You can breathe a sigh of relief now, Starbucks fans.
The Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) has reassured Malaysians that Starbucks drinks are Halal, despite a viral message claiming otherwise.
Jakim was responding to a viral message which has been widely shared on messaging app Whatsapp and social media site Facebook recently.
The message claimed that several of Starbucks’ drinks were haram as it contained E471 (Emulsifier 471) and an ingredient of porcine origin.
A spokesperson from Jakim’s halal hub division told The Star Online that the claims in the message were fake and the same message had previously gone viral two years ago.
“We debunked this rumour before. We can assure you that Starbucks Malaysia is certified halal and its certification has never been revoked,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying.
However, the spokesperson also added that Jakim has no power to stop the message from spreading.
“We can only repeat what we have said before, but it is Starbucks Malaysia that has to take a legal action against those who spread the fake information,” the spokesperson was further quoted as saying.
