McDonald's apologises for halal cakes uproar, but will persist with policy

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PETALING JAYA: McDonald's Malaysia has issued an apology for the misunderstanding over its notice on halal-certified birthday cakes.

However, the fast food chain said it would persist with the policy as it needed to ensure that products consumed in its restaurants were certified halal by the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim).

"As a company that serves all Malaysians, we have never intended to discriminate against anyone. At McD, we have always practiced a 'no outside food allowed' policy, but have made exceptions for birthday cakes as they are important for celebrating special occasions.

"However, in order to maintain our Halal status, we have to ensure that all products consumed in our restaurants are Halal certified as required by Jakim," McDonald's said in a statement on its Facebook page, Saturday.

The company said it valued the thoughts and opinions of all Malaysians, many of whom had reacted angrily to the notice.

"We sincerely thank all Malaysians who have given their thoughts and opinions. More importantly, we appreciate that you care enough to share your views with us, and we will continue to improve to make McDonald's a place that is truly for all Malaysians," it added.

McDonald's had issued a statement on Thursday saying that it had made an exception to the 'no outside food' policy in the case of birthday cakes brought by patrons.

However, this included a caveat that the birthday cakes needed to be halal-certified in keeping with the requirements of the fast food chain's halal status.