Kopitiam diserbu

KUALA LUMPUR 23 Julai – Sebuah kopitiam terkenal di sini, diserbu oleh Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim) selepas dipercayai mendapatkan bekalan daging ayam daripada sebuah syarikat penyembelihan bukan Islam.

Ia terbongkar selepas pasukan penguat kuasa jabatan itu melakukan pemeriksaan di sebuah syarikat penyembelihan ayam bukan Islam yang tidak diiktiraf Jakim di Jinjang, Rabu lalu.

Dalam pemeriksaan itu, Jakim menemui sejumlah salinan invois urusan jual beli melibatkan kopitiam berkenaan.

Kopitiam tersebut mempunyai sijil halal yang dikeluarkan oleh sebuah syarikat swasta.

Turut ditemui di pusat penyembelihan itu adalah invois tertulis nama orang Islam dipercayai turut berurusan mendapatkan bekalan ayam daripada syarikat berkenaan.

Berikutan penemuan itu, pasukan sama diketuai Penolong Pengarah Cawangan Pemantauan dan Penguatkuasaan Jakim, Mohd. Amri Abdullah melakukan pemeriksaan balas di kopitiam tersebut.

Malangnya, invois pembelian ayam yang sepatutnya disimpan tiada di premis berkenaan sebaliknya hanya catatan pembelian dalam sebuah buku log.

Mohd. Amri berkata, dalam pemeriksaan pada pukul 10.30 pagi, pihaknya gagal mendapatkan bukti mengaitkan kopitiam itu mendapatkan bekalan ayam daripada pusat penyembelihan terbabit.

“Kita telah periksa, tetapi tidak menemui salinan invois sama seperti ditemui di pusat penyembelihan itu.

“Namun ia ditulis dalam buku log yang mencatatkan urusan pembelian ayam dari syarikat penyembelihan itu.

“Oleh itu kita akan meminta syarikat berkenaan supaya membawa semua dokumen berkenaan ke pejabat untuk disiasat selepas ini,” katanya ketika ditemui di kopitiam tersebut di sini hari ini.

Mohd. Amri menambah, logo halal yang tertera di hadapan premis itu didapati bukan daripada Jakim atau Jabatan Agama Islam Negeri sebaliknya sebuah syarikat swasta.

Berikutan itu, beliau menasihatkan orang ramai yang ingin menjamu selera di kopitiam atau mana-mana restoran supaya tidak terpedaya dengan logo halal berkenaan kerana tidak diiktiraf.

“Kita akan meneruskan pemeriksaan terhadap kopitiam seperti itu dan ia akan diperhebatkan lagi ketika bulan Ramadan nanti,” ujarnya.

Sementara itu, jurucakap kopitiam tersebut yang dikenali sebagai Karens ketika dihubungi menafikan dakwaan berkenaan dan enggan mengulas lanjut

Pengusaha hotel wajar dapatkan sijil halal-Muhyiddin

KUALA LUMPUR 24 Julai - Adalah baik bagi pengusaha hotel yang mempromosi pelbagai juadah di bulan Ramadan agar memohon dan mematuhi sijil halal supaya tidak menimbulkan sebarang syak wasangka di kalangan umat Islam, kata Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Muhyiddin berkata, nasihat Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM) Datuk Wan Mohammad Sheikh Abdul Aziz semalam perlu diberi perhatian pengusaha, baik hotel atau restoran.

"Kalau hotel, ia mesti asingkan dia punya kitchen (dapur) yang halal dan kitchen yang bukan halal. Kalau itu dibuat barulah tidak timbul prasangkan

bahawa ini tidak halal. Lebih-lebih lagi pada bulan Ramadan banyak hotel ambil kesempatan mempromosi makanan.

"Jadi untuk mengelak itu (prasangka) saya fikir elok mereka bukan saja mohon kepada Jakim tapi mereka harus patuh. Kalau sudah halal dia mesti comply (patuh) dan kalau belum halal kena pohon sijil halal," katanya mengulas kenyataan Wan

Mohammad itu.

Wan Mohammad berkata, Jakim menggalakkan pengusaha hotel memohon sijil halal sebelum Ramadan ini bagi menjamin keselesaan umat Islam berbuka puasa di premis mereka.

"(Adalah baik) bukan sahaja waktu musim puasa tapi sepanjang masa. Kalau mereka kata produk dan makanan yang mereka masak itu halal...dia mesti ada sijil itu yang dikeluar oleh Jakim yang mengesahkan produk atau perkhidmatan mereka itu halal".

"Kalau itu dipamerkan masyarakat Islam tidak syak wasangka bahawa benar-benar ini adalah produk halal kerana sudah disahkan," kata Muhyiddin.

Menjawab satu soalan, Muhyiddin berkata, ikut undang-undang perkara ini tidak diwajibkan pada masa sekarang.

Namun, katanya, kalau sudah diisytiharkan sesuatu itu sudah halal, mereka ia perlu halal, kalau tidak boleh dihukum di bawah peraturan sedia ada. - Bernama

Kopi luwak halal

KARTA - Majlis Ulama Indonesia (MUI) mengeluarkan fatwa bahawa kopi musang (civet coffee) adalah halal dan boleh diminum umat Islam.

Keputusan itu diumumkan selepas MUI mengadakan perbincangan dengan wakil Nahdlatul Ulama berhubung isu kopi itu yang menimbulkan percanggahan pendapat antara pakar agama di negara berkenaan di Jakarta, kelmarin.

Wakil Nahdlatul Ulama, Arwani Faishal berpendapat bahawa minuman yang dikenali 'kopi luwak' di Indonesia adalah najis dan haram diminum.

Pengerusi MUI, Ma’aruf Amin pula mengeluarkan kenyataan rasmi bahawa kopi itu boleh diminum dengan syarat biji kopi berkenaan yang terkena najis binatang dicuci bersih sebelum diproses.

Kopi musang dihasilkan daripada biji kopi yang dimakan musang dan kemudian keluar dari tubuh binatang itu melalui proses penghadaman.

Biji kopi berkenaan dibersihkan dan dipanggang bagi menghasilkan serbuk kopi yang dianggap kopi paling mahal di dunia.

Kopi itu dihasilkan di Pulau Jawa, Sumatera dan Sulawesi serta terkenal di kebanyakan negara Asia kerana aroma yang dikatakan unik dan istimewa.

Hanya 450 kilogram kopi musang dihasilkan setiap tahun di seluruh dunia, sekali gus harganya boleh mencecah lebih AS$440 (RM1,414) sekilogram.

Malaysia Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare Report Q3 2010" now available at Fast Market Research

2010-07-11 06:12:44 - New Healthcare market report from Business Monitor International: "Malaysia Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare Report Q3 2010"
Leading Malayisan drugmaker Pharmaniaga expects the outlook for the Malaysian pharmaceutical industry to improve in 2010. This view is in accordance with BMI's Pharmaceutical Expenditure Forecast Model, which shows that medicine sales in the South East Asian country increased by just 3.4% in 2009 - well below the 2004-2008 compound annual growth (CAGR) of 6.9%. However, driven by an expanding
economy and ageing population, we expect the market to expand by 9.46% in 2010 and 7.96% between 2009 and 2014. Growth will be led by the OTC and generics markets, which are both growing rapidly from relatively low bases.

Indeed, generics continue to be poorly promoted in Malaysia, with branded drugs generally viewed as superior in quality. The generics market was accordingly worth just MYR1.11bn (US$316mn) in 2009. The relatively small size of the market in Malaysia gives it a greater potential for growth in the coming years, however. After the OTC market, BMI believes the generics market will post the strongest growth over the next nine years. BMI's forecast shows a local currency CAGR of 10.34% over 2009-2014, increasing to 10.87% over 2009-2019.

Meanwhile, economic indicators for the country are beginning to look more positive, which should help sustain growth in the pharmaceuticals sector. BMI has bumped up our 2010 real GDP forecast to 4.9% (from 4.1%) in view of a stronger export recovery, although fears of a Chinese-led slowdown have forced us to downgrade our economic outlook for 2011, with growth expected to come in at only 3.5% (revising downwards from 4.7%). Malaysia's Q110 real GDP growth came in at a larger-than-expected 10.1% year-on-year (y-o-y), accelerating from the 4.5% expansion recorded in Q409. We remain concerned about the looming risk of a severe double-dip slowdown in China, which would affect for our forecasts for the pharmaceutical sector.

A further drawback to the industry's prospects came as Malaysia and the US appeared to all but abandon bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations. However, the possibility of Malaysia joining an alternative, multilateral trans-Pacific trade deal remains open. A trade deal would give impetus to Malaysia's growing pharmaceutical trade activity. The total value of pharmaceutical exports should grow to US147.7mn in 2010, reaching US184.9mn by 2014. However, growth in the value of imports will continue to outpace exports over the forecast period, as imports grow at a CAGR of 12%. Imports will be worth US$1.02bn in 2010, taking Malaysia's pharmaceutical deficit to US877mn.

In company terms, Pharmaniaga has had a turbulent start to 2010. Following the February release of financial results that BMI described as 'disappointing', the company's manufacturing licence has been revoked by the Pharmaceutical Services Division of the Ministry of Health as of March 2010. The firm's majority shareholder, UEM Group Berhad, has subsequently failed to deny claims that it plans to divest its interest in Pharmaniaga. Despite these setbacks, the outlook for Pharmaniaga is positive. According to Edge Malaysia, sources suggest the pharmaceutical company has retained its lucrative 10-year concession for the provision of generic drugs to the Malaysian government. This deal will provide a steady revenue stream and allow Pharmaniaga to increasingly explore growth strategies such as ramping up exports to neighbouring countries and producing higher-value medicines.

For more information or to purchase this report, go to:
- www.fastmr.com/prod/71684_malaysia_pharmaceuticals_healthcare_re ..

Partial Table of Contents:

Executive Summary
SWOT Analysis
- Malaysia Pharmaceuticals And Healthcare Industry SWOT
- Malaysia Political SWOT
- Malaysia Economic SWOT
- Malaysia Business Environment SWOT
Pharmaceutical Business Environment Ratings
- Table: Asia Pacific - Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare Business Environment Ratings For Q310
- Limits Of Potential Returns
- Risks To Realisation Of Returns
Malaysia - Market Summary
Regulatory Regime
- Pharmaceutical And Medical Advertising
- Recent Regulatory Developments
- Intellectual Property Regime
- Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals
- Compulsory Licensing
- Free Trade Agreements
- Pricing And Reimbursement
Industry Trends And Developments
- Epidemiology
- Table: 10 Leading Causes Of Death In Ministry of Health Hospitals, 2005
- Non-Communicable Disease
- Communicable Disease
- Healthcare Sector
- Healthcare Sector Funding
- Medical Tourism
- Biotechnology And Research
- Table: Key Points Of The Malaysian National Biotechnology Policy
- Table: The Benefits Of Conducting Biotechnology Research In Malaysia
- Recent Biotechnology Developments
- Clinical Trials
- Recent Developments in the Clinical Trials Industry
- Medical Devices
- Table: Malaysia - Clinical Diagnostics Market, 2006 (US$mn)
- Leading Medical Device Players
- Recent Developments In The Medical Devices Industry
Industry Forecast Scenario
- Overall Market Forecast
- Key Growth Factors - Industry
- Key Growth Factors - Macroeconomic
- Table: Malaysia - Economic Activity
- Prescription Drug Market Forecast
- Patented Product Market Forecast
- Generic Drug Market Forecast
- OTC Medicine Market Forecast
- Medical Device Market Forecast
- Pharmaceutical Trade Forecast
- Other Healthcare Data Forecasts
- Key Risks To BMI's Forecast Scenario
Competitive Landscape
- Domestic Pharmaceutical Industry
- Foreign Pharmaceutical Industry
- Pharmaceutical Demand
- Recent Company Activities
- Halal Medicine
- Traditional Medicine
Company Profiles
- Leading Indigenous Manufacturers
- Pharmaniaga
- Prime Pharmaceutical
- Bumimedic
- Hovid
-

Full Table of Contents is available at:
-- www.fastmr.com/catalog/product.aspx?productid=71684&dt=t

About Business Monitor International

Business Monitor International (BMI) offers a comprehensive range of products and services designed to help senior executives, analysts and researchers assess and better manage operating risks, and exploit business opportunities, across 175 markets. BMI offers three main areas of expertise: Country Risk BMI's country risk and macroeconomic forecast portfolio includes weekly financial market reports, monthly regional Monitors, and in-depth quarterly Business Forecast Reports. Industry Analysis BMI covers a total of 17 industry verticals through a portfolio of services, including in-depth quarterly Country Forecast Reports. View more research from Business Monitor International at www.fastmr.com/catalog/publishers.aspx?pubid=1010

About Fast Market Research

Fast Market Research is an online aggregator and distributor of market research and business information. We represent the world's top research publishers and analysts and provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available.

For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our website at www.fastmr.com or call us at 1.800.844.8156.

Indonesia - The Halal food business

Indonesia’s highest authority on Islamic affairs said on Thursday that halal certification, which clears products for consumption by Muslims, could help the country ride out free-trade bumps.
Indonesia has the world’s largest population of Muslims, but halal certificates issued by the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) are not obligatory, including for food products.

MUI executives say that only about 20 percent of products sold in Indonesia are certified as halal by the council.


“It will be a bargaining tool for us on the international stage, as the quality and hygiene of our products often come into question,” Ichwan Syam, the MUI secretary, said at the Vice Presidential Palace. During a meeting with Vice President Boediono, the MUI asked him to preside over the opening of an international halal food and business exhibition to kick off in Jakarta on July 23. Sixteen countries are scheduled to take part in the event.

“With a halal requirement in place, imported food products would have to be either certified or banned. This should be part of the government’s policy to ensure that our people don’t consume unhealthy products or those that are not halal,” Ichwan said.

He added that one of the problems with the current halal certification was that it was still on a voluntarily basis and was restricted only to food products.

“In other countries, the certification includes food, beverages, drugs, cosmetics and other products,” Ichwan said.

“In Malaysia, there is a regulation that belts should not be made from pig skin as they are considered unclean by Muslims. In Indonesia, we don’t even consider whether a leather belt is halal or not.” However, he said there had been some progress in raising public awareness about consuming halal products.

Ichwan also said the certification fee accounted for a small fraction of expenses, but that in order to promote halal certification, mall-based retailers should get the fee waived.

However, he said that much discussion was still needed before halal certification could become mandatory.


“There are different arguments for whether it should be mandatory,” he said. “Some people object because they say Indonesia is technically not an Islamic country. Meanwhile, other people think that it should be mandatory to protect Muslims, who make up the majority here.”

The MUI would need to consult with several other institutions, including food, beverage and drug producers’ trade groups, as well as government agencies such as the Religious Affairs Ministry, the Trade Ministry and the Agriculture Ministry, before mandatory certification can even be considered.Meanwhile, the council is also planning to issue several edicts, including on tattoos, hypnosis, transgender people and trading in human organs, at its upcoming national meeting.

Anwar Abbas, head of the organizing committee for the meeting, said the transgender issue came in the wake of the recent case of Alterina Hofan, who suffered from a rare disorder that caused his mother to mistakenly register him as a girl at birth.

Alterina is currently on trial for illegally amending his gender status to male on his identification documents.

“The urgency of addressing this case was expressed by the public, and not because the MUI wanted to weigh in on it ourselves,” Anwar said.
Source: halalfocus

Switzerland - Nestles the world largest Halal producer

Nestlé: Famous maker of chocolate, coffee — and the world’s biggest producer of halal food for Muslims? Another surprise: that the company managed to gain market share in most business segments in a recession — largely because of the scope of its offerings. Nestlé isn’t just the biggest producer of halal food (which conforms with Islamic dietary law) in the world; it’s the biggest producer of food, period (ahead of Kraft), with 2009 revenue of $99 billion. While its scale is enormous — 1.2 billion people buy its products daily, and 28 of its brands bring in more than 1 billion Swiss francs (about $870 million) annually — one of its strengths is not thinking like a behemoth.
Nestlé knows how to tailor products to local niches while leveraging its size. What Evolution Securities analyst Warren Ackerman calls its “glocal” approach has landed it at the No. 1 spot in its category on Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies list every year but one since 1998.

That mindset has created items like Nescafé with creamer and sugar included, useful in places lacking refrigeration, and a huge range of products targeted to subgroups like Hispanics in the U.S. “That’s why we don’t have two factories — we have 450,” CEO Paul Bulcke tells Fortune. “We empower our people to make consumer-relevant decisions as close as possible to the markets.”

It helps that Nestlé spent nearly $2 billion on R&D last year. Along with new products, the company is expert at what it calls “renovation,” or refreshing existing brands. (Cherry Raisinets, anyone?) Nestlé’s research also helped it realize that health and nutrition were the future long before most of us had heard of probiotic yogurt. Its 60/40+ strategy means that, when testing a new product, it wants consumers to prefer its products over its competitors’ six out of 10 times, and that it wants them to have added nutrition (the plus). As for the recent acquisition of Kraft’s frozen pizza business?

“There’s no unhealthy food,” asserts Bulcke. “There are unhealthy diets.”
True or not, the diversity of Nestlé’s portfolio helped it weather the storm last year. The company has offerings within every price point, such as Deer Park and San Pellegrino waters and Dreyer’s Edy’s and Häagen-Dazs ice cream, allowing even those that trade down to remain within the Nestlé fold without even realizing it.

Source: halalfocus

HDC kumpul data industri halal

ETALING JAYA - Sebanyak 90 peratus industri halal di negeri Johor terutama membabitkan makanan dikuasai syarikat berskala Industri Kecil dan Sederhana (IKS).

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif, Perbadanan Pembangunan Halal (HDC), Datuk Seri Jamil Bidin (gambar) berkata, meskipun jumlah penglibatan itu tinggi namun tahap persaingan dari segi produk dan pemasaran IKS berkenaan masih tidak mencapai piawaian antarabangsa.

Menurut beliau, IKS sepatutnya memahami kehendak dan permintaan pasaran antarabangsa yang berbeza daripada pasaran tempatan terutama dalam memastikan produk mereka berdaya saing serta memenuhi standard luar negara.

"Sebagai contoh, ada sesetengah IKS memasarkan produk bagi pasaran Timur Tengah sama dengan pasaran di Amerika Syarikat atau Eropah. Langkah ini hanya mengundang kegagalan dari segi pemasaran.

"IKS perlu menjadi lebih bijak dan berani untuk menembusi pasaran antarabangsa dan seterusnya mempromosikan halal yang sudah menjadi satu tanda aras di seluruh dunia," katanya ketika ditemui Kosmo! di sini semalam.