the main areas to only have halal food for a number of years and the halal food they had was very poor.”
The quality of halal food offered at Rooster’s was improved last year, according to Alhattab, in particular with the addition of halal chicken items. He added that most of the main dishes on the menu at Oliver’s include a halal option.
“Looking at the number of sales [there] seems to be a decent demand but nothing that’s expansive and extensive,” Alhattab said. “We’re constantly looking at small menu adds . . . we’re looking at adding a second beef gyro option to the halal menu at Rooster’s.”
While students can currently get certified kosher sandwiches at no extra cost from the Residence Cafeteria, Novack said that Carleton’s lack of kosher options remains a serious issue amongst students.
“[The availability of kosher food options] is a major factor when choosing a school, of which I know students have not chosen Carleton for that reason,” he said.
A report from the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) found that around 40 per cent of students have special dietary requirements. Of those who responded to the survey, 17 per cent of students said they eat a halal diet.
“I know folks who ate kosher food and there was nothing offered on campus except for Second Cup pastries,” said Gayle McFadden, National Executive Representative for the CFS. “Those are very difficult, especially if you have more specific dietary restrictions it can be next to impossible to eat on campus.”
According to Alhattab, students may be unaware of the halal options that are available on campus.
“We could do a better job of getting the word out there, I’m not sure how many people know about the halal options,” Alhattab said.
