Ever ordered your groceries through delivery apps? If you have, you must have noticed new ‘goat’ associated options added to the food offering. Yes, for the Islamic festival Eid Al Adha this year, people can order their sacrificial animals on the Careem and Noon minutes apps and get the meat of their animals delivered to their doorsteps.
Both Careem and Noon minutes offer a number of options for sheep and goats ranging from Dh400 to Dh2,150. Eid Al Adha is celebrated in remembrance of Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son as per the order of Allah. This ritual is referred to as Udhiya or Qurbani. The meat from the sacrificed animal is usually shared among family members, friends, and the needy.
“The reaction has been enthusiastically positive, and we are confident to have such a big demand for our proposition,” said Hussein Heiba, commercial lead at Noon minutes. “The order can be placed until two days before Eid al-Adha is celebrated.”
These are the words of Chase Lario, the Vice President of Groceries at Careem, who claims that the service is purposed to optimize one of the Islamic rituals. The platform has commenced the implementation of the initiative in collaboration with a local partner. “We have partnered with Dhabayeh Al Emarat,” Lario stated. “This partnership guarantees the supply of quality livestock noting the sanctity of Udhiya Eid. Through this, many people always struggle to find who to approach when it comes to this important ritual.”
On the other hand, Noon has worked with a municipality-approved abattoir for the service. “This keeps it relevant with the laws that may exist as well as keeps the hygiene and halal standard as high as possible,” added Heiba.
Selections Both the Careem and Noon minutes apps give buyers the option to choose between the cut and the number of pieces. They can also choose to have the animal sacrificed on any of the three days of Eid, with meat delivery scheduled for the same day.
According to Lario, the response has been tremendous. “Within a few days since launching, we’ve witnessed a surge in the number of orders from our customers.”
He said the platform had taken care to make sure the animals met with the requirements of sacrifice. “To align with the Udhiya tradition, all sacrificial animals available on Careem are adults, aged above 6 months,” he said. “We offer a range of goats and sheep, with a focus on locally sourced varieties such as Naimi and Najdi sheep, as well as locally raised goats.”
This year, Eid Al Adha falls on June 16. Residents will get a paid holiday from Saturday, June 15, until Tuesday, June 18, to mark the festival.
