ISTANBUL

The New Zealand government has been criticized for not providing halal-certified school lunches, which are approved under Muslim dietary rules, according to media reports on Sunday.

The controversy arose after school lunch provider Compass admitted that the "halal" meals it offers are not halal certified but are instead described by the company as "halal friendly."

The meals contain halal-certified chicken and beef, but the facility where they are prepared is not halal-certified, reported Radio New Zealand (RNZ).

Halal food refers to a strict dietary guideline that applies not only to the ingredients but also to their preparation.

Associate Education Minister David Seymour said in a statement that fully certifying the meals as halal would be an “unjustified expense,” the radio channel said.

"To go to fully halal certified would require the massive expense of separate preparation facilities, packaging, and distribution processes. I don't believe that expense would be justified," Seymour said.

The Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand spokesman Abdur Razaaq Khan criticized Seymour's remarks, calling him “lazy.”

Khan noted that preparing halal-certified lunches would not require an additional kitchen, noting that the same facility can prepare both non-halal food and halal food with certification.

"What is the message we are giving our children? We are giving our children—some of you, hey, you are fine because you're like us. Others, because you're not like us, take it or leave it,” Khan said regarding Seymour’s remarks.

Urging the prime minister to intervene in the halal certification process, Khan claimed that some children had been given ham sandwiches in meals that were supposed to be halal.