Big Macs off Moslem menus

Big Macs off Moslem menus

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (AP): Big Macs have been scratched from McDonald's menus in Brunei until the burgers are deemed in keeping with dietary rules by Moslem religious officials.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs has halted importation of beef and chicken at the two McDonald's in the Southeast Asian kingdom, worried the foreign meat was not halal, or permitted under Moslem law.

The oil-rich sultanate, with a 70 percent Moslem population, imports most food from other countries. McDonald's processing plants in Malaysia supply beef and chicken to the Brunei chains.

Although Malaysian plants adhere to local Moslem dietary laws, those laws are not recognized in neighboring Brunei.