Halal cert mandatory for Ramadan buffet eateries

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SIBU: A Halal certificate is mandatory for eateries when offering Ramadan buffet, said Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Islamic Affairs) Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman.

The Tupong assemblyman said in Kuching recently that eateries with halal certification knew the importance of maintaining their Muslim customers, and this was why they had taken the initiative to apply for such certificate.

Meanwhile, a senior marketing manager of a hotel here disclosed that the hotel adhered strictly
to such requirement.

“To offer Ramadan buffet, one needs to have a Halal certificate.

Another hotelier, a general manager of a star-rated hotel here, Roy Ting, said Halal certification came with many merits.

Ting noted that the Halal certificate was displayed at F & B counters as they were subject
to checks by Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) or Department of Islamic Affairs of Sarawak (Jais).

He added that the certification enabled F & B outlets to cater for a broader market.

“Operators would be able to cater for both Muslim and non-Muslim customers.

“In other words, we can cater to everyone,” Ting added.

Asked on the certification, he said it was renewable every two years.

He, however, said Jais or Jakim could come back for inspection during this period.

If the authority was not satisfied with the level of cleanliness for example, they could suspend the certification.

Ting said the operator would then be asked to make necessary rectifications before the authority came back for re-inspection.