Cadbury chocolate-eating ceremony to be held tomorrow

About 100 Muslim consumers including bloggers will be feasting on Cadbury chocolate on Sunday afternoon in an attempt to defend the halal status of the product.

The programme themed 'Malaysian Halal Certificate and Cadbury controversy: A perspective', is organised by myKMU together with SuaraTV and Ikatan Aktivis Siber Malaysia (Ikas).

SuaraTV editor Zulkifli Mat Rawi, in a statement said the programme is intended to defend the statements by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, the Malaysian Department of Islamic Development (Jakim) and Cadbury Malaysia that the latter's chocolate products were halal and contained no pig DNA.

"Hopefully, this effort will restore people's trust and confidence, especially Muslim consumers', towards the halal certificate issued by Jakim and end the polemic that has been plaguing the perception and minds of the society," he said.

On May 23, a batch of Cadbury's Hazelnut Chocolate 175 grams (group I2 200813M01H expiry date Nov 13, 2014) and Almonds Chocolate 175 grams (group I1 221013N01R expiry date Jan 15, 2015) were detected to have porcine (pig DNA) by the Health Ministry.

Jakim subsequently announced that the ministry's findings were inaccurate and assured that both products are halal.

Following the fiasco, the Saudi authorities also recalled some Cadbury chocolate products from their market pending results from laboratory tests to detect porcine.

Meanwhile, renowned Egyptian scholar Sheikh Dr Yusuf Al-Qaradawi issued a statement saying gelatine or DNA derived from pigs can be considered halal if it has undergone a transformation process, according to the Islamic concept 'istihalah'. His view was also supported by former Perlis mufti Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin.

Cadbury also recently tried to win back their consumers' heart and trust via advertisements in major newspapers with the slogan "All is good. Enjoy us again."