(Bandar Seri Begawan, 31st) Brunei’s Ministry of Religious Affairs, through the Shariah Affairs Department, has issued a statement instructing all retailers and business premises nationwide to immediately segregate and handle Argentina brand foods produced by Century Pacific Food, Inc.
This directive was made after the Halal Food Control Division received complaints regarding the halal certification of Argentina brand foods. Testing by the Ministry of Health’s Scientific Services Laboratory found, among three submitted products, that one was confirmed to contain porcine (pig) DNA.
The affected product is Argentina Beef Loaf, involving batch numbers 6BL78, 6BL79, AB107, and LBL51. Following confirmation of the incident, the halal certification previously granted by the Halal Islamic Dakwah Council of the Philippines has been revoked.
To protect the interests of Muslim consumers, the Ministry of Religious Affairs has instructed all supermarkets, grocery stores, and businesses selling Argentina Beef Loaf and other Argentina brand foods produced by Century Pacific Food to immediately store the relevant products separately from other goods, placing them in areas inaccessible to the public.
In addition, the authorities remind business operators, importers, suppliers, and distributors that in all stages—including importation, storage, transportation, internal handling, and retail display—non-halal products must be strictly managed and kept completely separate from halal products, in order to avoid cross-contamination and unintentional purchase by consumers.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs also thanks the public for providing information, and calls on the public to report to the Halal Food Control Division hotline or district offices if they find businesses openly selling these non-halal products.
This directive was made after the Halal Food Control Division received complaints regarding the halal certification of Argentina brand foods. Testing by the Ministry of Health’s Scientific Services Laboratory found, among three submitted products, that one was confirmed to contain porcine (pig) DNA.
The affected product is Argentina Beef Loaf, involving batch numbers 6BL78, 6BL79, AB107, and LBL51. Following confirmation of the incident, the halal certification previously granted by the Halal Islamic Dakwah Council of the Philippines has been revoked.
To protect the interests of Muslim consumers, the Ministry of Religious Affairs has instructed all supermarkets, grocery stores, and businesses selling Argentina Beef Loaf and other Argentina brand foods produced by Century Pacific Food to immediately store the relevant products separately from other goods, placing them in areas inaccessible to the public.
In addition, the authorities remind business operators, importers, suppliers, and distributors that in all stages—including importation, storage, transportation, internal handling, and retail display—non-halal products must be strictly managed and kept completely separate from halal products, in order to avoid cross-contamination and unintentional purchase by consumers.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs also thanks the public for providing information, and calls on the public to report to the Halal Food Control Division hotline or district offices if they find businesses openly selling these non-halal products.