KUCHING: The secretary-general of Muslim Consumers Association Malaysia, Datuk Dr Ma’amor Osman, has advised Muslim consumers not to take Golden Churn Pure Creamery Butter products and find alternatives following the findings of deoxyribonucleic acids (DNA) of swine origin by the Johor State Religious Department (JAJ) recently.
In a telephone interview on Monday, Ma’amor urged Muslim consumers to find alternatives for Golden Churn Pure Creamery Butter products are not halal.
“The products (Golden Churn) are currently being sent to the Department of Chemistry for second testing but as of now, the association’s stand is with JAJ’s first findings — that Golden Churn Pure Creamery Butter contains DNA from pigs,” he said.
“If we are uncertain about the halal status, it is best if we stay away from the product although it has been given the okay by Jakim-certified authorities,” Ma’amor said.
Ma’amor suggested that all animal-based products imported into the country that were certified halal by authorities recognised by Jakim should be certified by Jakim again.
Jakim, however, has yet to announce the halal status of the butter products.
“We are waiting for the results from the Department of Chemistry,” its spokesman said through a telephone interview.
Meanwhile, Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Islamic Affairs) Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman said his ministry had yet to make any decision regarding the halal status of Golden Churn butter.
“We will be having a meeting to discuss the matter soon,” he said when met after the opening of the State Legislative Assembly sitting yesterday.
On April 18, JAJ circulated a memo within its departments to inform them of the findings of pig DNA in Golden Churn Pure Creamery Butter products.
Since then, social media users particularly from the Muslim community have expressed their concerns of the halal status of the products and even posted the soft copy of the memo onto their blogs and websites.
However on April 29, the manufacturer of the products, K L Ballantyne Pty Ltd executive chairman Andrew Ballantyne refuted the claims concerning the halal status of its butter products.
“It has been brought to my attention that there are false claims about our Golden Churn Certified Halal Butter brand originating from Peninsular Malaysia.
“I can reassure our valued customers and consumers that both Ballantyne factories in Australia and New Zealand are certified halal by halal certification authorities for all our butter brands we produce and distribute,” he said in a statement on the company’s website.
However, following the findings of swine DNA at Kluang Rail Coffee last March, a spokesman from JAJ said in a telephone interview yesterday that they have since issued letters to all halal certificate holders in Johor not to use the Golden Churn products.
“We do not have the authority to issue the halal status as the authority belongs to Jakim. However, we have issued letters to all halal certificate holders not to use the products. Should they use them, they have to ‘samak’ (cleanse) the items,” he said.
Earlier in March, three directors of Rail Passion Sdn Bhd, the provider for Kluang Rail Coffee was charged with selling coffee that contains gelatin at their premises without labelling the ingredients as containing pig DNA.
They were reported to have used Golden Churn Pure Creamery Butter to fry the coffee beans, which resulted in the findings of pig DNA in their coffee.