Highlighting the Widuran Fried Chicken case, the Halal Inspection Body (LPH) LPPOM urges the government to take firm action and invites business actors to immediately carry out halal certification for BPJPH. The public is also encouraged to be more careful in ensuring halalness before consuming.
The case of the legendary Widuran Fried Chicken restaurant in Solo, Central Java, emerged after the public learned that the menu, which had been assumed to be halal by most customers, especially Muslims, actually contained non-halal elements. This restaurant is known to have been selling non-halal products for more than 50 years without providing clear information to consumers, including Muslim consumers who explicitly asked about the halal status of their products.
Responding to this, the President Director of LPH LPPOM, Muti Arintawati, expressed deep concern over the incident. In her statement, she emphasized that the restaurant’s actions in deliberately covering up information regarding the non-halal nature of its products violated consumer rights.
“We deeply regret and deplore the existence of restaurants that deliberately cover up information that they sell products that use non-halal ingredients to consumers, including consumers with clear Islamic identities such as wearing the hijab,” said Muti.
She emphasized that the pluralistic and heterogeneous Indonesian society can accept the existence of restaurants that sell non-halal products as long as the information is conveyed honestly and openly.
“Consumers have the right to obtain correct, clear, and honest information regarding the condition and guarantee of goods or services in accordance with the Consumer Protection Act No. 8 of 1999 Article 4,” she continued.
Furthermore, Muti explained that the latest regulations regarding halal product guarantees have also regulated the obligation to include non-halal labels for products that do not meet halal criteria. This is stated in Act No. 33 of 2014 concerning Halal Product Assurance, which was refined through Government Regulation No. 42 of 2024.
“Products that are not halal must be labeled as non-halal, which this restaurant did not do. We hope that the government will take strict action against restaurants that hide information regarding non-halal products, thereby harming consumers,” he said.
Regarding consumers who have already consumed Ayam Goreng Widuran products, Muti explained that scholars consider it no sin to not know the product’s halal status. “However, in the future, we need to be careful by confirming the halal certificate and checking its authenticity before entering a restaurant,” Muti appealed.
As a preventive measure so that similar cases do not recur, LPH LPPOM appealed to two things. LPH LPPOM appealed to restaurant owners to make clear markings when selling non-halal products. In addition, they also encourage restaurants to follow the official halal certification process through the channels that have been provided. LPPOM always opens discussion space through various channels: hotline 14056, email [email protected], and WhatsApp 0811-1148-696. Business actors can also visit the LPH LPPOM head office at the Global Halal Centre (GHC) Building in Bogor and the LPH LPPOM representative offices across 34 provinces.
As for the wider community, LPH LPPOM encourages them to be more proactive in ensuring the halalness of products consumed, especially before implementing full national halal certification obligations. LPH LPPOM provides a Halal Product Search platform that can be accessed on the website www.halalmui.org to access products inspected by LPH LPPOM. Complete halal product information can be accessed on the BPJPH website.
“We invite all parties to actively socialize the obligation to certify restaurants, the deadline for which falls in October 2024 for medium-large business actors and falls in October 2026 for small-micro business actors,” said Muti.
The management of Ayam Goreng Widuran itself has apologized through an upload on its official Instagram account on Saturday, May 24, 2025. In the statement, they admitted that they would include non-halal labels in all their outlets and official communication channels as a form of responsibility for the commotion.
However, this case has opened the eyes of many parties to the fact that transparency and halal education are not just religious issues but also part of consumer rights to correct information. LPH LPPOM emphasized its commitment to continue accompanying business actors and the community to create an honest, open, and trustworthy halal ecosystem. (RAF)
Image Source: Suara.com
