JAKIM clarifies halal certification procedure in Malaysia

A story in Bernama has clarified how there could have been differing results regarding porcine DNA contamination of Cadbury chocolates in Malaysia.

The story broke in late May with Malaysia's Ministry of Health stating that the halal status of two flavours of Cadbury chocolate, made in Malaysia, were no longer confirmed with the finding of pig DNA in the chocolate. By early June however, JAKIM had not found any such contamination in Cadbury chocolate.

Bernama quotes the Director of the Islamic Development Department (JAKIM), Datuk Othman Mustapha, who explains that the findings of the Chemistry Department are the only ones that may be taken into consideration as it is the only the department has the expertise to conduct highly specialised tests. The Ministry of Health lab used for the tests has been accredited by the Standards Department to conduct tests on meat and seafood based products but not processed food like chocolate.

Othman also pointed out that the tests conducted by the Ministry of Health were based on samples available on the commercial market, which could have been contaminated, whereas JAKIM's tests were based on samples direct from Cadbury Malaysia's factory.
Previous stories on the matter are blogged here:

24 May: Cadbury Malaysia recalls the chocolate.
29 May: The National Fatwa Council in Malaysia weighs in on the implications of having consumed such chocolate.
31 May: Indonesia conducts its own tests on Cadbury chocolate.
2 June: Saudi Arabia tests Cadbury chocolate.
3 June: JAKIM says extensive tests on Cadbury chocolate of several flavours, direct from the factory, are negative for pig DNA.

JAKIM announces Cadbury chocolate direct from the factory is halal

In a new twist to the Cadbury's chocolate contamination saga, new tests by Malaysian authorities now show that Cadbury chocolate may have been halal all along. 

A Reuters story reports that Malaysia's Islamic Development Department (JAKIM) said none of the 11 samples it tested, including Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Hazelnut and Cadbury Dairy Milk Roast Almond, the two flavours which had originally been tested positive for contamination, as well as other products delivered directly from the company's factory had shown positive results for porcine DNA.
  
JAKIM will not reinstate the halal certification for both flavours until more tests are done for the Cadbury supply chain, the Reuters story further said. 

Source: Cadbury Malaysia website.

On 30 May, Cadbury maintained that its confidence that its products are halal.

With chocolate delivered directly from the Cadbury Malaysia factory to JAKIM found to be free of pig DNA, whereas chocolate tested off shop shelves by the Ministry of Health having been found to be contaminated, questions are now raised as to whether the contamination could have occurred along the supply chain after the factory, or if it happened during the testing process.

The news follows an announcement that Cadbury chocolate is being tested in Saudi Arabia for contamination as a security measure.

Saudi food authority takes in Cadbury chocolate for tests

Reports early this week said that the Saudi Food & Drug Authority is now randomly testing Cadbury chocolate for pig DNA after the report of pig DNA found in two flavours of halal-certified Cadbury chocolate in Malaysia.

Channel NewsAsia said that the chocolate in the kingdom is made in Egypt but was being tested as part of routine tests, while Arab News also noted that some chocolate is imported from the UK. The authorities in Saudi Arabia are also checking to see if any of the chocolate has been imported from Malaysia, the Channel NewsAsia report said.

Last week, Indonesian authorities said they had also tested Cadbury chocolate in the country but found no contamination, while Malaysian businesses called for a boycott of sister brands.

Cadbury halal controversy spreads to sister brands, Indonesia

The discovery of pig DNA in two varieties of Cadbury's chocolate in Malaysia has spread beyond to other brands owned by the same parent, as well as beyond Malaysia's shores to Indonesia, an even larger market for halal products.

On 31 May, the Jakarta Post reported that the national Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) is testing 13 Cadbury products licensed for import into Indonesia, including eight chocolate varieties. The products do not include the two which were found to be contaminated in Malaysia, but there is concern that the Malaysian varieties may have been smuggled into the country, the report said. 

The tests follow independent tests carried out by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) on 10 products, none of which were found to harbour pig DNA, said the newspaper.

A Reuters story on May 30 quoted the halal certification body in Malaysia, JAKIM, as emphasising that Cadbury has not been proven guilty as yet as the contamination may have occurred due to external factors.

On 29 May, Channel NewsAsia reported that the Malaysian Muslim Wholesellers and Retailers Association has asked their 800 members to take Mondelez brands off their shelves. Kraft bought Cadbury in 2010 and later split into the Kraft Foods Group, which is focused mainly on grocery products for the North American market, and Mondelēz, an international distributor of Kraft Foods snacks and confectionery brands. Mondelez International is listed as Cadbury's owner. 

The National Fatwa Council weighed in on the controversy here. 

Cadbury Malaysia responds to Ministry of Health findings on pig DNA in its products

Update 27 May: According to the New Straits Times, various government agencies in Malaysia are now involved in investigations: the Health Ministry will be analysing all products from Cadbury Confectionery Malaysia; the Islamic Development Department says that Cadbury's production chain is being checked, while the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism department has warned that companies which are still selling the two Cadbury products in question will face a fine of up to RM100,000 or three years' jail, or both, if convicted.

Update 26 May: Singapore's Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) has stated that the affected chocolate batches were not imported into Singapore and that it will carry out its own investigations, Channel NewsAsia said.

24 May:  Cadbury Malaysia responds to Ministry of Health findings on pig DNA in its products

Cadbury Confectionery Malaysia responded quickly to a report from the Ministry of Health in Malaysia on its Facebook page and on Twitter, saying that it is recalling the affected products. 

Source: Cadbury Malaysia Facebook page

"We were informed that Cadbury Dairy Milk Hazelnut (with batch number 200813M01H I2 that expires on Nov 13, 2014) and Cadbury Dairy Milk Roast Almond (with batch number 221013N01R I1 that expires on Jan 15, 2015) analysed by Ministry of Health tested positive for traces of porcine DNA. We have taken immediate action by recalling the products from the above two batches. No other Cadbury chocolates are affected by this test," the company stated.
 
"We are undertaking a full review of the supply chain to ensure all quality standards continue to be met. We would like to reassure our consumers that all Cadbury chocolates manufactured in Malaysia are halal-certified by JAKIM, which includes the locations and raw materials used in the production of these products. We employ stringent quality procedures to ensure that our products are of the highest standard of safety and quality. Thank you for your continued support of Cadbury."

Source: JAKIM Facebook page.

Ministry Director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah of the Ministry of Health said in a statement on May 24 that tests had been conducted following speculation on social media on May 23 alleging that the chocolates contained porcine DNA.

Two samples out of three had tested positive for pig DNA, with the third of Cadbury Dairy Milk testing negative.

Jakim, which the halal certification authority in Malaysia, has on its part issued a statement that it is withdrawing halal certification from both products for the time being.  

A story from the Star quoted Jakim Director-general Datuk Othman Mustapha from the statement on Jakim's Facebook page, which noted that Cadbury had passed halal certification checks in February.
 
“We will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause behind the product’s contamination,” Datuk Othman said in the Star report.

While all parties have acted very quickly on the matter, there are still a lot of questions remaining. Since Cadbury has a wide range of confectionery the question remains whether other batches of Cadbury hazelnut and almond chocolate; other flavours or products might be affected. And if the contamination occurred after the confectionery had left the factory, any other halal-certified product might also be at risk.