Cadbury Halal But Food Manufacturers Should Be Vigilant

Cadbury Halal But Food Manufacturers Should Be Vigilant

‘We have conducted a thorough inspection and found that Cadbury complies with the halal certification and no traces of foul play was found in the production making process of its product,” Multaqa Asatiah & Du’at president Ustaz Dr Zaharuddin Abd Rahman told reporters today. — TRP pic by Wan Kah Hoong

Food manufacturers have been urged to conduct regular checks at the retail level to prevent sabotage and negligence in the sales of food products.

This comes after a group of independent Muslim observers verified Cadbury Confectionery Malaysia Sdn Bhd’s chocolate-making process as safe and deemed halal friendly at its factory here today.

“We have conducted a thorough inspection and found that Cadbury complies with the halal certification and no traces of foul play were found in the production-making process of its product,” Multaqa Asatiah & Du’at president Ustaz Dr Zaharuddin Abd Rahman told reporters today.

Ruling out the element of sabotage and putting the cause of the recent ruckus over porcine (pig) DNA discovery on negligence, Dr Zaharuddin said food-making companies should conduct inspections at the ground level.

“Food companies should hold checks at the retail levels at least twice in a year as some retailers can be irresponsible in the manner the food products are stored in their shops,” Dr Zaharuddin said.

Persatuan Pengguna Islam Malaysia (PPIM) secretary-general Datuk Maamor Osman said the government should also come up with a Halal Product Act where respective state religious departments will have the authority to conduct lab testings on food products and have the last say in deeming a food product’s halal status.

“This will provide the relevant authorities, in this case, the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais), jurisdiction to conduct checks, inspections and also take action should food products not adhere to the halal certification standards,” Maamor said.

The four-member independent observers included Terengganu Palace’s religious official Ustaz Mohd Shukri Ali, Johor state Islamic Council adviser Datuk Nooh Gadot, Dr Zaharuddin and Maamor.

Meanwhile, the chocolate confectionaire company would not be taking legal action against the Health Ministry after a flawed testing last month lead to a public backlash.

The ministry’s test on two batches of the company’s chocolate products previously found them tainted with porcine DNA, but the chocolates were declared halal later on by the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim).