Marine Le Pen, of the far-right National Front party, said Quick’s decision was a “scandal.”
“I’m not Muslim, I don’t want this imposed on me,” the daughter of French far-right icon Jean-Marie Le Pen told Europe-1 radio.
Kentucky Fried Chicken France says it has served halal chicken in its French outlets for 19 years. That fact is not well-known, though, and the chain has largely been left out of the debate over the burger chain.
Quick already sparked a spat earlier this year during the testing phase of the halal operation. The French city of Roubaix filed a legal complaint accusing it of discrimination. The complaint was later withdrawn, with the mayor saying he was satisfied about Quick’s promises to keep the concerns of non-Muslims in mind.
At the 22 restaurants involved, beer is still on sale. For those who object to eating halal beef, the chain also said it was working on a pre-cooked non-halal burger that would be stored in a wrapper so it doesn’t contaminate the rest of the offerings. The company said it expected sales of the product to be minimal.
Quick predicts a great future for halal business in France, citing an independent study last year by France’s Solis agency that estimated the market for halal food was growing by 15 percent a year.
In France, an estimated 5 million of the 63 million population is believed to be Muslim.
Abdel El Machkour, who oversees Quick franchises for the Paris region, said the goal was simply to be able to serve its products to a larger number of people.
“The fact that we propose this halal food range is not led by any kind of will to segregate a particular community — it is to propose a product range that many clients from all religions can consume, and Quick is here to respond to that demand,” he told reporters.
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