Auntie Anne's Halal Application Was Denied Because Of Bigger Reasons Than 'Pretzel Dog'
It's not just about the Pretzel Dog.
By Samantha Khor — 18 Oct 2016, 03:37 PM
For the past 20 years, the name "Auntie Anne's" has become synonymous among Malaysians as the to-go place for warm, buttery pretzels
Auntie Anne's in Suria KLCC, one of the pretzel company's busiest international locations in the world.
Image via Instagram @gal_editionAuntie Anne's opened its first Malaysian outlet at One Utama Shopping Centre in 1996, and has since expanded to 45 more outlets across Peninsular Malaysia.
Most recently, the pretzel chain became the talk of social media when it was revealed that the company has yet to be certified halal by JAKIM
In a Facebook post that has since gone viral, Farhatul Kamilah, a QA Executive with Auntie Anne's who is also a certified Halal Executive under the Halal Development Corporation (HDC), clarified that the company's application for halal certification was rejected due to several reasons:
1. JAKIM told the company to apply for a halal cert for its central kitchen first before proceeding with the application for its outlets
The central kitchen is where the repacking process is done for a bulk of Auntie Anne's products.
2. The single application sent in was for all 45 Auntie Anne's outlets in Malaysia. However, JAKIM rejected it and requested for applications to be segregated according to its area zones to facilitate the auditing process.
"This situation has also happened to Sushi King. At first, only a few outlets were certified halal because the application process is carried out in stages and according to area zones although the products originate from the same central kitchen," the executive wrote.
3. Perhaps the most mind-boggling of all, JAKIM called for the name 'Pretzel Dog' to be replaced with a more "appropriate" one
"I have proposed some new names and am still awaiting a decision from JAKIM's panel meeting. Once they have made their decision, we will be changing all menu boards before proceeding with the new application," she wrote.
A similar situation seems to have happened to A&W's infamous Coney Dogs, which have been altered to Chicken Coney and Beef Coney in its Malaysian menu.
In a Malaysiakini report, JAKIM said that they have requested that the name 'Pretzel Dog' be changed to 'Pretzel Sausage' as the department cannot approve the word 'dog' because "it refers to the canine animal".
According to Farhatul, the halal application for the central kitchen has already been filed and the company is currently awaiting JAKIM's auditing process to commence
Acknowledgement of payment letter from JAKIM in regards to Auntie Anne's halal application for its central kitchen.
Image via Farhatul Kamilah Facebook"JAKIM has very high standards that must be fulfilled by all holders of the halal certificate. They do not only focus on the halal status of the food, but also the cleanliness of food outlets and operators," she wrote.
Farhatul also suggested that those who are still skeptical of Auntie Anne's food products should wait until the pretzel chain succeeds in obtaining its halal status.