MISUSING HALAL REPRESENTATION IN PRODUCTS /SERVICES – SANDAKAN SUPPORT OILFIELD SERVICES SDN BHD & ANOR V KEMENTERIAN PERDAGANGAN DALAM NEGERI DAN HAL EHWAL PENGGUNA & ANOR [2025] MLJU 3304

Muhammad Sufi Diniy

doi:10.33102/inslae-proceedings.339

Authors

Muhammad Sufi Diniy Faculty of Syariah and Law, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), 71800, Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33102/inslae-proceedings.339

Keywords:

Halal Forensics, Trade Description Act, Supply Chain Compliance, Jurisdictional Enforcement, Public Health Safety, Legal Procedural

Abstract

Halal forensics today involves much more than just testing samples in a lab. It needs to be very careful about documentation and strong legal knowledge in supply chain audits. These modern complexities are explored in this paper using a recent case study Sandakan Support Oilfield Services Sdn Bhd & Ors v Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna & Ors [2025] MLJU 3304. The conflict started when more than 55 metric tons of cheap cooking oil were seized at a jetty in Sabah, due to the presence of unapproved halal logos on the packaging and the shipping documents didn't match the actual shipping vessels. The High Court pointed out that there was a serious error in the legal procedures that led to the raid. The enforcement team used general supply control laws rather than specific trade description laws which were targeted at halal fraud. We are able to examine this decision and identify just how a legal action can be lost through procedural error, even when there is strong physical evidence on the ground. We also discuss the high public health risks associated with fake halal labelling – when food with labels as halal are in fact made from toxic and illegally recycled materials. The study proposes creating multi-agency task forces and using digital solutions such as blockchain for in-the-field verification to address these enforcement challenges. Maintaining the halal market, on the other hand, relies as much on the correct legal jurisdiction as it does on the physical evidence.

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