FamilyMart Malaysia, a leading Japanese convenience store chain, announced that its FamiCafé has obtained halal certification from the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM), the government agency responsible for the Islamic affairs in the country. The FamiCafé in Shah Alam is the first convenience store café in Malaysia to receive this certification.
At present, 16 FamiCafés have been established in Malaysia, with an overall target of 50 planned by the end of 2023. It plans to have the FamiCafés in 300 stores halal-certified by 2025 with the halal-certified concept serving café beverages and ready-to-eat food prepared in-store. As a result of the certification, it stated that all new FamiCafés will automatically adopt the layout guided by JAKIM while existing ones will be converted to incorporate the changes. FamilyMart Malaysia’s central kitchen, operated by QL Kitchen, has been certified halal by JAKIM since 2019.
On JAKIM’s official halal portal, 172 FamilyMart-branded food items have been registered as halal as of April 30, 2023. Other FamilyMart Malaysia stores will undergo halal audits in stages as guided by JAKIM, and that the process has already begun at two other stores. To give additional assurance to all Muslim consumers, it has also stopped selling alcohol in all of its establishments. FamilyMart stated that it is expanding to Peninsular Malaysia’s east coast including Pahang and that it intends to open 20 stores in the region by the end of 2023.
(Sources: Family Mart Malaysia; Vulcan Post)
