News From : DagangHalal.com (19 May 2009)
KFC Holdings Malaysia Bhd (KFCH) which operates more than 520 Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) quick-service restaurants in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, is ready to turn its halal auditing function into a paying business.
It has built up its internal halal system over the last 35 years.
Besides random checks by government-owned halal authorities, there is no company in the country offering professional halal auditing services to ensure compliance with halal standards.
KFCH chairman Tan Sri Muhammad Ali Hashim said the group was prepared to offer its halal auditing service to other players in the halal industry.
“Halal auditing is an expense, but it is very critical to ensure 100 per cent compliance because the business will be affected if consumers have negative perception of the company’s halal standards,” he said in an interview on the sidelines of the World Halal Forum (WHF) 2009 in Kuala Lumpur.
KFCH was the gold sponsor of the WHF, held on May 4 and 5.
According to Muhammad Ali, KFCH is the only company with a full-time dedicated halal audit department, headed and manned by qualified people, answerable to the company’s syariah council.
“We have three former state Muftis in our halal syariah council to ensure halal standards are fully met,” he said.
Muhammad Ali added that KFCH had invested adequately in halal auditing for its needs, but was prepared to invest further if there was interest from the industry for such a service.
“We will train and develop young Malaysians. We already have the core and they will be working with the system in place, which we built 35 years ago,” he said. There are 10 people in KFCH’s halal auditing team.
Like financial audit, halal audit can also be extended to any industry, not only food and beverage, he said.
Muhammad Ali pointed out that halal standards are stringent.
“There is no such thing as 99 per cent compliance with halal standards.”
Although halal auditing is not a direct revenue-generator for a company, it can play a significant role in customer perception and ensure continued demand for its products, he said.
In addition to the KFC restaurants, KFCH owns Ayamas brand fresh chicken and processed chicken products.
Source from Business Times