The federal government has been accused of “cultural and ethical insensitivity” for sending pork sausages and bacon to clinically susceptible Muslim households who’re shielding through the coronavirus pandemic.

Pork merchandise, together with tins of beans and sausages and lentil and bacon soup, that are forbidden for Muslims, have been despatched to probably the most at-risk households below a £104m authorities contract run by a personal agency.

Tins of Fray Bentos meatballs and hen pies are included within the generic “care packages” despatched to individuals who can’t depart their properties resulting from coronavirus, together with these from Muslim, Sikh and Jewish communities, a lot of whom solely eat meat ready in accordance with their religions.

The Labour MP Imran Hussain mentioned his most susceptible constituents have been having to decide on between consuming and their non secular or moral beliefs.

In a letter to Robert Jenrick, the communities secretary, Hussain wrote: “I need to be clear that that is unacceptable and deeply insensitive to our non secular communities.

“The inclusion of those merchandise can be not simply culturally and morally insensitive, forcing some in probably the most susceptible positions to decide on between compromising non secular or different sincerely held beliefs and consuming, however yet one more show of the structural and institutionalised racism in our society – the place the views of minorities are both not thought-about in any respect or considered not important sufficient to warrant intervention.”

The meals packing containers are delivered to individuals thought-about “extraordinarily clinically susceptible” resulting from underlying well being circumstances, that means they can not depart their dwelling and can’t depend on assist from household or pals.

The federal government mentioned greater than 3m meals packing containers, or 290,000 per week, had been delivered below its contract with the wholesalers Brakes and Bidfood, which launched on the finish of March.

It mentioned the packing containers have been standardised and may not meet dietary or non secular wants, however added: “All packing containers present applicable ranges of diet for one individual for one week. Folks with particular dietary wants which aren’t met by the packs they obtain ought to contact their native authority for additional assist and recommendation.”

Different merchandise within the packages embody espresso, tea, biscuits, cereal, fruit, potatoes, pasta, pasta sauce, canned fish and canned greens. The meat merchandise often make up 4 or 5 tins, or a good portion of somebody’s weekly meals, in response to charities.

Hussain was alerted to the problem when a neighborhood group in his constituency, Bradford East, observed dozens of unopened tins of meat merchandise outdoors individuals’s homes this week.

Bradford Moor Cross mentioned it collected greater than 40 meat tins on someday. Folks didn’t need to complain or seem ungrateful but in addition didn’t need the gadgets to be wasted, it mentioned.

A Cross consultant mentioned he contacted Bidfood, which delivered the packing containers, and was informed it was “one field suits all” and there have been no vegetarian, halal or kosher options.

When approached by the Guardian, Bidfood mentioned its function was to pack and ship the packing containers and that inquiries concerning the contents should go to the federal government.

Bidfood, one of many largest meals wholesalers within the UK, was awarded a £104m authorities contract in March together with Brakes, one other distributor, as a part of a £208m initiative to ship meals to probably the most susceptible. The businesses mentioned on the time the packing containers would “comprise the identical gadgets, regardless of whether or not they obtain the supply from Bidfood or Brakes”.