Bandar Seri Begawan - A new Halal certification for restaurants in the country is - to be implemented this year. This certification will identify which restaurants will be fit for Muslim consumption and which are not. It will also give authority to the Halal Food Control Section to close down a restaurant if needed.
Previously, restaurants or any premises can only be ordered closed if they fail to maintain their cleanliness and hygiene standards. This was revealed yesterday by the Acting Assistant Head of the Halal Food Control Section following a surprise inspection on several branches of a restaurant suspected of selling Chinese dumplings or Tau`, as it is locally known, containing pork enzymes.
Public complaints prompted the Halal Food Control Section to send 17 of them with meat fillings from various branches for laboratory testing on March 26.
Through the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources and with cooperation from Universiti Brunei Darussalam, laboratory testing was conducted and was found positive to contain pork enzymes. According to officials, these dumplings were made at the restaurant`s Belait branch and distributed to the others, according to several restaurant workers when queried by enforcement personnel during the inspection.
Meanwhile in Belait, an inspection took place at the restaurant`s branch in Kampong Pandan and the food items were seized by the section for further testing. The restaurant`s staff, which include the pau maker and a deliveryman, were brought in by the section for questioning.
Eighteen of the ready-made dumplings and six steamed ones were taken away by the section from the business premise.
The Halal Food Control officials inspected all branches ofthis restaurant simultaneously and new samples of the dumplings were collected for another round of screening.
Priced at $1.20 each, these so-called "special pau" are sold in all the branches located in the Brunei Muara, Tutong and Belait Districts. It is much bigger than the normal dumplings and contains larger chunks of beef.
Even more worrying is the fact that it is also steamed and cooked together with other dumplings.
Asked what actions will be taken on the restaurant, he added that the batches would be sent to the lab for more tests. If proven that the food contains the said enzymes, they will send a report to the Municipal Board for them to take action. As Brunei is a Muslim country, authorities have urged restaurants to adhere to religious regulations in the preparation of food that are sold.
Source: www.brudirect.com (4 April 2008)