Only 180 food outlets in S’wak have halal certification

KUCHING: Food outlets and producers in Sarawak have been urged to apply for halal certification from the Islamic Affairs Department if they have not yet done so. Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman said only about 180 food operators and premises throughout the state had been given halal certificates so far. “I’m not satisfied with 180. Many food premises still do not have halal certification. We should have 500 to 1,000 places which are halal-certified,” he told reporters after opening a halal food expo at the Sarawak Industrial Promotion and Exhibition Centre in Jalan P Ramlee here recently. However, he added that all hotels rated three stars and above in Sarawak were halal-certified. “This is a very good step for us as all these hotels have got the halal certificate, even in the small towns,” he said. Daud also reminded those with halal certificates to ensure that they continued to comply with the necessary requirements. “We conduct surprise checks and we will monitor their premises every three to six months. “If they are no longer complying with halal requirements we will give them a warning, and if they still fail to comply we will withdraw their certificate,” he said. He added that so far no certificate had been withdrawn although several places had been given a warning.