Sunday August 7, 2011

Bakeries, supermart doing their part to separate Golden Churn butter from halal products

By ZORA CHAN
zora@thestar.com.my

(sumber: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file)

KUCHING: A random check on several supermarkets and a bakery supplier shop in the city showed that traders have put up necessary measures to inform customers on the non-halal status of the Golden Churn Creamery Butter.

Although the product’s packaging still carried the halal logo, traders have either separated the butter using cardboards or plastic slates in between the product and others, and placed notices to indicate that the product is non-halal.

The Golden Churn Creamery Butter, certified halal by Accredited Islamic Bodies approved by Islamic Development Department (Jakim), was officially declared not halal by Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Islamic Affairs) Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman a few days ago in Sarawak after pig DNA was discovered in it.

The State Religious Department (Jais) initiated the test on the product sometime in May after they received many queries from the public who were doubtful of the product after they learned about similar case in Johor in April.

The latest finding led to the directive by Jais to all Muslim entrepreneurs, particularly those involved in Sarawak layered-cake or kek lapis making, to stop using the product and carry out samak according to Islamic teachings to purify their kitchen appliances and premises.

The product, being the most expensive in the market, was the preferred choice among a few big kek lapis manufacturers in the state.

The proprietor of a bakery supplier who asked not to be named said he immediately put a hand-written sign to inform customers that the Golden Churn Creamery Butter was not halal after he read news reports two days ago.

“I can’t get rid of my stock as this is an expensive product, so I just follow the authorities advice for all traders to inform the consumers that the butter is no longer halal.

“I’m still not sure how I should display the butter and it would be good if the authorities concerned can advice me on it,” he said.

Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism state director Wan Ahmad Uzir Wan Sulaiman said ideally traders should place all Golden Churn Creamery Butter on non-halal section or shelves in their supermarkets - away from other halal products.

“If they do not have a separate non-halal section, it’s alright to place those butter next to other products for the time being provided that there are notices or sign that clearly stating that the butter is not halal, and there is a barricade between the butter and other products,” he said when contacted.

Ahmad said he understood the predicament traders had to go through and conceded that it would take a few days for everyone to be better informed and adapt to the situation.

On Friday, Ahmad said traders must separate Golden Churn Creamery Butter from other halal dairy and cold storage products and place them in the non-halal zone with immediate effect and failing to do so would see a fine of RM100,000 or three years jail under the Trade Description Act.

Earlier, The Star reported that Austar Marketing Sdn Bhd, the importer of Golden Churn butter in Sarawak, had ordered non-halal stickers to be printed and to be pasted on products as a temporary measure if authorities insisted on its non-halal status.

Its managing director Tan Choo Meng said the company had imported about RM6mil worth of the butter for the coming Hari Raya festivities.

“This product is a very big part of our job. Golden Churn butter’s sales for the Hari Raya season is always between RM5mil and RM6mil a month. About 80% of the butter’s purchasers are from the Muslim community.”

He said how they moved forward in the issue rested on a meeting this Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur between his principal, Jakim and Jais.

Worse comes to worst, Tan said the unsold products, which have a short shelf life, would be re-exported to the peninsula, Singapore and Brunei, where they are deemed halal.