News From : DagangHalal.com (08 Apr 2009)
The Malang chapter of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) urged the Malang municipality to immediately withdraw all dendeng (dried beef) that contained pork from their markets.
Council secretary, M. Nidhom Hidayatullah urged the municipality to thoroughly investigate, as such cases had repeatedly taken place and were creating public anxiety.
The MUI strongly protested the sale of dendeng following tests at the Veterinary and Community Health Laboratory Center (Kesmavet) and the East Java Livestock Agency’s Veterinary Hospital, showing that four dendeng products certified as halal (allowed under Islamic sharia law) contained pork and were being freely sold in markets throughout in the area.
Based on the biokist cooked species identification test kit, the center said four out of 10 dendeng products tested positive for pork.
The brands, all produced in Malang city include Kumala, Cap Sapi, Sapi Istimewa No.1 and Sapi Istimewa Cap 99.
Nidhom also asked the local police and consumers’ protection foundation to immediately investigate the case as producers had misinformed the public by making beef dendeng containing pork.
“I will file a protest at the municipal office as it has raised concern. I will request the government promptly resolve the case. The producers of dendeng containng pork are misleading the public. The government should also investigate how halal labels were placed on these products,” Nidhom told The Jakarta Post.
He claimed the government was always slow in handling such cases, despite their repeated occurrence.
“We will also demand the certainty and uniformity of halal labels from the government because some beef dendeng products are produced by the same company producing pork dendeng,” said Nidhom.
The MUI expects the government to procure special equipment from Malaysia that detects whether a food product contains pork.
“The equipment can also detect whether poultry has been slaughtered according to Islamic law by testing blood on the meat,” Nidhom said.
Sutiarsi, Assistant to the Economics and development Affairs at the Malang municipality office, was unaware of the sale of beef dendeng mixed with pork. He said the two companies producing the beef dendeng were administratively legitimate.
“Their permits are complete and still valid, but the products they sell are not proper.We have issued a warning to them requesting they cease operations until the investigations are over,” Sutiarsi said.
Malang Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Daniel Tahimonang Silitonga said police would immediately coordinate with the Malang Health Agency to investigate the case.
He added police had not yet received complaints from the public, but he would tell his men to investigate beef dendeng mixed with pork on the market.
Etik Susilawati, 30, a housewife in the Sawojajar housing complex near the Madyopuro market in Malang city said she was upset that beef dendeng mixed with pork was being sold in Malang. “It’s actually practical because we only have to fry it at home before eating. However, I won’t buy beef dendeng any longer if it contains pork,” Etik said.