MALAYSIA SAYS CADBURY PRODUCTS PORK FREE

Kuala Lumpur, 8 Sya’ban 1435/6 June 2014 (MINA) – New tests conducted by Malaysian authorities found that two varieties of chocolate made by British confectioner Cadbury do not contain pig DNA, contrary to a previous finding, the country’s Islamic affairs agency said, Muslimvillage.com quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting, Friday.

Cadbury withdrew the chocolate bars from sale in Muslim-majority Malaysia last week after government tests found traces of pork in them, leading some Islamic groups to call for a boycott on all of its products.

Malaysia’s Islamic Development Department (Jakim) said none of the 11 samples it tested of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Hazelnut and Cadbury Dairy Milk Roast Almond from the company’s factory had shown positive results for porcine DNA.

Jakim said in a statement that Cadbury’s halal certification for the two products would remain suspended pending further tests and investigations of its supply chain.

Jakim is the only body in Malaysia tasked with ensuring products are halal, or permissable by Islamic law. The previous tests were conducted in February by the country’s health ministry on products taken from store shelves. Jakim had said those tests might not have been fair on Cadbury since the products could have been contaminated after leaving the factory.

A Muslim consumer group that last week called on Malaysians to boycott Mondelez products said on Monday it would not reverse its stance unless the health ministry concurs with the new results released by Jakim.

“There are still a lot of question marks there,” said Sheikh Abdul Kareem Khadaied, the head of research with the Muslim Consumers Association Malaysia.

An official at the health ministry told Reuters that it “has handed the entire issue over to the Islamic agency”.

Cadbury Malaysia under its parent Mondolez International, had stood by its products’ halal certification and had assured the public that it was working with authorities in meeting the halal guidelines.

Following last week’s announcement that the chocolate bars tested positive for the non-halal ingredient, fellow Muslim countries Indonesia and Saudi Arabia said they were carrying out tests on Cadbury products.(T/E01/IR)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)