KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 29): The Madani Government has never compromised on compliance with halal standards throughout its negotiations on the Malaysia-United States Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART), said Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz.

He explained that under the ART, the approval process for importing halal products from the United States remains unchanged, that is such products must comply with Malaysia’s halal standards and the Trade Descriptions Act (Trade Descriptions [Certification and Marking of Halal] Order 2011) for trade within the country.

Zafrul said the agreement stipulates that only halal products certified by halal certification bodies in the United States that are recognised by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim), and which meet Malaysia’s halal requirements will be endorsed and allowed for export to Malaysia.

“Jakim’s recognition of any halal certification body in the United States is based on a strict audit and verification process that assesses their capability and level of compliance with Malaysia’s halal standards.

“Full control over halal standards, the determination of criteria and recognition remain under Jakim’s jurisdiction. There is no relaxation of Malaysia’s halal standards or procedures. Malaysia’s halal standards are determined by Malaysia, certified by Jakim and safeguarded by Muslims in this country,” he said.

From a trade perspective, Zafrul said the approach aims to streamline administration and facilitate export-import processes, without compromising the integrity of Malaysia’s halal system or the country’s position as an international benchmark for halal standards.

He said this during a ministerial briefing on preserving and strengthening Malaysia’s trade and investment competitiveness in facing global geoeconomic challenges through the ART, in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday.

Malaysia and the United States signed the reciprocal trade agreement during the 47th Asean Summit and Related Summits in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday (Oct 26).

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