Authors : Nor`Adha Abdul Hamid, Norazla Abdul Wahab, Farah Mohd Shahwahid and Surianom Miskam
Abstract: The rapid growth of the halal industry in Malaysia has led to the development of halal law here. The Trade Descriptions Act 2011, the Trade Descriptions Order (Certification and Halal Labelling’s) 2011, the Trade Descriptions (Definition of Halal) Regulations 2011 and Trade Descriptions (Certification and Halal Labelling fees) 2011 were streamline to the laws relating to halal in Malaysia. In addition, there are a number of laws that indirectly contain provisions relating to halal including the Food Act 1983, Food Regulations 1985, the Animal Act 1953 (Revised 2006), Animals Regulations 1962, the Local Government Act 1976 and the by-Laws of the Local Authorities Act, Consumer Protection 1999, the Customs Act 1967, as well as the Syariah Criminal Offences Act. This study aims to identify some of the issues and legal challenges in the halal scenario in Malaysia. To conduct this study, the analysis is made on the provisions of Malaysia legislation in several acts related to the halal industry. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were also conducted on the two bodies involved in the halal industry, the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) and the Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC). The study found that although laws relating to food and halal products in Malaysia are under different acts but that provision is seen as sufficient. In addition there are some legal halal issues in Malaysia are noteworthy like the overlapping of jurisdiction among government agencies, the misuse of the halal logo as a Syariah criminal offense, law enforcement and drafting of the halal Malaysian Halal Act. The results of this study are significant in suggesting improvements to the existing legislation on the food and halal products in Malaysia.
Nor`Adha Abdul Hamid, Norazla Abdul Wahab, Farah Mohd Shahwahid and Surianom Miskam, 2018. Malaysian Halal Laws: Issues and Challenges. The Social Sciences, 13: 769-775.