138 Johor Religious School Canteens To Be Halal-certified By Year-end - Exco

JOHOR BAHRU, July 14 (Bernama) -- A total of 138 Sekolah Agama Kerajaan Johor (SAKJ) canteens will be halal-certified by December, in line with the implementation of the Johor State Halal Development Plan 2030, said State Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid.

He said the first phase of the initiative involved 50 Grade A and 88 Grade B school canteens, and that the remaining 437 Grade C canteens would be addressed in stages beginning next year.

“This initiative is part of the state government’s efforts to reach the target of 500 new halal certificates by the end of this year as an initial step towards achieving 5,000 by 2030.

“This concerted effort aims not only to improve halal compliance standards in schools but also to increase awareness among canteen and cafeteria operators, as well as food providers at government departments and agencies,” he said in a Facebook post. 

He said the state government also planned to extend the halal certification campaign to the private sector to support the development of a more comprehensive halal ecosystem in Johor.

Mohd Fared said Johor had 1,200 halal certificate holders to date, and this figure was expected to grow further with the development of the Johor–Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ).

“Halal is not only a religious obligation for Muslims, but it has also been recognised as a benchmark for high standards of cleanliness, management, and business integrity.

“This is clearly supported by non-Muslim entrepreneurs, many of whom are halal certificate holders in Johor and across the country,” he said.

He added that the Johor State Islamic Religious Department (JAINJ) and the Johor State Islamic Religious Council (MAIJ) were currently working on a more efficient and user-friendly halal certification application framework to ease the process for applicants.

Mohd Fared said public perception of halal certification as time-consuming and costly must be changed by introducing a more efficient and competitive system.

He expressed confidence that Johor would set a national standard in the development of a comprehensive halal ecosystem by 2030 through efforts to streamline the certification system.

-- BERNAMA