KUALA LUMPUR – KK Supermart & Superstore Sdn Bhd should review its product purchasing processes and standard operating procedures (SOPs), following backlash over its outlet’s sale of pre-packed chicken “ham and cheese” sandwiches, a PKR lawmaker said.
Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung said “carelessness” by some local businesses could damage Malaysia’s image as a leader in the halal industry.
“As a known chain, KK Supermart should learn its lesson and tighten its internal control measures to protect the sensitivities of its customers from various backgrounds,” he said in a statement today.
“It should be known that Malaysia has always strived to develop our halal industry which is admired worldwide, with international entrepreneurs and investors continuing to embrace this recognition,” he added.
Pointing out that Malaysia is aiming for the halal industry to contribute 8.1% of the national gross domestic product by 2025, or 10.8% by 2030, Lee said that as a Malaysian business, KK Supermart must set an example as a company with social responsibility.
Lee called the latest episode involving a mislabelled ham and cheese sandwich as “halal” a “disappointing incident” that comes less than a year after KK Mart courted controversy over its sale of socks bearing the word “Allah” at several of the chain’s stores.
Pressing charges against KK Supermart’s sandwich supplier over the latest incident was insufficient, he added, noting that weaknesses in supply chain processes and SOPs must be addressed.
On Monday, KK Supermart said it has halted business dealings with the sandwich supplier, Shake & Bake Cafe Sdn Bhd. The convenience store had also lodged a police report and initiated legal action against the supplier.
KK Supermarket also said the halal logo had been applied by its supplier to sandwiches that contained chicken and cheese slices. The product, however, was merely labeled as a ham and cheese sandwich.
Also on Monday, the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) said that while the sandwiches were marked “halal”, they did not possess proper halal certification, causing the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Living Costs to open an investigation paper into the supplier for suspected misuse of the halal logo.
The ministry’s enforcement director-general Datuk Azman Adam later said the sandwich maker is also suspected of using halal logos issued by Jakim that expired in October 2023 after it bought over the business from an earlier company that obtained halal certification.
The issue came to light when Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Akmal Saleh made a social media video on the sale of “halal” ham and cheese sandwiches after being informed of it by students at Universiti Malaya where the product was sold at a KK Concept Store on campus.
Akmal’s tirade over offended Muslim sensitivities has stirred another ward of words between politicians from various parties, including Umno’s allies in Barisan Nasional (BN) and the unity government.
MCA vice-president Wee Jeck Seng and DAP Youth chief Woo Kah Leong criticised Akmal for politicising the issue.
However, PKR central leadership council member Fahmi Zainol took Akmal’s side, saying the Merlimau assemblyman’s strong criticism on the matter had nothing to do with political mileage, but was about respecting the sanctity of Islam.
The highest ranking government figure to wade into the spat so far is Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming, who is also DAP vice-chairman. He took to social media to take a jab at certain quarters whom he accused of “making an issue” out of the matter, saying that such individuals are the “real idiot”.
“Ham means a process to make food. We have turkey ham and chicken ham, which is perfect for consumption. Same goes for root beer, which is made from sassafras root which is non-alcoholic and good to drink.
“To make an issue out of it simply shows who is the real idiot,” Nga, who is also the housing and local government minister, said in an X post last night. – January 15, 2025