MELAKA: A frozen meat outlet in Taman Ayer Keroh Permai here has been found operating without a valid halal certification despite displaying the halal logo on its premises.
Melaka Domestic Trade and Cost of Living director Dr Mohd Hazimin Jamaludin said enforcement officers discovered the misuse during an inspection earlier this week.
"Checks revealed that the company had displayed the word ‘halal’ on its signboard although it did not possess a valid Malaysian Halal Certification (SPHM) issued by the Islamic Development Department (Jakim),” he said in a statement Wednesday (Oct 29).
Dr Mohd Hazimin said further investigation showed the outlet had been selling imported frozen meat products from Japan and Australia, each bearing halal certification from their respective countries of origin.
"However, this does not replace or validate the Malaysian Halal Certification,” he said, adding that the Melaka Islamic Religious Department (JAIM) had previously warned the same outlet in 2023 for a similar offence.
He said the violation came to light again when enforcement officers conducted a raid on Wednesday.
Following the inspection, Dr Mohd Hazimin said the department instructed the company to remove or cover the halal signage within three days and to delete any halal-related words or logos from its social media platforms.
"The outlet management admitted that they didn't possess an SPHM but relied on assurances from external suppliers that the products were halal,” he said.
Dr Mohd Hazimin added that officers also discovered the outlet had been using an unauthorised electronic weighing scale for commercial purposes.
"The outlet was penalised for offering food in a manner that could mislead or deceive consumers into believing the products were halal,” he said.
The case is being investigated under the Weights and Measures Act 1972 and Order 4(1) of the Trade Descriptions (Definition of Halal) Order 2011.
