KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) has revoked a total of 3,068 Malaysian halal certifications (SPHM) as of yesterday, due to various non-compliance issues with halal certification requirements and standards.
The revocations stem from serious violations of Shariah or technical standards at certified premises, as outlined in Clause 32 of the Malaysian Halal Certification Manual 2020.
This reflects ongoing monitoring by Jakim and the relevant state authorities, aimed at maintaining consumer confidence in halal products and services while reinforcing Malaysia's leadership in the global halal industry.
Jakim Halal Management Division director Muhyidin Aziz@Saari explained that both Jakim and state Islamic councils regularly conducted scheduled monitoring and enhanced enforcement efforts to tackle issues of halal logo misuse and fraud.
He said information is often gathered from complaints and proactive enforcement actions related to halal regulations.
"There are three types of non-compliance we frequently encounter that can lead to the suspension or revocation of halal certificates during monitoring," he said.
"SPHM can be suspended and later revoked if the holder fails to take corrective action within the stipulated period, indicating a lack of commitment as a certificate holder.
"In cases of major non-compliance, SPHM can also be revoked immediately during monitoring," he added.
Despite these challenges, Muhyidin emphasised that continuous monitoring and enforcement efforts have led to increased compliance with halal certification standards, demonstrating the industry's seriousness and awareness of halal issues in the country.
Meanwhile, Muhyidin said one of the tactics used by companies to deceive customers is using halal logos that do not belong to them or attempting to forge Malaysian halal certification certificates.
Muhyidin said the certification and halal logos cannot be misused, but some parties were willing to display fake halal logos and certificates.
Additionally, he mentioned that there have been attempts to mislead the Muslim community by hanging verses from the Quran to gain customer trust.
"The act of displaying Quranic verses without a valid SPHM at the premises is an offence under the Trade Descriptions Act (TDA) 2011, as it can mislead consumers.
"Premises that provide or offer food while making any representation that could deceive the public into believing the food is halal are committing an offence under the Trade Descriptions (Definition of Halal) Order 2011," he explained.
Regarding SPHM and halal logos, he emphasised that they cannot be sold, loaned, transferred, forged, or altered in any way.
"If any party violates this, action will be taken under the Trade Descriptions Act (TDA 2011)," he warned, adding that only valid SPHM holders are permitted to use the halal logo or label on certified food, goods, and services.
"What the public needs to know is that SPHM applications are only managed by Jakim and the respective state Islamic religious councils and departments," he said.