Public lauds new Halal certification for restaurants
By Azaraimy HH & Narissa Noor

Some restaurants and members of the public lauded the new Halal certification for restaurants to be introduced by the Halal Food Control Section this year.

The Sultanate pays great care in the cleanliness of restaurants in the country, as well as its legitimacy in whether or not a restaurant is suitable for Muslims.

Currently, the licensing and hygiene issues of restaurants are usually marshalled by either the licensing boards of district offices or Food Quality Control Division at the Ministry of Health.

On the other hand, the issue on the 'Halalness' of restaurants came under much public scrutiny through the media or otherwise.

Following yesterday's Bulletin report on the new Halal certification to be introduced by the Halal Food Control Section, which is a division under the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the public and some restaurants have endorsed the idea stating that this will ensure greater credibility of the Halal practices by restaurants.

A restaurant owner and retired senior health inspection officer, Hj Abd Kadir bin Abd Hamid, said the issuance of a Halal certification for restaurants is a right move because this will ensure more public confidence.

He said there has been some complaints on some restaurants selling food that are questionable in term of their 'Halalness', despite operating under the 'Halal' banner.

He added that the government's move to issue a separate Halal certification goes to show its commitment to ensure the public that the matter of 'Halalness'is not taken lightly in Brunei Darussalam.

However, he suggested for a more solid coordination between relevant authorities in enforcing the law.

Currently, the Halal food controls are only enforced on restaurants that have received complaints from the public. Although this may be perceived as adequate by some, others remain sceptical on this formula.

The recent issue on tainted dumplings has raised questions on whether there are more restaurants in the country that are overlooking the Halal aspects of their food.

This is why it may be important that the Halal aspects be enforced through certification, he added.

This is also a significant step as the country is leveraging itself towards the promotion of the Brunei premium Halal brand, as the country cannot afford to promote the brand globally without securing confidence within its own border.

Meanwhile, some members of the public claim that there are some Muslims who choose to patronise non-Halal restaurants.

While the move of issuing separate Halal certificates for restaurants is certainly a step in the right direction, it still depends on the decision a Muslim makes on whether or not to patronise a non-Halal restaurant, according to a bank officer, Hakim Hayat.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin