PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has directed Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar to prepare a comprehensive report on halal certification.
Government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil said the report, which addresses the proposal to mandate halal certification for food businesses, will be presented at the Cabinet meeting next week.
"The Prime Minister has requested the Minister of Religious Affairs to prepare a report and the next steps (relating to the proposal of the halal certification) to be presented at the cabinet meeting next week," he said at a weekly press conference, here, today.
Earlier, the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) considered making halal certification compulsory for restaurants and food establishments that do not serve pork or alcohol.
Currently, obtaining halal certification is optional for food business operators.
Fahmi also said the issue of halal certification is discussed regularly in terms of implementation by the government.
"However, in terms of policy, we need to wait for the presentation by the Na'im next week," he said.
Previously, the suggestion made by Na'im received criticism from several quarters as it could burden small-time operators.