Auntie Anne's Controversial Pretzel Dog Is Now Officially Known As 'Pretzel Sausage'
It had to happen eventually.
By Samantha Khor — 28 Nov 2016, 06:35 PM
Remember when the entire nation could talk about nothing else but Auntie Anne's and the Pretzel Dog?
In case you'd forgotten, the chain gained widespread attention both locally and globally when it emerged that its application for a halal certificate was rejected because of one of its food items is named 'Pretzel Dog', amongst other reasons.
It all started when an executive of Auntie Anne's posted an explanation as to why the pretzel chain is still not certified halal on 17 October. The Facebook post quickly went viral, with many harping on the fact that the Department of Islamic Development (JAKIM) requested for the name 'Pretzel Dog' to be replaced with a more "appropriate" alternative.
It didn't help that JAKIM later explained that food vendors looking to apply for a halal cert should avoid using words like "ham", "bak kut teh", "bacon", "beer", "rum", "hotdog", "charsiew", and other words related to non-halal food items when naming their products, as they will "confuse Muslims".
Well, the inevitable has happened. The food item formerly known as 'Pretzel Dog' has been renamed 'Pretzel Sausage' across all Auntie Anne's branches in accordance with JAKIM's requirements
Looks like all that's left to do now is to observe a moment of silence for our short-lived national icons. :(
