MERRY Hill’s Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant is reaching out to a larger audience after it launched a halal-only menu.

The drive-thru takeaway is currently taking part in the trial, which sees the store selling chicken products which have been fully approved by the Halal Food Authority (HFA).

Halal meat means the animal has been killed in accordance with Islamic dietary laws. The animal is first stunned before the throat is slit to allow all blood to drain, with the idea that the meat is cleaner.

As part of the religion’s law, the slaughterman is also required to say a traditional proclamation of faith as the animal is killed.

KFC bosses decided to include the Merry Hill store in the trial after feedback from customers indicated there was a significant demand in the borough for halal food.

However, the KFC outlet in the mall’s Eat Central food court is continuing to serve non-halal chicken in order to cater for all customers.

KFC bosses are assuring customers there will not be change in flavour but they are being advised that all halal stores will not be serving bacon as part of some of their burgers as pork products are not considered to be halal.

The Merry Hill store is one of 85 taking part in the trial, which will all feature the HFA logo on the door.

Nina Ar nott, a KFC spokeswoman, said: “One of our Merry Hill restaurants is taking part in our halal trial, following demand in the area.

“The store in the Merry Hill centre joined the trial in February, while our nearby restaurant in the Westfield centre remains nonhalal to provide our customers with a choice.”

She added: “We’ve worked with the Halal Food Authority and animal welfare organisations to ensure our systems and processes fully comply with halal requirements while staying true to our strict standards of animal welfare, which have not been compromised.

“The trial is going well so far and is likely to continue for a number of months as we evaluate both customer feedback and its commercial success.”