TANJUNG MALIM:Standard operating procedures (SOPs) relating to halal food products will be launched in the near future, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Seri Dr Zulkifli Mohamad Al Bakri.

He said that the SOPs will include amendments to the act related to halal certification to prevent the occurrence of 'duplication' of halal certificates, as well as the use of digitisation in the barcodes of halal food products.

“There are certain actions (in compliance with the SOPs) that we see as more effective, and we are working on a mechanism or making a preparation in that direction,” he said.

He said this when met by reporters after presenting donations to flood victims in Slim River and its surrounding areas at Sekolah Kebangsaan Kuala Slim here, today.

Meanwhile, Zulkifli said that he was ready to accept proposals from various parties, including involving the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in an audit carried out on abattoirs before being recognised as qualified to process the supply of imported meat to Malaysia.

“It is in everyone’s knowledge that in the Prime Minister's Department, there have been MACC officers with us for the past five or six months. God willing, our relationship with the MACC is quite good and may be strengthened according to the appropriate implementation of issues related to corruption and abuse of power,” he said.

He was commenting on a newspaper report today which quoted former Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub as saying that he had tried to improve the audit procedure of abattoirs abroad that produced frozen meat for import to the country during the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government administration.

Salahuddin was reported to have said that among the improvement efforts planned under the ministry at that time was to involve MACC representatives in the audit process of abattoirs abroad.

-- BERNAMA