Facebook posts target Malaysian government-subsidised cooking oil with 'non-halal' claims

Published on April 3, 2024 at 08:59
3 min read
By Najmi Mamat, AFP Malaysia

Cooking oil subsidised by the Malaysian government is not made from pork, contrary to claims shared thousands of times in social media posts that say the product is "non-halal". The posts share a photo of a bag of Nice Day cooking oil that does not bear a halal certification logo. But the producer of the cooking oil explained the logo was removed from the bags in mid-January 2024 after its certification expired; records show the company's certification has since been renewed and will remain valid until 2026.

"Pork cooking oil, non-halal is widely sold in grocery stores. Be careful everyone," reads part of the Malay-language caption of an image shared on Facebook on March 12, 2024.

About two-thirds of Malaysia's 34 million people are Muslims, who are required to observe halal dietary standards, which prohibit certain foods, including pork (archived link).

The image, which has been shared more than 3,700 times, shows a bag of Nice Day branded cooking oil with "NON HALAL" hand-written on it.

Screenshot of the false Facebook post, captured on April 1, 2024

One-kilogramme bags of cooking oil, like the one shown in the image, cost just 2.50 ringgit (53 cents) and are subsidised by the Malaysian government under a price stabilisation scheme (archived link).

The same image has been shared more than 400 times alongside similar claims elsewhere on Facebook here, here, here and here.

While the Nice Day cooking oil packaging pictured in the posts does not contain a halal certification logo, the product does not contain any pork.

The bags now carry a halal certification logo, after its status was renewed on March 16.

Renewed halal certification

A representative for Sin Hock Soon Edible Oil Sdn Bhd, the company that manufactures Nice Day cooking oil, told AFP its bags did not have a halal logo after the certification expired on January 15.

They said the certification was renewed by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) on March 16, 2024 (archived link).

Checks on the database of Halal Malaysia, the government agency responsible for the certification, shows Sin Hock Soon Edible Oil Sdn Bhd's halal certification is valid until March 2026 (archived links here and here).

Screenshot of Sin Hock Soon Edible Oil Sdn Bhd -- NiceDay's parent company -- valid halal certification from the Halal Malaysia Official Portal

Nice Day's manufacturer provided photos of its current packaging to AFP on March 26, showing the halal logo issued by the religious affairs authority printed on the front of the cooking oil bag.

The company also provided a photo of the back of the bag, showing the oil is manufactured using palm oil -- not pork.

Below are photos of the Nice Day cooking oil bag from the company bearing the halal logo (left) and showing the ingredient list, magnified by AFP (right):

Photos of a Nice Day cooking oil bag provided by the company

Religious misinformation targeting the halal status of food and beverage brands regularly circulates on social media in Malaysia.

AFP has previously fact-checked similar claims aimed at other brands, including beverage companies Yeo's, Starbucks and Coca-Cola, Japanese food additive brand Ajinomoto and local bubble tea brand Tealive.

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