No porcine DNA found in Cadbury chocolate samples

BANGI: No trace of porcine (pork) DNA has been found in two samples of Cadbury chocolate, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Dr Jamil Khir Baharom announced today.
That was the finding of tests carried out by a chemistry laboratory accredited under the Malaysia Islamic Development Department (Jakim), and they are therefore "halal".
The chocolates that were subject to the tests were Cadbury Dairy Milk Hazelnut (batch number 200813M01H I2) and Cadbury Dairy Milk Roast Almond (batch number 221013N01R I1).
This finding negates earlier reports from the Health Ministry that two of three Cadbury chocolate samples tested were found to have traces of porcine DNA last week.
The news had caused an outcry among several Muslim NGOs, who called for a "jihad" against the confectionery company, and threatening to sue it.
Subsequently, Cadbury recalled its products.
Jamil Khir, who is in charge of religious affairs, told reporters today that 11 samples of Cadbury Dairy Milk Hazelnut and the Cadbury Dairy Milk Roast Almond were sent from the factory to a special accredited laboratory for halal testing.
"No porcine DNA was detected in the samples," he said.
He said earlier samples which were tested by the Health Ministry could have been "contaminated" from the place where they were obtained.
He said Jakim will carry out a thorough inspection on all the production lines of Cadbury Confectionary (M) Sdn Bhd, which includes its raw material, processing line, storage and equipment to ensure that it fulfilled the halal certification standards.
"With the absence of the porcine DNA, we will discuss on the suspended halal certification which was given to the company," he said.
Jamil Khir assured members of the public that halal-related issues will be handled by Jakim and "we will not hide anything (from the public)".
Meanwhile, Cadbury corporate affairs head Raja Zalina Raja Safran said that the company was delighted with Jakim's announcement, despite not having received the report from the department.
"We assure our customers and consumers that all our products are properly labelled and consumers can enjoy them with confidence," she said.
Raja Zalina added that Cadbury's manufacturing processes strictly adhere to Jakim's halal regulatory guidelines and thus their products were halal certified.
For any inquiry on halal matters, the public can contact Jakim's Halal Hub at 03-8892-5048 (Nadia Zammil Md Nasir), 03-8892-5078 (Najibah Abdul Mutalib), 03-8892-5032 (Mazlina) or 03-8892-5031 (Fakaruddin) on weekdays, between 10am to 4pm.