Furious Muslims have called for a boycott of many types of Walkers crisps after it emerged that certain varieties contain trace elements of alcohol.
Some crisp types use minute amounts of alcohol as a chemical agent to extract certain flavours.
The report in Asian Newspaper Eastern Eye, highlights concerns raised by shopkeeper Besharat Rehman, who owns a halal supermarket in Bradford, West Yorkshire.
Mr Rehman told the paper: “A customer informed us that Sensations Thai Sweet Chilli, Doritos Chilli Heat Wave and Quavers Cheese are not on Walkers' alcohol-free list. Our suppliers were unaware of this.
"Even if it is a trace amount of alcohol, Walkers should make it clear on the packaging so that the customer can make an informed choice.
"I feel frustrated and angry. I have let my customers down simply because such a big company like Walkers is not sensitive to Muslim needs.
"Many of them were my daughter's favourite crisps. As soon as I found out about the alcohol in them, I called home to ask my wife to throw out all the packets.”
Shuja Shafi, who chairs the food standards committee of the Muslim Council of Britain, said that he intended to investigate. "Certainly we would find it very offensive to have eaten food with alcohol."
Masood Khawaja, of the Halal Food Authority, said that this was not the first time the issue had been raised with Walkers.
"They should have looked into the matter and solved it instead of hiding behind labelling regulations. It does not matter what percentage of alcohol is involved.
"Besides Muslims, there are a lot of teetotal people who would not like to consume alcohol in any form. As far as possible we try and lobby for halal symbols on popular products like Kellogg's cereals.
But we have always told Muslims to check the contents list even if a product is marked suitable for vegetarians. But to not mention it on the packaging is unfair.”
However, a spokesperson for Walkers told the Times that there was nothing the firm could do about listing the traces of alcohol in some of their products.
She said: "There is not enough room on the packaging to list things beyond allergy-causing ingredients that can make people ill.
"A minimal amount of alcohol is used to extract the flavour of some crisps."
Topic: Muslims furious and ready to kill because walkers chips contain alcohol (Read 2768 times)