Are ham and cheese sandwiches halal?

Are ham and cheese sandwiches halal?

Zikri Kamarulzaman
Published: Jan 14, 2025 8:30 PM



KINIGUIDE | The latest drama tearing at Malaysia’s social fabric concerns a ham and cheese sandwich that was labelled as halal.

Conservatives are painting this as another example of Islam being undermined, while many others are perplexed as to why this is even an issue.

Malaysiakini peels back the layers.

How did this all start?

On Jan 10, Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma)-linked student group Pembina Universiti Malaya (UM) posted a video raising concerns about ham and cheese sandwiches sold at KK Mart outlets on the UM campus.

In the video, a Pembina UM member said he had lodged a complaint with the Malaysian Muslim Consumer Association (PPIM) over concerns that the halal logo used on the packaging was fake and not in compliance with specifications.


He said he also ran a check on the Islamic Development Department (Jakim)’s halal directory to determine that the product was not halal-certified.

The video’s description, meanwhile, questioned how a ham product could be labelled as halal.



The next day, it was reported that UM had shuttered the two KK Mart outlets on campus to facilitate a probe.

Then on Sunday night (Jan 12), Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh posted a video hammering KK Mart, questioning how ham could be halal.

What is ham?

Traditionally, ham referred to a preserved cut of pork leg often served in slices.

However, in the 1970s, a version of ham using cured turkey thigh meat was invented in the US. Now ham products also include those made from chicken.

In the Malaysian context, ham products sold outside of eateries and grocers that sell non-halal foods are typically turkey or chicken.

However, they are usually labelled as chicken or turkey slices instead of ham.

This is because under current halal certification guidelines, product names that are synonymous with non-halal items, including ham, cannot be certified and must instead use alternative descriptors.

In the case of the KK Mart sandwiches, it used the word ham and did not identify which animal the ham was made from.

The convenience chain clarified on Monday that it was chicken ham which was halal-certified.

What’s the fuss about halal status then?

The use of halal certification and logos - such as those issued by Jakim - is not a requirement in Islam.

Instead, they are meant to serve as a guide to help Muslim consumers identify products that meet strict standards ensuring both halal status and cleanliness (toyyiban) for eateries and off-the-shelf food products in the entire supply chain.

Simply put, all food and eateries with legitimate halal logos are halal, but not all halal food and eateries are halal-certified or carry a logo.

However, there is an increasing demand and vigilance among Malaysian Muslims about halal certification status.

So are the ham sandwiches halal or not?

According to KK Mart, the sandwich supplier - Shake and Bake Cafe Sdn Bhd - had furnished halal certification for both the chicken ham and cheese slices that are used in the sandwich.

In theory, unless tests by the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry find non-halal ingredients in the sandwiches - this means that the ham and cheese sandwiches sold at the KK Mart outlets are halal to consume from a theological perspective.

However, being halal to consume and using halal-certified ingredients does not mean that the final product is halal-certified and can use the halal logo issued by Jakim.

For off-the-shelf products, halal certification requires all ingredients and the entire supply chain of the product to be scrutinised by Jakim to be certified.


In the case of the sandwiches sold at KK Mart, the sandwich itself did not have halal certification.

Further, the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry indicated that the factory where the sandwiches were assembled did not have a valid halal certificate.

The ministry also indicated that the expired certificate was originally issued to another company that Shake and Bake Cafe had acquired.

Unauthorised use of halal logos is an offence under the Trade Descriptions Act, and companies can be fined up to RM200,000 for the first offence.

What else is wrong with the sandwich?

Besides not being authorised to use the halal logo on its sandwiches, KK Mart said Shake and Bake Cafe was also not authorised to use the KK Mart logo on its packaging.

KK Mart is initiating legal action against Shake and Bake Cafe over the matter.

Shake and Bake is owned by a Perak MCA grassroots leader.

What action have authorities taken?

Jakim and the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry raided Shake and Bake Cafe’s factory on Friday after the matter first caught public attention.

However, they did not publicise their action until after the media reported Akmal’s outrage on Monday morning.