The Selangor Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) seized 1.2 million packets of instant noodles, 2.69 million units of instant noodle plastic packaging, 42,000 units of food packaging boxes and 258 rolls of plastic wraps for not having proper Halal certification.
The Edge reported that the products, estimated to be worth RM1.49 million, were seized from a factory in Rawang on suspicion of using halal logos which are not certified by the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim).
A raid on the factory was done after one month of surveillance, the department's director Muhamad Zikri Azan Abdullah said.
"The company’s halal logo issued by Jakim was cancelled on Oct 28 last year, on the grounds that the company had failed to observe the halal compliance requirements especially pertaining to the cleanliness of the premises.
“During the raid, the company’s representative also informed that they had made an appeal regarding the withdrawal of the halal certificate, but this was rejected as the company failed to act on the religious department’s instructions within the stipulated period," he reportedly said.
The authorities are investigating the case under Paragraph 4 of the Trade Descriptions (Definition of Halal) Order 2011 and Regulation 4 of the Trade Descriptions (Certification and Marking of Halal) Order 2011.
Halal certification
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It's really not that easy to get Halal certification and it's more than just the meat used in a product.
Besides using only halal mean for production and in a premise, there are other requirements that a company has to meet to get the certification.
One of it is cleanliness, which this particular noodle company seem to have neglected.
According to Malaysian Halal Certification Procedure Manual, in order to get a Halal certification, a company "during preparation, handling, processing, packaging, storage or transfer of products, they shall be in compliance to requirements by the Shariah law and remain clean as well as comply to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)/ Good Hygienic Practices (GHP)", among other things.
Other provision regarding cleanliness in the manual includes:
- The factory compound shall be fenced or having a control mechanism to prevent pets or wild animals from entering or remain in the factory area
- Equipment used shall be free from najs, any hazardous materials and does not result in side effects to the products produced
- The arrangement of equipment and goods in the factory shall be neat, tidy and safe during working operations in producing the product
- Workers not allowed to stay within the same premises without proper barriers between the place they stay in and where production happens.
You can see the full list of requirements to get a Halal certification here.