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Background and Purpose: Sadd al-dharai' is a secondary source in Islamic law where it means blocking the means. Sadd al-dharai' is essential for Muslim jurists to deal with the Shariah issues particularly in the halal food industry. This is because the area of the halal food industry has expanded and industrialized to accommodate the demand of the Muslim society that keeps increasing year on year. In this regard, the halal-related issues are getting complex and need Shariah clarification since many new food processing involving critical ingredients, equipment, and multi-process which require meticulous Shariah observation on this matter. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the extent to which the employment of the sadd al-dharai' as a credible tool adopted by Muslim jurist in dealing with the halal-related issues triggered in the halal food supply chain stage based on the halal certification process. Methodology: This reviewed paper is a qualitative research study in nature where document analysis employed in this study to collect the data. The Malaysian fatwas, books, articles either in the form of physical or online were gathered to answer the objective of the study. The data collected mostly from the years of 2010 until 2020 unless the related fatwas where the fatwas are subject to its issuance year and suitability. The researchers used several keywords alternatively like 'sadd al-dharai' in halal industry', 'fatwa and halal certification', 'food industry and Islamic law' to find out relevant articles related to this discussion on the needs to investigate the employment of sadd al-dharai' in dealing with the halal-related issues triggered in the halal food supply chain stage based on the halal certification process. This study further simultaneously adopted the content analysis technique where the data was manually analysed and divided into four major themes based on the objective of the study. Findings: The study has indicated that sadd al-dharai' has its peculiar function in many aspects of the Malaysia halal certification process in Malaysia, and it could be viewed based on the two approaches, namely the establishment of the halal regulatory framework and the fatwa issuance. The principle of preventing the negative aspects must take precedence, in accordance with the rule "dar'u al mafasid muqaddam 'ala jalb al-mashalih" by adopting several preventive actions is very significant in ensuring the halal food products reach the consumers are halalan tayyibban. Contributions: This study suggests that the Muslim jurists need to take into consideration the sadd aldharai' as one of the sources of Shariah in ensuring the management of the halal certification process is efficient and in line with maqasid al-Shariah. Besides, Muslim consumers could also access halal food products that are free from harmful elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to empirically examine the migrant food handlers' perceived knowledge, skills, and attitudes and their impact on food quality and safety in the context of Malaysia's foodservice industry. Using the data gathered from 198 supervisors and managers from food premises in Malaysia and analysis using SPSS (version 20) and SmartPLS 3.0 software, this research found that migrant food handlers have moderate perceived knowledge, skills and attitudes in food handling practices impact the food quality and safety. Specifically, this study confirmed that knowledge and attitudes positively and significantly affect food quality and food safety. However, insignificant results were found between skills and food safety, even though it showed a substantial impact on food quality. The findings are original and unique. It is one of the first studies to investigate the knowledge, skills, and attitude of migrant food handlers their effect on food quality and food safety, especially in Malaysia. Besides, this study extends the established theories from the literature on knowledge, skills and attitudes analysing in the foodservice sector. Therefore, this research finding is valuable for food services practitioners to focus on enhancing food quality and safety through the migrant workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a concept in which corporations take into account the interest of the society in four areas of responsibility namely economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic. In the area of food manufacturing, corporate social responsibility plays a vital role by ensuring that food is healthy and in adherence to safety standards. The Food Act 1983 and Food Regulations 1985 play an important role in enforcing corporate social responsibility amongst food manufacturers. Institutional framework in Malaysia such as, Ministry of Health, Food and Safety Quality Division and FOSIM were established to ensure that food-processing activities are according to the required hygiene and safety standards. It is discovered through National Consumer Complaint Centre reports that the enforcement in food safety needs improvement. The paper also examines the role of non-governmental agencies, namely, the Consumer Association of Penang and the National Consumer Complaints Centre, in channeling and documenting complaints from consumers to relevant enforcement agencies. This paper intends to analyse the duties of food manufacturers and to identify legislations that enforce CSR amongst food manufacturers. Adopting the content analysis method, this paper will examine the principle of CSR as contained in the Food Act 1983. This paper further discusses the roles of institutional frameworks namely, the Ministry of Health, Food Safety and Quality Division and FOSIM in enforcing corporate social responsibility amongst food manufacturers. This article aims to contribute namely to various stakeholders ie: the government in which CSR policies can be connected to food safety through our hard and soft laws and consumers will be more aware and educated in which they will support food companies that are implementing CSR in their food production. The paper also serves as a guide to food manufacturers as they will be more particular in their CSR efforts to garner more support towards their food products. With a good CSR policy and food safety efforts Malaysia will be able to increase its revenue in import and export of food products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food allergen labelling is mandatory and regulated whilst precautionary allergen labelling (PAL) remains voluntary in most countries. It is the aim of this study to identify the food allergens declared in food products sold in a developing country and to what extent food allergens and PAL are emphasised in the products. A total of 505 food and beverages (snacks, baked goods, confectionary, baby food, condiments & jams, beverages, powder & paste, instant food, chilled & frozen food and canned food) were evaluated in Malaysia. Soybean represents the largest group of food allergen declared in labels, followed by wheat and milk products. Thirteen variations of contains statement were found with “Contains [allergen(s)]” being the most common (55.02%). There were 22 different types of “may contain” statements with ‘May contain traces of [allergen(s)]’ being the most common advice labelling used (55.41%). Different font type or emphasis such as brackets (51.57%) and bold font (33.86%) were used to inform consumers about presence of allergens. The national regulations on food allergen labelling are then critically contrasted with other Asian countries and the EU Regulation No. 1169/2011, which represents one of the most stringent food regulations in the world. Improving current allergen labelling limitations and practices would be of great benefit to consumers to prevent risk of food hypersensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Foodborne diseases are common in the developing countries due to the predominant poor food handling and sanitation practices, particularly as a result of inadequate food safety laws, weak regulatory structures, and inadequate funding as well as a lack of appropriate education for food-handlers. The most frequently involved foods in disease outbreaks are of animal origin. However, in spite of the adequate legislation and laws governing the abattoir operation in Malaysia, compliance with food safety requirements during meat processing and waste disposal is inadequate. Therefore, the present study was designed to assess the food safety knowledge, attitude, and practice toward compliance with abattoir laws among the workers in Terengganu, Malaysia. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using simple random sampling technique in the six districts of Terengganu: two districts were used for the pilot study and the remaining four were used for the main study. One hundred sixty-five abattoir workers from the selected districts were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Results: The mean and standard deviation of knowledge, attitude, and practice scores of the workers were 6.02 and 1.954, 45.16 and 4.496, and 18.03 and 3.186, respectively. The majority of the workers (38.8%) had a low level of knowledge and 91.7% had a positive attitude, while 77.7% had a good practice of compliance. Sex had a significant association with the level of knowledge (P,0.001) and practice (P=0.044) among the workers. The females had a higher level of knowledge than the males, while the males had a better practice of compliance than females. Similarly, knowledge also had a significant (P=0.009) association with the level of practice toward compliance with abattoir laws among the workers. Conclusion: The abattoir workers had a positive attitude and good practice, but a low level of knowledge toward compliance with the abattoir laws. Therefore, public awareness, workshops, and seminars relevant to the abattoir operations should be encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers are becoming selective in food purchasing due to concerns over food safety. Cleanliness, safety, and nutrition are among the desirable food characteristics sorted out by consumers. The Food Safety Certificate (FSC) has been found to be detrimental to the increase in the level of consumer confidence on the safety of food products available in markets. This study investigates consumers’ attitude toward FSC while purchasing food products in Malaysia. The data collected from 350 respondents through a face-to-face survey were analyzed using descriptive and factor analysis methods. The results of the study indicated that the majority of consumers are aware of the FSC function and existence in food products. Factor analysis identified brand, trust, health consciousness, and environmental consciousness as factors associated by consumers with FSC. The results indicate that FSC not only ensures consumer trust on food safety but also helps producers in operation streamlining and quality management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rising rate of foodborne diseases has caused not just consumers but also food producers to become increasingly concerned about food safety. As a result, the government of Malaysia, together with relevant bodies, have introduced quality-assurance agencies to certify food products that are produced, processed, and handled with methods that are acknowledged by the certification agencies as clean and safe for consumption. This study aims to identify the factors influencing consumer purchasing behavior toward quality-labeled vegetables. A survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire and distributed randomly to consumers in public places in the Klang Valley. Four hundred and sixteen respondents were approached. The results indicate that most of the respondents are aware of food quality labels. Using factor analysis, four latent factors that influence consumer attitude toward quality-labeled vegetables were identified, and the importance of quality attributes (sensory, health, safety, and social attributes) in shaping those attitudes was also shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study was conducted in the northern region of Peninsular Malaysia to examine the characteristics of food companies, their food safety improvement activities, motives and external factors that influenced their decision on implementing the Malaysian food safety system (MeSTI). The study employs a survey questionnaire which was distributed to the respondents during food safety seminars, workshops and meetings. A total of 89 completed questionnaires were returned. The results indicated that the main motive for adopting a food safety system was to improve product quality, while external factors influencing food safety adoption was consumer awareness of food safety and the intension of industry to increase customer confidence. The results of the study suggest that, compared with perceptions toward food safety, there is significant difference in the motives to improve product quality, lowering the risk of compromising food safety and extending their market to foreign country among different groups in the food industry. The external factors influencing food safety adoption exhibit significant differences among the groups of perceptions in increasing customer confidence. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the socio-demographic factors affecting food safety knowledge/practice and the effectiveness of food safety strategies of hawkers in an urban and less urban setting of Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach - A total of 50 hawkers from Kuala Lumpur and Taiping were given a questionnaire and observed in their food safety practice (FSP). In-depth interviews were performed on four hawkers from Kuala Lumpur and Taiping. Practical implications - Of all hawker types, Muslim/Malay hawkers, hawkers with higher educational levels, hawkers in designated sites and hawkers in an urban setting scored the highest on food safety knowledge and/or practice. This study found inadequate distribution/impracticality of regulations/guidelines for hawkers, ambiguities with licensing procedures, weaknesses in training programmes and significant complaints of designated sites by hawkers. Originality/value - Ethnicity, religion, education and type of premise are socio-demographic factors that may affect food safety knowledge/practices of hawkers. An urban/less urban setting may also affect hawkers' food safety knowledge/practice. Ineffectiveness of food safety strategies of the Control Authority may exist and may vary across different regions of Malaysia. Thus, food safety strategies must be regulated/reinforced and adapted to hawkers' socio-demographic status, to ensure the safety of hawker foods in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]