Fast food giant McDonald's has rubbished recent claims of pork ingredients being used in its recipes and stood by its stance that all its products were 'halal' certified.
"We wish to reassure our customers that all products, including all imported sauces, served by McDonald's Malaysia are certified 100% halal (fit for Muslim consumption) by the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim)," McDonald's Malaysia said in a statement.
"McDonald's Malaysia is the first quick-service restaurant chain to be awarded the halal certificate in Malaysia, which is a testament to our commitment in being a leader in serving quality halal food," the statement added.
The Malaysian outlet of the fast food major was recently under scanner for the use of "LM 10" ingredient which reportedly has traces of pork fat. The ingredient generally used in McD's Mayonnaise is imported from the United States.
In Islam, eating Pork is considered 'haram', meaning Muslims are forbidden to consume it.
Previously, similar rumours of presence of pork in food items of McDonald's had surfaced in South Africa but they were consequently rejected by the company as well as by the Muslim Judicial Council Halal Trust (MJCHT) of South Africa.
The rumours in Malaysia had caused a huge furore within the country. The Malaysia's Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) and International Quranic Studies Association (IQSA) were re-considering about awarding certification given to the fast-food giant.
Meanwhile, Managing Director of McDonald's Malaysia Stephen Chew informed that 16 new outlets of the international chain will open by the year end.
Moreover, the food chain has planned to expand from the present 248 outlets to 500 by 2020 based on its growing customer base, reported Business Times.
