KUALA LUMPUR — The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) has launched an investigation into a sandwich bread manufacturing plant in Sunway Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, over alleged misuse of the halal logo.
Director-General of Enforcement Datuk Azman Adam, in a statement today, said preliminary findings revealed that the premises manufacture and supply sandwich bread products, using a halal certification mark issued by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim), which is suspected to have expired.
“Further inspection found that the halal logo affixed to the sandwich bread products was actually certified for a different company.
“The other company is no longer in operation and had sold its business to the firm that was raided.
“The halal certification in question had also expired on October 15, 2023,” he said in the statement.
During the raid, Azman said KPDN confiscated various types of sandwich bread, a computer, a printer, and several related business documents.
He added that KPDN would send samples of the sandwiches to the Chemistry Department to confirm the actual ingredients used in the production of the items.
Meanwhile, Azman said the case is being investigated under Paragraph 4(1) of the Trade Descriptions Act 2011 [Act 730] and for offences under Paragraph 8(a) of the Trade Descriptions (Certification and Marking of Halal) Order 2011.
He also noted that the raid followed complaints received by Jakim, which went viral on TikTok, concerning questionable halal certification used on sandwich bread sold at several prominent supermarket outlets in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.
Azman advised consumers to remain vigilant and exercise caution when selecting products with halal certification.
“Ensure that the halal certification is recognised by a credible authority. Information and complaints related to halal matters can be checked through the Malaysian Halal Portal on the halal website,” he said.
Earlier today, KK Supermart & Superstore Sdn Bhd froze all business dealings with Shake And Bake Cafe Sdn Bhd, the supplier of a “ham and cheese sandwich” labeled with the halal stamp.
The sandwich, sold at one of KK Supermart’s stores, was brought to attention by an individual from Pembina Universiti Malaya who discovered it at a KK Concept Store on the university campus.
KK Supermart has also lodged a police report against Shake And Bake Cafe and issued a letter of demand through its legal team.
Shake And Bake Cafe had provided the halal stamp for what was claimed to be “chicken ham and cheese layers,” but it was not authorised to use the KK Supermart logo on the sandwich packaging.
The company has taken swift action, closing two premises at Universiti Malaya for investigation, freezing all dealings with the supplier, and halting the product’s distribution.
This incident comes just months after a previous controversy involving the sale of socks bearing the word “Allah,” which triggered public outrage and led to multiple police reports and boycotts.
The Islamic Development Department (Jakim) and KPDN had also raided Shake And Bake Cafe’s factory in Sunway Damansara on January 10.
KK Supermart expressed its readiness to cooperate with any further investigations and reiterated its commitment to implementing preventive measures against similar incidents in the future. – January 13, 2025