MAH lauds ministers for addressing 'hotdog' issue

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) today thanked Tourism and Culture Minister, Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz and Minister in the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom for addressing the 'hotdog' issue which went viral internationally.
Nazri had criticised the decision as ridiculous, saying it was made by ignoramuses in their menu while Jamil Khir assured that there will be no attempt to declare the sausage-based food as "haram".
Recently, NEO+ Hotel in Penang had their halal certification rejected by Jakim due to "Magherita Pizza" which is widely used internationally in their menu and has nothing to do with the "Margarita" cocktail .
MAH President Cheah Swee Hee said halal certification should be based on halal ingredients and halal process in preparing the finished product instead of the product's name in the menu.
"MAH would like to acknowledge the clarification provided by all parties over the 'hotdog' issue, particularly the two cabinet ministers and hope that the halal certification inspectors will not raise the issue of menu names again," Cheah said in a statement.
He added that MAH supports the government's initiative in making a halal hub but at the same time, he pointed out that such ad hoc decisions by halal certification inspectors would just hinder the progress en route to making application for the certification a taboo for all.