"Animals must be alive and healthy at the time of slaughter and all blood is drained from the carcass. During the process, a Muslim will recite a dedication, know as tasmiya or shahada.

There is debate about elements of halal, such as whether stunning is allowed.

Stunning cannot be used to kill an animal, according to the Halal Food Authority (HFA), a non-profit organisation that monitors adherence to halal principles. But it can be used if the animal survives and is then killed by halal methods, the HFA adds. "" -BBC article.

But "UK Food Standards Agency figures from 2011 suggest 84% of cattle, 81% of sheep and 88% of chickens slaughtered for halal meat were stunned before they died. "

So it means that the method of slaughter must be exactly as specified, and whether stunning is allowed or not is up for debate. I see that "healthy" is not specific, so a brain damaged or anesthetized animal may not count. I really feel like a religion shouldn't have such power over the meat industry, at least to the detriment of best practices. I can see a future where Halal practicing people won't/can't eat perfected lab grown meats because they are not technically halal, leading to an increase in animal suffering.

Regardless, it is an interesting conversation for not just animal rights, but other religions. Is it forbidden to eat "blessed" (or cursed) meat if you are from another religion? I can't imagine non-religious people care too much, but plenty of people believe in the power of prayer and vibes or black magic or whatever and if everything made at KFC has a prayer infusion then there might not be any reason to eat at a KFC for some groups.