PETALING JAYA: The relevant authorities have initiated action against a company that allegedly misused the halal logo on sandwiches that it made and supplied to a convenience store at Universiti Malaya (UM).
The store’s two outlets at the campus in Kuala Lumpur have since been shut down until further notice, following the controversy.
In a statement yesterday, the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) said legal action is being taken against the company.
Jakim also revealed that it had inspected the stores together with Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry officers last week after complaints were raised on social media.
“Investigations found that the product did not have a verified halal certificate and the company that produced it is not a Malaysia halal certificate (SPHM) holder,” Jakim said.
The convenience store which carried the sandwiches later released a statement to explain its position on the issue, confirming that the two stores were inspected by Jakim and the ministry and closed by the university.
Jakim said improperly using a SPHM halal logo on a product is an offence under the Trade Descriptions Act 2011 and Trade Description (Halal Certification and Marking) Order 2011.
The department advised consumers to check the halal status of any product sold locally through the Malaysian Halal Portal or the Verify Halal app.
The sandwich controversy was sparked last week after consumers uploaded photos of the sandwich that was labelled “ham and cheese” with a halal logo.
On Friday, the university closed the two 24-hour convenience outlets on its campus that had been selling the sandwich packs.
“It was found that the packs labelled ‘ham and cheese sandwich’ and the usage of halal logo on the product in the stores were doubtful.
“As such, the stores will be closed until further notice,” Sinar Harian quoted the university as saying in a statement.
The university said it was committed to ensuring that products sold on campus were from suppliers who complied with laws, standards and procedural rules.
In PUTRAJAYA, the ministry said it has opened an investigation paper into a sandwich bread factory in Sunway Damansara, Petaling Jaya, for suspected misuse of the halal logo, Bernama reported.
Its enforcement director-general Datuk Azman Adam said the investigation paper was opened following a raid on the factory by a Putrajaya enforcement team with Jakim on Friday.
“The premises are a factory that produces and supplies sandwich bread products using Jakim halal logos that are suspected to have expired.
“Further checks revealed that the premises did not have halal certification from Jakim and the halal logo placed on the sandwich bread products was given to another company that is no longer operating and had sold its business to the company that was raided.
“The halal certificate was confirmed to have expired on Oct 15, 2023,” he said, adding that the team confiscated an assortment of sandwich loaves, a computer, a printer and related business documents.
In a statement yesterday, Azman also said the factory is being investigated for suspected violations of Paragraph 4(1) of the Trade Descriptions Act 2011, which is an offence under Paragraph 8(a) of the Trade Description (Halal Certification and Marking) Order 2011.
He added that the ministry will send samples of the sandwich bread to the Chemistry Department to confirm its actual contents.
Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar has instructed Jakim to collaborate with the ministry to enforce action and prosecute those misusing the halal logo.
He said the misuse of the halal label on products is a serious offence, and expressed regret over the incident at the outlets at UM.
“The Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) will not compromise on issues involving public integrity and interest.
“All parties are urged to consult Jakim and state Islamic religious authorities on halal-related matters,” he added in a statement yesterday.
