Cape Town - Supermarket chain, Food Lover’s Market, has found itself in a pickle after the branch in Access Park was mistakenly labelled as halaal certified by the National Independent Halaal Trust (NIHT).
What followed was a flurry of clarifications, investigations, and assurances from Islamic councils, as well as a request for people to stop panicking.
The “mislabelling” was brought to the attention of the NIHT, after one of their employees noted the printing error in a newspaper.
Moulana Shuaib Parkar from the NIHT explains: “When we were alerted about the printing error, we immediately launched an internal investigation. Both head offices from the NIHT and Food Lover’s Market were informed. We later found that it might have been a misprint error. We do, however, certify Food Lover’s branches, but not the one in Access Park, in fact we certify Johannesburg branches.”
Parkar adds that Food Lover’s Access Park confirmed they are halaal certified by presenting a certificate, certified by the Islamic Council of South Africa (ICSA).
The Food Chain franchise also went onto social media to apologise for the confusion.
“We sincerely apologise for the misinformation published regarding the halaal certification status of our Food Lover’s Market Access Park store.
“We understand how important it is for our Muslim customers to have clear and accurate information about our services.
“We want to clarify that while we mistakenly stated that our store is NIHT-certified, our service departments—Butchery, Hot Foods, and Bakery—are indeed ICSA-certified.
“This certification ensures that we meet the standards suitable for our Muslim customers.”
Moulana Zakaryah Philander from the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) Halaal Trust asked people to stop panicking, as the store is halaal certified.
Philander said any store can apply for certification and there are different bodies who can issue the halaal certification.
“What Muslims should look out for is the legitimate halaal certificate that should be displayed. This is the public assurance that the butchery and bakery is certified.”
Shaykh Sayed Ridhwaan from the Cape Town Ulama Board, said the board understands the halaal standards in the Muslim community, and understand the importance of ensuring that consumers have access to genuinely halaal certified products.
“The misuse of certification logos not only misleads the public but also undermines the integrity of the halaal certifying body while leaving the public confused.
“We have since communicated with the NIHT and established that the issue arose from a misunderstanding, with Food Lover’s Market's design team mistakenly using the NIHT logo instead of another halaal certifier.
“It is crucial for businesses to uphold the ethical standards of certification and to properly check adverts before advertising to the public.
“We urge the public to remain vigilant when choosing Halaal products and to support businesses that uphold the true spirit of Halaal certification.”
tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za