Assalamu’alaikum wr. wb.
In connection with the prevalence of news about Post Oreo O’s Cereal which is quite concerning and has the opportunity for misinterpretation of the halal-ness of a product, LPPOM MUI as an institution that plays a role in halal certification needs to also provide an explanation in order to educate the public. This is even more so because in Indonesia there are many products with the Oreo brand that already have halal certificates.
Based on information on the packaging, Post Oreo O’s Cereal products are produced at a food factory in Korea. Apart from the factory name information, there is other information mentioned on the packaging including information on the ingredients in the product, namely pork. All information is written in Indonesian. This is in accordance with regulations in Indonesia which refer to Act No. 18 of 2012 concerning Food.
With the pork content in Post Oreo O’s Cereal products, of course this product is not a halal product. Other Oreo products that are halal certified can be seen on the link www.halalmui.org.
In one of the HAS 23000 criteria, there is a provision that products with the same brand must be certified for all variants, so that they have the same halal status. This is to avoid consumer misinterpretation of products with the same brand circulating in Indonesia because Indonesian consumers’ perceptions are very strong towards a product’s brand. But on the other hand, the rules for product distribution permit have not regulated this.
We hope that the current relevant regulations, especially those under the Halal Product Assurance Act No. 33/2014 can be implemented properly so that Muslim consumers can be truly protected from non-halal products. In this case, we also urge the public to pay attention to packaging information when consuming a product.
Wassalamu’alaikum wr. wb.
Photo Source: idntimes.com
