KUALA LUMPUR: Shen Hua Resources is ready to take legal action against netizens who spread fake information on its frozen squid rings purported to be made of pig's intestines.
Its chief executive officer Rodney Soon told reporters the fake information had harmed the company's reputation and sales at several places including in Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Selangor and Putrajaya.
"The Islamic Development Department Malaysia (Jakim) and the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry have started to investigate the allegations in the five states by collecting a few boxes of samples (squid rings) from Kedah and Selangor to be tested.
"The related authorities took eight boxes of samples from Kedah at 10.30am on March 5 and six boxes of samples from Selangor at 11am on March 7 for testing. Until today, the results are still not out.
"After discussing with our lawyer, we will take action against the two netizens who spread the fake news," he said, urging authorities to investigate the incident under the Communication and Multimedia Act 1998.
The social media post on the squid rings went viral recently, causing uproar among the public.
Shandong Halal Certification Service (SHC) in Malaysia chief representative Datuk Dr Abd Aziz, tasked to assist companies that import products from China using the SHC logo, which is one of the bodies that has been accepted by JAKIM as one of the Foreign Halal Certification Bodies and Authorities, had expressed his despair over the irresponsible actions of those who had circulated fake news using the image of a Shen Hua Resources product.
""I was taken aback by the action of some who have forwarded the information without proof or proper understanding of the issue which causes others to have doubt about the products.
"Pork intestines' cells are absolutely different compared to squid cells because the cells from squids are cuticles from its outer rough skin whereas the cells from pork intestines are from the inner skin layer that we call smooth muscle cells."
He added that pork intestines would also shrink and collapse into a lump as compared to squid products that would maintain their shape even after being cooked.
"If we send a sample to the laboratory and look through the microscope after several processes, we will see two different shapes as comparison," he said, adding that one could also compare with other similar squid products that had been imported by several companies in Malaysia to prove that the product in question was indeed halal.