AS OF May 2011, a total of 54 companies have already obtained the Halal Certification and Halal Label from the Ministry's Halal Food Control Division (HFCD). The figures include 26 restaurants, 21 food companies (local food products) and seven international food pocessing companies certified under the Brunei Halal Brand.
However, this figure was less than the expected target set out by the Ministry, which sparked concerns among the community on the poor level of interest and commitment among restaurant owners operating in the Muslim state. (full story - brunei times)
However, this figure was less than the expected target set out by the Ministry, which sparked concerns among the community on the poor level of interest and commitment among restaurant owners operating in the Muslim state. (full story - brunei times)
Last week, during a certification award ceremony for the 54 certified companies at the Jerudong Park Polo & Riding Club, the Minister of Religious Affairs raised concerns on the alarming figure, stating that the figure represents only a very small fraction of the total establishments in the country that are certified by the HFCD.
According to the Minister, there are more than 1,500 restaurants and food outlets in Brunei, but the number of restaurants that have recieved accreditation since the Order was implemented three years ago fell short by a mere four per cent.
The Order was implemented in 2008 by the Brunei Islamic Religious Council (MUIB) to ensure all eateries and food products sold in the country are 100 per cent halal for Muslim diners.
In an interview with The Brunei Times, Hj Ali Hassan Hj Ahmad, senior religious officer at the HFCD highlighted several factors that may result in the low number of recipients of the Halal certification and permit.
"One of the reasons behind this is because, as previously mentioned by the Minister, of the low level of stringency stated in the Order, that it has not made it compulsary for every restaurant and food company in Brunei to apply and obtain the Halal certification; thus giving the idea that obtaining the certification is not a priority for their business operations," he said.
This lack of stringency was found in Chapter 4 (1) of the Order which stated: "For the purposes of section 3, any person who owns a business MAY APPLY to the Council for a certificate in such form and shall comply with such requirements, as the Council may determine."
"We could enforce strictly so that all restaurants will have to comply, but we decided that it would be best to give some flexibility, as what we have similarly done with the Halal Meat Act Section 183 which we introduced many years ago," he said.
Although it was not made compulsory, he said, "we managed to see an increase of certified companies under the Halal Meat Act".
"And now it has been successfully recognised worldwide. We are hoping for similar success with the Halal Certification and Halal Label Order," he added.
Another factor, he said, was that most restaurants, particularly the Malay Muslim eateries, do not have that sense of obligation in obtaining such certification because, being a restaurant that serves Malay Muslim food to begin with, they are convinced that the dishes served and ingredients used are 100 per cent Halal.
"This is a big problem because they do not fully understand the concept and importance of the Order, as well as the benefits which it can bring to their business. In reality, a restaurant that serves Malay and Muslim dishes despite not having a proper certification from a Halal monitoring agency does not fully guarantee its food and ingredients are genuinely Halal," he said.
Hj Ali Hassan said that restaurants who applied for the certification will undergo several inspection before they are officially certified and awarded the halal certification by the MUIB, where the Council officials will be conducting inspections on applicants' business premises to ensure the ingredients used are derived from a halal source, utensils used are only for processing halal food, as well as hygiene check-ups if necessary. Laboratory tests will also be conducted if doubts arise over any ingredients used.
Inspection officers will also be conducting oral and written tests for the respective companies' halal food supervisors as stipulated in the rules and requirements of the Halal Label Certificate and Halal Label Order 2005.
"We conduct thorough examinations of the utmost stringency to ensure that all ingredients used and the method of preparation of the dishes in the Restaurants are safe and Halal, that the ingredients come from reliable sources that abide by the halal norms and that the meat are slaughtered according to Islamic law, and the cook on duty who prepares the dishes is a Muslim," he said.
Hj Ali Hassan said that being accredited would give assurance to Muslim customers that the establishments strictly comply with halal guidelines.
"Another issue that we are still facing today is that although there are a number of restaurants in Brunei that have successfully obtained the certification, there are many more that have applied but failed our tests and meet the requirements for the accreditation. We had several cases where the restaurants do not have proper documentation as proof of the source of ingredients and that they do not have Muslim staff to be elected as supervisor," he said.
He added any Muslim or non-Muslim restaurant owners in Brunei are eligible for the certification, but must fulfill a certain amount of requirements to qualify. This include a minimum of two Muslim halal food supervisor employed at the premises, and that all the ingredients have been tested and approved as Halal by the inspection committee.
"However, we encourage these restaurants to re-apply. By putting an effort in meeting these requirements, we are also indirectly encouraging these restaurants to become better business establishments in terms of proper management, cleanliness and other factors," he said.
Successful applicants will be charged with an annual fee of $30 for each premise, which according to Hj Ali Hassan, is by far the most affordable in the Southeast Asian region.
"In Malaysia and other parts of the world, each restaurant would be charged based on the size of the premise," he said.
One of the earliest applicants that has successfully obtained the accreditation is I-lotus Restaurant, a popular Halal chinese restaurant. According to its owner, the certificates displayed at their premises have had a positive effect on their business, particularly in retaining its regular Muslim patrons.
"Having the Halal certification for our establishment has helped boost our customers' confidence when dining with us, particularly among our Muslim diners, so applying for this certification is not really about gaining more customers, but more about retaining existing customers," said Sarina Amin, the owner of I-Lotus.
She said despite the lengthy and overwhelming process the restaurant had to go through to qualify for the certification, there was no additional cost incurred and that the annual fee was affordable.
Popular fast food chain, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) Brunei also made it to the list of Halal-certified restaurants, with seven of its outlets nationwide successfully accredited with the Halal stamp.
"The majority of our customers which we serve daily in Brunei are Malay Muslims. So, having the halal certification for all our outlets is a great deal for us," said Del Goh, KFC Brunei's Marketing Manager.
Del urged other restaurants to apply for the certification as the benefits outweigh the costs, especially in terms of time. "Of course, as a restaurant or food business owner, if they want to grab 100 per cent of Brunei's population as their customer, they should go for the Halal certification," he said, but added that the process of obtaining the certification took a lot of time and deliberation.
"It wasn't smooth sailing, but it was worth going through and obtaining the certificate," he added.
However, some restaurants have claimed that they have been left in the dark on obtaining the application for the accreditation.
Chua Peng Wuei, owner of Manjaro restaurant in Kiulap, expressed interest in obtaining the halal certification for quite some time but has no idea how to go about it due to lack of information.
"Up until now, I still do not know exactly how and where to apply for the certification. I have been enquiring about getting the application. And now concerns have been raised by the Ministry regarding the low number of certified restaurants in Brunei, I am absolutely in need of the certification for my restaurant," he said.
Another restaurant owner, who wish to remain anonymous, said that some restaurants in Brunei still have no clue about the existence of the Halal Label Certificate and Halal Label Order 2005. "The authorities should increase their efforts in increasing awareness so that all restaurants in Brunei are well informed and guided towards the application procedures," he said.
However, Hj Ali Hassan responded that the Council has conducted various awareness programmes nationwide on the accreditation since the Order was enforced in Brunei three years ago, such as Roadshows, workshops and various media platforms.
"We will continue to carry out our roadshows and awareness programmes to the public throughout this year onwards, and we have plans to conduct workshops for restaurants in Brunei who have not yet obtained the certification," he said.
"What we hope to see after this is an increase in a number of applicants for the certification, hopefully a positive indication that more restaurants and eateries in Brunei are certified following the lacklustre four per cent figure that's recorded at this time," he added.The Brunei Times
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