Thursday, September 12, 2024

Records show Pakistani gelatine plants failed halal standards in 2022

 

FMT:


Records show Pakistani

gelatine plants failed halal

standards in 2022

Significant problems with cleanliness, cross-contamination control, record-keeping, and halal compliance were noted during inspections by Malaysian officials.

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Free Malaysia Today
Officials of the department of veterinary services and the Islamic development department (Jakim) carried out inspections on Pakistani gelatine exporters. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA
Several gelatine plants in Pakistan that exported their products to Malaysia were found in 2022 to have flouted halal compliance requirements following inspections by Malaysia officials.

Significant issues in cleanliness, cross-contamination control and record-keeping were discovered during these inspections the department of veterinary services and the Islamic development department (Jakim), according to the inspection reports.

One plant was observed on CCTV to be neglecting cleanliness, while the report noted that the area where raw materials were stored was 

very dirty
 and left uncleaned for several days.

Two plants were flagged over storage facilities, while incidents of cross-contamination were also detected.

A third plant had 

significant
 problems with storage, including poor organisation and cleanliness, inadequate cross-contamination prevention measures, as well as inconsistent water supply at hand-washing facilities.

Another plant struggled with poor storage organisation and accessibility to important documents, as well as ineffective systems to ensure suppliers met the required standards in terms of quality.

As a result, these plants were not given a halal certificate due to 

blatant disregard
 of the standards required, which potentially compromised the integrity of their products according to the reports.

Pakistan is the leading source of gelatine imports for Malaysia, with imports increasing significantly over the past three years due to growing demand.

DVS director-general Akma Ngah Hamid said imports rose by 41.7%, from 295,000 kg in 2020 to 1.58 million kg in 2023.

However, DVS regulatory department director Razli Abdul Razak said audits revealed issues with tannery waste in Pakistan. 

If tannery waste is involved, we reject it. Our approval process is stringent,
 he told FMT.

He added that companies violating regulations will be suspended or removed from the approved list, depending on the severity of the violation.

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