The urge to be vaccinated has increased rapidly during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Resorting vaccine products is seen as the only way to break the chain of COVID-19 spread and eventually stop the pandemic. To this dire need, many consumers face the dilemma to be vaccinated or to opt-out of the vaccination program when the safety issues of vaccine products are widely circulated. The Muslim consumers, particularly, experiences double worry on the issue of safety and halal status of the vaccine product. Due to the emergency call to have the vaccine in the market as soon as possible, the innovation and production were carried out in an expedited manner, and the necessity to have the vaccine be certified as halal was bypass. When the news on the vaccine product uses non-halal ingredients reaches the Muslim community in Malaysia, they were taken aback and demanded immediate answers from the authorities. Thus, in addressing this issue, this study intends to critically analyse the role of NPRA and JAKIM in ensuring the safety and halal status of a product with the aim of suggesting a review of the existing role. This article adopts a qualitative research methodology where interviews will be the supporting method to a library-based and doctrinal study.

No abstract

Currently, the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) and local authorities carry out their monitoring activities unless there is a call for integrated enforcement. The necessity to have a combined task force between the local authorities and JAKIM was due to the issue of insufficient human resources in the enforcement team, overlapping jurisdiction between multiple administrative bodies and the scattered legislation in this area. This study proposes a combined task force between (JAKIM) and Local authorities to control and monitor halal food premises in Malaysia. They adopted the qualitative methodology where semi-structured interviews are conducted with the selected respondents using purposive sampling considering their occupation and expertise. Questionnaires were drafted using expert-vetted questions and shared with the respondents before commencing the session. The study discovers the deficiencies of the current administration of halal food premises, such as the uncertain jurisdiction of power to control and monitor the safety and cleanliness aspect of the premises to which reaching the two aspects may render breaching the ruling of halal. The output of the study may assist the government, enforcement team and administrators relevant to governing the halal food premises in Malaysia.

No abstract

Under relevant Malaysian laws, manufacturers or distributors who falsely claim that their cosmetics are safe are subject to criminal penalties. The question arises as to whether the producers can be responsible for physical as well as emotional injury caused to the consumers of such products. This paper seeks to investigate the potential liability of the manufacturer and distributor of defective cosmetics under the product liability law, which generally aims to protect consumers from unsafe products. The paper concentrates on the provisions of strict liability for defective products under Section X of the Consumer Protection Act 1999. The main issues to be resolved are whether cosmetics containing harmful substances can be considered as 'defective' and what kind of injury can be recovered by the victims. This study's findings provide producers and suppliers with information regarding their civil liability for supplying presumably safe cosmetics and the consumer's ability to obtain redress for harm caused by cosmetics comprising harmful ingredients.