FOOD SAFETY, MISREPRESENTATION AND HALAL INTEGRITY: A CASE STUDY OF PUBLIC PROSECUTOR V WEE MEE INDUSTRIES CO SDN BHD (1986) 1 MLJ 505

Puteri Nuraniqah Irdina Osmara

doi:10.33102/inslae-proceedings.300

Authors

Puteri Nuraniqah Irdina Osmara Faculty of Syariah and Law, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Bandar Baru Nilai, 71800 Nilai Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33102/inslae-proceedings.300

Keywords:

Halal Forensics, Food Fraud, False Trade Description, Halal Integrity, Consumer Protection, Food Law, Forensic Science

Abstract

The case of Public Prosecutor v Wee Mee Industries Co Sdn Bhd (1986) 1 MLJ 505 is widely recognised as one of the most significant judicial decisions concerning food integrity, consumer protection and halal regulation in Malaysia. The case occurred due to the marketing of instant noodles produced by Wee Mee Industries, marked as "Halal" and "Edible Vegetable Oil", however, the scientific analysis showed that the seasoning powder contained animal fats. The case brought up the legal questions regarding the interpretation of false trade descriptions, the importance of scientific analysis in proving the case related to food crimes and the way how religious concepts like halal could be enforced via secular law. While the Respondent was acquitted of the charge related to the false use of the halal description because of weak proof regarding the applicability of Hukum Syarak in Sarawak, the conviction for making a false description of the ingredients of the food was affirmed. Thus, this judgment set the precedent regarding the interpretation of materially false descriptions and showed the key importance of forensic science in detecting food frauds.

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