PUTRAJAYA, Jan 25 — The government will seek feedback from stakeholders, including industry players and foreign embassies to improve the recognition process of halal certification bodies abroad.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri said the government wants to listen to views of stakeholders before outlining suitable standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the process.

"This is to strengthen Malaysia’s halal certification, by fine-tuning the recognition procedures of halal certification bodies abroad,” he said in a virtual media conference today after delivering a message in conjunction with an online gathering of agencies under his department.

Zulkilfli said these procedures would be uploaded to the www.halal.gov.my portal for public comment by stakeholders.

To understand better issues related to halal certification, Zulkifli said officials had visited several factories and meat storage warehouses in the country.

"There was positive feedback (from these visits) and they were committed to ensuring supply was from halal sources,” he said.

Zulkifli said the Malaysian Halal Council (MHM) would also be reactivated, this after several discussions, involving relevant agencies, were held on the meat cartel issue as well after meetings with meat importers and distributors earlier this month.

Once MHM is reactivated, the council will be also membered by other ministries, professional bodies and halal experts who will all monitor policies and directives issued by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) on halal matters, he said. — Bernama