Another Halal Food Row Erupts After Zafrul Eats Laksa In Penang

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The halal status of food is in the spotlight again after Investment, Trade, and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz dined at a popular Chinese-owned Penang laksa spot.
Zafrul had posted on social media about his experience eating at the Penang Road Famous Laksa restaurant on Monday.
This sparked brickbats among some Malay netizens who questioned the halal status of the restaurant and why he had not dined at a Malay eatery instead.
Others pointed out that while the restaurant was halal certified, the certification had been retracted.
In response, Zafrul on Tuesday re-posted a photo of the shop's halal certificate.
"When we see there is a halal certificate at the store, it's quite rare for us to double check on (the halal certification) website.
"God willing, we keep each other in check," he said.
‘Visit in May, cert retraction in June’
Guang Ming Daily quoted Penang Road Famous Laksa's owner Leow Woo Taid as claiming that Zafrul had dined at the restaurant in May, and that its certification was only retracted in June.
However, there is no public record of Zafrul being in Penang in May.
He is believed to have visited Penang over the past week to attend Malaysia Day celebrations last night.
Malaysiakini has contacted Zafrul's office for clarification.
Investment, Trade, and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul AzizLeow stressed that the restaurant had taken down its halal certificate after it was rescinded.
"We never hid anything. We only lost certification temporarily," he was reported as saying.
Fraudulently displaying a non-valid halal logo or certificate is a criminal offence.
Explaining why the certificate was rescinded, Leow said it had nothing to do with the food that Penang Road Famous Laksa served. Instead, it was because the shop had expanded.
Halal certification rules are strict. When premises are expanded, the entire place must be recertified. - Mkini

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