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Last Updated: Jun 25th, 2007 - 17:07:26 |
The utilisation of non-halal natural casings by some halal sausage producers raises concern on the urgency to create a Halal Act in the country.
Ignorance truly is bliss for some - especially when venturing into an industry as basic yet scientifically sophisticated as the food and beverage. The next time you visit your neighbourhood grocery store, take a closer look at the ingredients of your favourite blackcurrant confiture and ask yourself if you manage to decipher its additive and preservative E-numbers.
“In this era of food technology, halal no longer means pork in its physical existence,” says Noor Nirwandy Mat Noordin, project coordinator of Persatuan Pengguna Islam Malaysia (Muslim Consumer Association of Malaysia - PPIM). “It could also be in the form of emulsifier and other food substances [such as gelatine, enzyme, glycerine and lecithin].”
Unless you are a passionate food scientist (or a hypochondriac health freak), such matter would normally be considered a banality and would unfortunately go unnoticed, much to the disadvantage of an augmenting number of individuals, who regards halal as a healthier way of life - Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
Another menace to the halal industry and consumer protection is the physical presence of non-halal elements in halal-labelled products. “We are just not talking about aqidah (belief) here. We are talking about money,” says Dato’ Nadzim Johan, PPIM’s executive secretary. According to the Malaysian Ministry of International Trade and Industry, the demand for halal products could be as colossal as RM5 billion (USD1.3 billion) per annum, if one were to take into consideration Malaysia’s 60 per cent Muslim population and their estimated per capita expenditure for food as RM1 a day.
PPIM, known for its infamous Coca-Cola ban in 2002, calls these unscrupulous food producers ‘rude’ – a rather mild word for such an irresponsible act. A fine example is the sausage casing issue. There are numerous types of natural and artificial sausage casings available in the country. Collagen, cellulose and plastic are relatively newcomers to the artificial field, mainly born out of booming market demand during the technological maelstrom of the twentieth century. The paper-like cellulose is made from viscose, which is processed from wood pulp. Collagen is made of collagen protein from the collagenous layer of beef hides. Three well-known natural casings are obtained from hog, sheep and beef intestines.
At first glance - apart from hog casing – collagen, sheep and beef casings raise no doubts about their halalness. Or are they really? After all, a halal animal is not a guarantee that the meat is also halal. A basic requirement to meet is slaughtering in accordance to strict Islamic law and guidelines. Malaysia had its supply of beef and sheep casings mostly from Australia and New Zealand before a halt on imports of natural casings in 2002. The reason: suppliers from the countries have stopped producing halal natural casings since 2002. “There is none!” says Dr Muhmad Kamarulzaman Muhmad Sarif, director of Veterinary Public Health, Department of Veterinary Services (DVS), Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry. “We have not received any application ever since to produce halal natural casing [from Australia and New Zealand],” he says.
The DVS, as its name suggests, is not the authority issuing halal certification to overseas’ abattoirs. He adds that the DVS will visit overseas plants with JAKIM (Department of Islamic Development of Malaysia) to outsource for raw materials - but its job scope is centred on assuring the food safety aspects so as not to bring in diseases to Malaysia. “In terms of halal [certification],” says Dr Kamarulzaman, “JAKIM remains the authority.” Nevertheless, prior approval by DVS and JAKIM is needed before an establishment is declared halal-compliant and allowed to export its products to Malaysia. “And there is no natural casing, which has been approved under our [stringent] standard,” he says.
The inexistence of halal natural casing in Australia and New Zealand is closely related to the 1997 economic turmoil in the region, especially in Indonesia, says Abang Omar Abang Ali, one of the two directors of OmCorp Sdn Bhd. “[After 1997], Indonesian market is dead and many Australian abattoirs shifted to non-halal,” he says, adding that they started to tap into the non-halal market of Japan and Korea. “This is when we have problem with natural casing.”
Abby Pok, chief operating officer of De-Luxe Food Services Sdn Bhd, thinks the non-halal issue does not occur at the point of slaughtering. “Perhaps [it happens] during the natural casing’s further processing,” she says. Pok, who has an array of cold cut products under her Gourmessa brand, questions where the natural casing goes for further processing? “It could go to another factory, which could be non-halal,” she says.
“The general perception in Malaysia is it is [automatically] halal if the animal is slaughtered. It is not only that! Halal is actually from A to Z,” says Mazidah Mohamed Zain, another director of OmCorp. “What about the cleanliness of the product? The spices that they put in?” she questions.
Would it mean that so-called halal natural casing available in Malaysia is actually non-halal? PPIM gives a definite ‘yes’. But, does it mean that Malaysian sausage producers have stopped using non-certified natural casing? Not quite, according to Pok. “Some of our competitors are still continuing with it,” she claims. “But it is not for us to make any [fuss] about it”.
A research conducted in the Klang Valley revealed that a company in particular is still producing ‘halal’ sausages in natural casing. The company last obtained its halal certification in 2003 and all of its products carry a JAKIM halal logo – much to the confusion of discerning consumers. Apart from producing natural-cased sausages for its restaurant and kiosk, the company is also the sole distributor to a huge home furnishing store since 2001. The company’s monthly supply is estimated to be worth RM80,000 to RM100,000. An industry observer even claims that the home furnishing store could be selling as many as 4,000 hotdogs per day during peak seasons.
“There is a trend of people wanting [sausages in] natural casing nowadays,” says Dr Kamarulzaman. Natural casings have osmotic qualities, which mean the casing is porous and breathes, allowing for an exchange of flavours. The spices mingle with the herb and meat inside the casing and with sauces in the skillet or casserole. “It seals in all of the juices. And when you bite, there is the crunch and all – something you cannot get from artificial cased sausages,” says Pok. She adds that natural-cased sausages are easily identified by its curved and round shapes.
Another ambivalence hovering over the natural casing issue in Malaysia is its suppliers. Industry observers claim that there are currently two companies importing natural casing to Malaysia. Whilst the first company openly admits that it no longer supplies halal natural casing, the second company’s stand in this issue is rather ambiguous. “Our natural casing is hog-based and we only supply to non-halal Chinese restaurants,” says a woman is only identified as Rena. A thorough investigation then reveals that this company is responsible in supplying so-called halal natural casing to the company aforementioned.
This, could only mean two things – the company uses non-certified sheep casing or hog casing, which is being passed through as sheep casing. After all, according to industry players, it is almost impossible to detect the difference between sheep and hog casing with naked eyes.
“This is the problem. Most consumers do not know [about the differences],” says Noor Nirwandy of PPIM. “[To make things worse], some Muslim consumers do not even know what natural casing is.”
PPIM, blatantly calling itself a “watchdog of the halal certification”, is disturbed by the insolence of some food and beverage producers, who are obviously mocking JAKIM’s authority. “There is currently no law [to punish these producers]. And there is a dire need for a halal law in this country,” says Dato’ Nadzim. According to him, the cat-and-mouse situation between food and beverage producers, and the authority happens because there is no law in Malaysia stipulating that a product must be halal. The law only comes into the picture when the producer uses a JAKIM halal logo for its non-halal products. “In that particular case, the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs can act under the Trade Descriptions Act 1972,” he explains.
Not quite the same though, as the producer will be charged under the act for the forgery of a trademarked logo. The Trade Descriptions Act 1972 mainly protects trademarks, intellectual property rights, patents and copyright. “That is why we are pushing for [a creation of] a Halal Act,” he says. “Without [this act], there is nothing much that we can do”.
This view is clearly echoed by Dr Kamarulzaman of DVS. “I suggested to JAKIM that we should put halal [certification] under a shariah law. And he has a suggestion to make – attaching serial numbers to JAKIM logo. “Like our Veterinary Health Mark (VHM),” he says.
The Veterinary Inspection and Accreditation Program was developed during the 1980’s to facilitate veterinary certification of products meant for export. Under this program, accredited plants are awarded the VHM logo. This logo is a mark of quality and safety given to plants processing livestock products and also signifies the complete compliance by the plants to the minimum standards of hygiene and sanitation, quality assurance and food safety set by DVS.
“We award [accredited plants] with this certification on a yearly basis,” says Dr Kamarulzaman. And DVS lists the products – complete with their establishment numbers. “How are you going to know the origin of the products if there is no establishment number?” Dr Kamarulzaman explains that consumers can check DVS’ website to verify the authenticity of the VHM logo and other details. “JAKIM does not have this [service],” he says.
In the meantime, the consumer-centric PPIM has a suggestion to make. Dato’ Nadzim calls is “consumer power” – making sure that every ringgit and sen spent goes to the right company. They may know what they are talking about. One only has to refer to the 2002’s David and Goliath war against Coca-Cola. It was far from being a countrywide boycott, but it was enough to make their position understood: consumers are indeed powerful.
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