Health ministry of Malaysia found traces of pork in two products of Cadbury Malaysia following which the company's halal certification was suspended.
The two products, Cadbury Dairy Milk Hazelnut and Cadbury Dairy Milk Roast Almond, were found to have traces of pork DNA in them after the Ministry of Health conducted a periodic check for non-halal ingredients in food products, Saturday. The check was conducted after rumors of the porcine taint appeared on social media sites last week, reports The Malay Mail Online
The company said it would recall the flawed products.
The incident prompted at least 30 NGOs to urge public to boycott all the products manufactured by Cadbury. "This is because we need to send a message about the rights of consumers that cannot be taken for granted. We want this to be addressed seriously by the Health Ministry, Jakim and the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry," said Nadzim Johan of the Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia (PPIM), according to The Rakayat Post.
In Malaysia more than 60 percent of the population comprises of Muslims because of which the food manufacturers in the country have to follow Islam's dietary restrictions, this includes prohibition on pork, reports Reuters,
A group named Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM) said it plans to sue Cadbury Malaysia. Azwanddin Hamzah, JMM president, said that Cadbury misled Muslims by selling products with porcine DNA. Cadbury's biggest consumer, he claimed, are Muslims and Malays. "This is a malicious lie and has to be contained. Among the Muslims, this is a great insult... such products should not be produced at all," he said at a press conference, according to msn News.
He also said that they received at least 700 emails from the angry customers supporting legal action against the company.
Cadbury Malaysia, meanwhile, said it was undertaking a full review of its supply chain to ensure halal standards. The Malaysian government said it will conduct inspection of all the products manufactured by the company.
