KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 ― Cadbury Malaysia affirmed today the halal status of its chocolates, and said it will meet with key Muslim leaders here to reassure the community that all its products  are safe for Muslim consumption.

The confectionary giant acknowledged efforts by the National Fatwa Council to convince consumers of Cadbury chocolate’s halal status, and said it remains committed to the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia's (Jakim) halal regulatory guidelines.

“Our extreme focus on this matter continues,” Cadbury’s head of corporate affairs Raja Zalina Raja Safran said in a statement here.

“And we are meeting with stakeholders and leaders in the Muslim community to reassure them of our commitment to making products that meet the needs of Malaysian consumers.”

Last week, Cadbury’s Malaysian outfit was forced to recall two batches of chocolate products after it was found tainted with porcine DNA by the Health Ministry.

In an earlier statement, the company said it was informed that samples of its Cadbury Dairy Milk Hazelnut and the Cadbury Dairy Milk Roast Almond that had been sent to the ministry had “tested positive for traces of porcine DNA”.

Today, Cadbury Malaysia said although the two batches were recalled, the firm has “no reason to believe that there is any porcine or pork-related ingredient in our Cadbury chocolates.”

“We stand by our halal certification and we have the highest levels of product labelling standards,” Raja Zalina said in the statement.

She added that Cadbury Malaysia will continue to be in consultation with the Malaysian authorities as it awaits the analysis of its chocolates by the ministry.

Jakim is conducting the analysis, which will also look into the supply chains associated with the two tainted chocolate batches.

“We understand how critical halal is to our consumers and how important it is to the ongoing trust in our products.

“All other products in the Malaysian Cadbury range maintain their halal status,” it said.

The National Fatwa Council has since confirmed that it is maintaining the halal status on the products found tainted with pig DNA.

Yesterday, an association representing 800 Muslim traders kicked off an official boycott of all products under Kraft Foods Manufacturing Malaysia, in protest over Cadbury Malaysia's alleged inaction over the porcine DNA found in its chocolates.

The Malaysian Muslim Wholesellers' and Retailers' Association (Mawar) said they have instructed their members to take all the products off their shelves and return them to the food manufacturer.

The boycott covers all products under a long list of brands in the Kraft stable, including Cadbury, Cheezels, Jacob's, Chacos, Kraft, Ritz, Chipsmore, Tiger, Oreo, Toblerone, Halls, Clorets, Twister and Dentyne.

Mawar advisor Bazeer Ahmed said it was appalling that Cadbury Malaysia's management has not voluntarily recalled the two products found to contain traces of pig DNA, even after it was confirmed by the Health Ministry.

“It has already been declared (to contain porcine DNA), so they must take proactive measures and take the products off the shelves. But as far as I am aware, they have not approached any retailer to take back the products,” he said at a press conference.