Confusion over food labeling has long been a difficult puzzle to solve not only among consumers but also manufacturers due to the lack of knowledge on how to have the nutrition and food safety information labeled accordingly on their packaging.

Unclear food labeling causes confusion and misunderstanding and can lead to people unintentionally eat food that is not halal or food that they are allergic to which, can be fatal for some.

As stipulated in the Food Regulations 1985 by the Food Safety and Quality Division under the Ministry of Health (MOH), food producers are required to display all the required labels including product’s ingredients, storage method and certification to consumers to help consumers make safe and informed decisions when buying.

However, due to the economic downturn caused by the current pandemic, many food producers or manufacturers are forced to start their side hustles from home to stay afloat during this challenging time.

Unfortunately, this poses detrimental risks as these new unregulated home-based traders are simply preparing their food at home and make their sales online where the level of safety, cleanliness, and hygiene cannot be guaranteed especially when there is no proper labeling appears on their packaging.

Apart from pure ignorance, food fraud scandals are also among the bigger business players where mislabeling practices are rampant. 

From halal to MesTI (Makanan Selamat Tanggungjawab Industri) certification, many producers are still unclear of the procedures required to get their products certified while there have also been cases where factories use the same nutrition facts for all their products. 

Serunai Commerce through its Halal Centre of Excellence experts are extending their help to empower industry players through the consultation and training that they offer at reasonable charges. 

They are also education producers and manufacturers on how VH SMART™ can help them apply and manage their halal certification through a more efficient administration of Halal management system to earn halal and other certifications.

Find out more on how we are digitising the halal ecosystem at https://serunai-test-7ab8bd.ingress-earth.ewp.live/ or reach out to customerservice@serunai-test-7ab8bd.ingress-earth.ewp.live to find out more.