Malaysia: Mamee Set To Share Its Halal Expertise At Winter Olympics

By Erda Khursyiah Basir This second of three articles on South Korean food giant Shinsegae Food Inc's tie-up with Malaysia's Mamee-Double Decker Sdn Bhd looks at JAKIM's involvement in positioning Malaysia as a leading global authority in halal certification. SEOUL, Feb 5 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's involvement in the halal kitchen operations at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics from Feb 9 to 25 will fortify the nation's role as an authority in halal certification. Food for the 170 Muslim athletes participating in the games will be prepared in accordance with the halal standards set by the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (JAKIM), said its Halal Hub Division Director Dr Sirajuddin Suhaimee. The halal kitchen will be led by Malaysian Faizul Hazly Ghazali, who is Executive Chef at Shinsegae Mamee Sdn Bhd, a joint venture between Mamee-Double Decker Sdn Bhd (Mamee) and Shinsegae Food Inc. Shinsegae Food is the official food supplier for the 2018 Winter Olympics. Sirajuddin said JAKIM's involvement in the halal kitchen would indirectly help to position Malaysia as a leading global authority in halal certification. He was speaking to Malaysian reporters, here recently after a press conference by Shinsegae Food announcing Malaysia's involvement in the halal kitchen at the games village. HARNESS MAMEE'S EXPERTISE Sirajuddin said Mamee – whose food and beverage manufacturing facilities have halal certification –and Shinsegae Food's long collaboration has helped Mamee to share its halal expertise on an international platform for the benefit of the Muslim athletes participating in the 2018 Winter Olympics. "It also indirectly shows that Malaysia adopts an 'open door' policy and is willing to work with any party or industry player wishing to participate in the halal industry," he said. JAKIM would not have any representatives at the games village as Mamee has the expertise to oversee all the operations at the halal kitchen and ensure that they complied with JAKIM's halal standards. Sirajuddin said JAKIM's indirect involvement in the halal kitchen was by way of capacity development, based on the knowledge and expertise currently available at Mamee. "We've already developed Mamee's awareness and commitment towards the halal status. However, if any new issues arise, JAKIM is more than happy to help out." APPLICATION FOR HALAL CERTIFICATE Meanwhile, JAKIM receives more than 100 applications annually for its halal certification from international manufacturers, particularly those from China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Where South Korea is concerned, not only is halal certification sought for its food products but also its cosmetics that are popular among Malaysians. Sirajuddin said the fact that Malaysia was often chosen by other nations to execute their halal certification processes reflected their confidence in the Malaysian halal certificate. "Malaysia's halal certificate is accepted and recognised by other countries, especially Arab nations," he said. He said in the past, several Chinese and Japanese exporters have tried exporting their products to Arab countries using halal certificates issued by China but the goods were refused entry. "The exporters were then advised to meet JAKIM to secure Malaysia's halal certificate. That was the only way for them to penetrate the Arab market," he explained. Pointing to the State of the Global Islamic Economy report published by multinational mass media giant Thomson Reuters & Dinar Standard, Sirajuddin said Malaysia had received the top ranking for the 2016/2017 world halal market. According to the report, Malaysia enjoyed the overall top spot in three sectors, namely halal food, Islamic finance and halal tourism. HALAL LOGO Meanwhile, Mamee Islamic Affairs and Government Relations Manager Ahmad Syukry Ibrahim said two of Mamee's products sold at South Korean supermarket chain E-Mart – which is a subsidiary of Shinsegae Food – did not carry the halal logo although they were certified by JAKIM. The products concerned are Mister Potato and Mamee snack. "It's up to the importing countries to decide whether they want to put the logo or not. For the export market, it's not an offence if the halal logo is not stamped on the packaging of halal-certified products. "For the Malaysian market, however, we're not exempted from displaying the halal logo because it is compulsory," he said. His company encouraged its product importers to highlight the halal logo, said Ahmad Syukry, adding that Mamee was still in talks with Shinsegae Food to have the halal logo displayed on the packaging of its Mister Potato and Mamee snack products. -- BERNAMA