Halal food body regains Malaysian recognition
The HFA said that after a rigorous audit of its procedures, certification and organisational set-up by a high-profile auditor from JAKIM, all its certified products can now be exported to Malaysia without any hindrance.
In February 2013, Malaysia made a decision to no longer recognise the HFA after pork DNA was found in meat from a halal supplier in the UK. However, after an appeal, meetings in Kuala Lumpur and the aforementioned auditing process, the issues have been resolved and HFA-certified products are now recognised by JAKIM again.
HFA chief executive Saqib Mohammed said the Malaysian market was worth millions to the UK halal industry, of which about 70% of certified products go through the HFA.
He added: "We are delighted to extend our sincere thanks and best wishes to all our clients, stakeholders, and members of staff who assisted the HFA with a great deal of patience, support and co-operation in achieving this status.
"We are proud to have the required expertise and skills with the strong working relationship and allegiance with our stakeholders on board that have collectively proved instrumental in the continued success of the HFA, leading to further growth and expansion of halal trade globally and we further believe that this trend will continue and prosper in the foreseeable future."
