From CNN Money
by Ashley Mason
Thick T-bone steaks and richly marbled oxtails decorate the display case at Honest Chops, a new whole animal halal butchery in downtown Manhattan.
Not only is the shop committed to selling humanely raised meat, it’s all slaughtered in the Islamic tradition, which involves a prayer and quick death using a sharp knife.
Khalid Latif, who founded the butchery in March, spoke to Muslim students and working professionals in his community who wanted a higher quality of meat than their neighborhood markets offered.
Initially, he and his partners Anas Hassan and Bassam Tariq were just interested in opening a halal butchery. But after learning about the unnatural feed that commercial cattle and chickens are raised on, they opted to source their meat from small producers in upstate New York, Maryland and Massachusetts.
“When there’s not a certain kind of purity to the food that we’re consuming, that becomes problematic from the spiritual standpoint,” said Latif, who has rigorous standards for the meat he sources.
Everything at the shop, from its seasoned hamburger patties to whole chickens, is humanely raised on a vegetarian diet, free of hormones and GMOs. They call it their “Honest-to God” guarantee.
While the concept appeals to the pious, the shop’s locally grown focus has also attracted secular people, who make up 60% of its customers.
“We were understanding of the demographics,” said Latif, whose storefront neighbors several college campuses and a string of retail boutiques. “We tell our community members that they shouldn’t look at their faith solely as something that brings benefit to them. Really, it’s ensuring good quality meat to people who need meat.”
