Halal cheese handed to Australian soldiers
The halal certification of Bega Cheese has again become a target for detractors, with the Australian Army under fire for handing out meal rations that carry products with Arabic branding.
In a national television news report, both conservative senator Corey Bernardi and former Army major Bernard Gaynor decried the inclusion of Bega Cheese in the ration packs, Mr Gaynor saying the halal products “mean more to the enemy than they do to Aussie Diggers”.
The report said of Australia’s 60,000 soldiers, around 200 are Muslims, while two-thirds of the meal rations cater to minority groups, including vegetarian and kosher options in addition to the halal items.
Included in the meal rations is the canned cheddar product produced by Bega for its international export market. Having halal accreditation has allowed the company to sell into those countries and therefore contribute significantly to the local farmers and shareholders throughout the Bega Valley.
Halal certification is a hot button topic in Australia, with tens of thousands of people following boycott groups on social media.
Any mention of Bega Cheese and the company’s products on the Facebook page of the Fairfax newspaper also named for the town in which it’s based inevitably draws a barrage of criticism, bordering on hatred for halal accreditation and the Muslim faith
Halal accreditation nothing new
Bega Cheese has been halal accredited since 1996.
This has meant the company can export its products to 40 different countries and has helped it become the economic power that it is today.
“The accreditation and label means that Bega Cheese is able to be sold in international markets, many of which have a government requirement to include this labelling,” Bega Cheese CEO Barry Irvin said.
“There would be far less return to the farmer or employment in our region if we simple chose to export bulk commodity cheese for value adding in offshore markets.”
