Stop the abuse of halal label

CASES pertaining to the abuse of the halal logo surface on a regular basis. The worst so far, which was exposed in December 2020, involved a cartel that had allegedly been bribing customs officials in the import and sale of meat that was not slaughtered according to Islamic customs or was sourced from unapproved suppliers.

The cartel allegedly imported frozen meat from China, Ukraine, Brazil, and Argentina and then repackaged the products in Johor. The imports included kangaroo and horse meat, which were then mixed with and sold as halal beef!

The meat cartel had allegedly bribed senior government officers to turn a blind eye to their activities, and that imports of meat from non-certified slaughterhouses in a number of countries had been going on for more than 40 years.

It was alleged that members of this cartel paid off officials working in the Royal Malaysian Customs, Veterinary Services Department (DVS), Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services (Maqis), and the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim).

These reports were initially brushed aside by the minister in charge, but strong public outrage later resulted in the police arresting two directors of a Johor-based company.

The issue touched on two aspects, the halal status and corruption, which raised larger questions on national security.

Given the above situation, this is the right time for the government to introduce a Halal Haram Act and at the same time amend the existing Acts pertaining to the halal-haram issue.

The Act would establish the authenticity of Malaysian halal goods, which is in line with the government’s policy to make Malaysia one of the largest manufacturers of halal products in the world.

The existing laws should be amended to provide a better understanding of the use of the word haram in food and other products. For example, under the Food Act, the law on food labelling needs to be amended to ensure that haram ingredients are mentioned in the label. If a substance can be obtained from several sources, the producer should be required to state the sources clearly. This will help Muslim consumers to avoid any food or products that contain doubtful or haram substances.

The Act will give more bite to the authorities in implementing more stringent supervision and enforcement on the halal supply chain.

The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP), which has been calling for the Halal Haram Act for over 30 years, also urges the authorities to:

> Improve the halal certification process;

> Review the food procurement procedures following the expose of the meat cartel scandal;

> Review the system for all enforcement agencies and livestock development; and

> Set up a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to address the meat cartel scandal. All those involved in deceiving the people, including government servants and company directors, should be punished severely if found guilty.

MOHIDEEN ABDUL KADER

President

Consumers Association of Penang