By
The chain, Auntie Anne’s, has been told by Islamic authorities that its popular Pretzel Dog item – a hot dog wrapped in pretzel bread and contains no dog meat – should be renamed as it could confuse Muslim consumers.
The Malaysian Islamic Development Department has told the U.S. company to banish the word “dog” from its menu, suggesting that the product should be renamed ‘Pretzel Sausage’ as part of conditions to obtain halal certification based on Islamic dietary laws.
“It is more appropriate to use the name Pretzel Sausage,” the department’s halal director Sirajuddin Suhaimee told local media.
“Malaysia’s good name as a pioneering ‘halal global’ figure needs to be improved.”
Sirajuddin told the AFP that the recommended name change was prompted by complaints from foreign Muslim tourists.
“Any (halal) products that make consumers confused, we have to change,” he was quoted as saying. “In Islam, dogs are considered unclean and the name cannot be related to halal certification.”
The Arabic term ‘halal’ is used to describe what is permissible in the religion and this includes dietary requirements which among others forbids the consumption of pork, alcohol, or animals that were not slaughtered according to Islamic rites.
Although hot dogs have long been served by many street vendors in the country, Sirajuddin said the department would gradually conduct checks on their menus as they move to renew their two-year halal certification licenses.
Farhatul Kamilah Mohamed Sazali, an executive at Auntie Anne’s Malaysia, told the news agency that the Auntie Anne’s had no qualms about renaming the pretzel dogs.
“It’s a minor issue. We are fine with changing the name and are still working on it,” Farhatul said, as quoted by the AFP.
Auntie Anne’s has 45 outlets in Malaysia and has plans to expand in the country.
Meanwhile, the issue has become the subject of ridicule on social media.
Local news portal Free Malaysia Today conducted a quick check and found that words such as “ham”, “bacon”, “beer”, “rum” would result in Jakim’s refusal to issue halal licenses.
The site also reported that many outlets in the country served beef bacon or turkey ham.
The ruling had forced renowned fast-food restaurant chain A&W to rebrand its popular “Coney Dog” and “Root Beer” products to “Chicken Coney” or “Beef Coney” and “RB” respectively.
“We had to change the names if we wanted to be eligible to apply for the halal certificate,” A&W Quality Control and Halal Assurance Assistant Manager Shahidah Wahid was quoted as saying, adding that the changes were made two years ago.
Additional reporting from the Associated Press
https://asiancorrespondent.com/2016/10/malaysia-islamic-body-orders-change-pretzel-dog/