It was previously reported that the halal certification for Auntie Anne’s Malaysia was denied by the Department of Islamic Advancement of Malaysia (JAKIM) because of a food item named “Pretzel Dog”.
In order to meet the the country’s halal requirements, the popular food chain’s quality assurance and halal executive Farhatul Kamilah Mohamed Sazali has confirmed that the name of the said product has been changed to “Pretzel Sausage”.
When talking to the Malay Mail Online on Monday (28th November), Farhatul Kamilah said, “We changed already to ‘Pretzel Sausage’ to comply to Malaysia’s halal certification requirements.”
Last month, JAKIM’s Halal Hub director Sirajuddin Suhaimee confirmed that “Pretzel Dog” was indeed one of the reason for the rejection of the application (along with incomplete paperwork), as dogs are considered unclean and that the name cannot be related to halal certification.
Meanwhile, Auntie Anne’s also emphasised that all of their ingredients are purchased from JAKIM certified halal suppliers.
The news gained international attention after it was picked up by the Daily Mail. In the article, titled “Hot dogs will be banned in Malaysia unless restaurants agree to change their name because they sound too ‘dirty’ to be halal”, the British news outlet wrote, “Malaysia has long practised a moderate form of Islam but conservative attitudes are rising.”
What do you think of the name change? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Source: Malay Mail Online.
