KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 — Malaysia will only accept meat and poultry imports from the United States if the halal certification is issued by bodies recognised by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim), Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said today.
He stressed that while the move aims to ease trade between both countries, there would be no compromise on halal standards thus ensuring that all imported products continue to comply with Malaysia’s halal standards.
“All imported products must still comply fully with Malaysia’s halal requirements, in line with Syariah principles,” he told the Dewan Rakyat.
This is to protect the interests of Muslim consumers in Malaysia, he said.
Tengku Zafrul said the facilitation measures would apply solely to monitoring and verification processes, and even then, only by US halal certifiers already recognised by Jakim.
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