KUALA LUMPUR: The 'no pork, no alcohol' sign in certain premises does not necessarily mean that the food they sell is halal, Datuk Mohd Na'im Mokhtar said.
The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) said the term 'halal' meant that every product sold, premise, or ingredient used complied with the Syariah principles of health, hygiene, safety, and quality.
"Therefore, the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) continuously works to raise awareness among all parties about the importance and benefits of SPHM (Halal Certified Food Safety Management System) in the food industry and business."
He said this in a Parliamentary written reply to Datuk Che Mohamad Zulkifly Jusoh (PN-Besut), who asked about the status of the proposal for Jakim to make halal certification mandatory for restaurants and food premises that do not serve pork and alcohol.
Na'im said the government, through the cabinet meeting on Sept 18, 2024, agreed to maintain the current policy of voluntary application for SPHM, by Jakim and State Islamic Religious Councils or State Islamic Religious Departments.
"This policy has been in place since it was first implemented in 1973 and has been reinforced through the Trade Descriptions Act 2011.
"The existing policy means that the certification is open to any industry willing to comply with all the requirements, standards and criteria of Malaysia's Halal certification.
"Having SPHM adds value not only to the industry but also to consumers, as the halal certificate itself is a guarantee that the product or food establishment is both halal and 'toyyib' (pure and wholesome)," he added.