KUALA LUMPUR: Two chicken slaughterhouses have been discovered operating under poor conditions, with chickens left on the floor and the premises found to be dirty and foul-smelling.
The operation was uncovered through Op Pantau, a joint effort between the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry, the Halal Management Division of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim), and the Immigration Department in Kampung Cheras Baru early today.
The raid, conducted at 1am, resulted in the seizure of 3,200 kg of chicken, valued at RM27,938.
The ministry's Kuala Lumpur director, Mohd Sabri Seman, said the raid was carried out following two weeks of intelligence work after receiving information regarding suspicious sales of substandard chicken at various food courts around Kuala Lumpur.
"The raid was conducted on four premises, two of which were registered with the local authorities, while the other two were operating illegally," he said to the media after the operation concluded.
Mohd Sabri explained that during the raid, authorities found that foreign workers were employed to slaughter the chickens at the facilities.
"Upon inspection, it was found that the chickens were being slaughtered by foreign workers, and the chicken supply was also being distributed to Muslim traders," he added.
As a result, the premises in question have violated the Trade Descriptions Act 2011 (Act 730) and are suspected of breaching the Trade Descriptions (Certification and Halal Labeling) Order 2011, specifically Order 4(1), which states that no food or product can be labelled or presented as halal unless it has been certified by an authorised body and displayed a valid halal logo as stipulated in Schedule One.
Additionally, during the operation, 26 foreign nationals from India and Bangladesh were detained for suspected violations of the Immigration Act and were handed over to the Immigration Department for further action.
"This operation is crucial to ensuring that the public, especially Muslim consumers, have confidence in the chicken products sold, ensuring they are guaranteed to meet halal and syariah compliant standards," he said.
Mohd Sabri said the ministry, in collaboration with Jakim, has conducted inspections at 11 hotel premises from March 2 until Tuesday to ensure compliance with halal food preparation regulations.
He emphasised that the authorities will not compromise with operators, manufacturers, or wholesalers who violate the established regulations.
"The public is also advised to report any issues, as this is a sensitive matter for Muslim consumers," he said. - NST
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