Is it permissible to estimate the value of Zakat al-Fitr using one of the staple foods, then purchase another food that is more beneficial for the poor with that value, in order to achieve the objective of feeding and to consider the interest of the poor?

First: Zakat al-Fitr is to be given out from the staple food items explicitly mentioned in the Shariah or from the staple food of the local community. It is not permissible to give its value in cash, according to the majority of scholars.

Second: It is permissible to give out Zakat al-Fitr as meat or fish if that is the غالب (predominant) staple food of the local community, as the intention is to fulfill the needs of the poor and comfort them with what they commonly consume.

Third: It is not permissible to give out rice or chicken in place of the value of one saa‘ of wheat, because this falls under the category of giving out value, which is not permissible, and it may lead to giving less than what is obligatory. Furthermore, chicken is not a staple food in the questioner's country. This could also be a trick to give out less than one saa‘ of rice.