PPIM chief activist Datuk Nadzim Johan said many Muslim consumers are ‘not that smart’ to be able to tell if an item contains pig-derived parts. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 8 — The Muslim Consumer Association of Malaysia (PPIM) is calling for a logo to inform Muslims who are “not that smart” that an item contains pig-derived parts.

The proposal was pursuant to the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry’s (KPDNKK) nationwide seizure of paintbrushes made with pig bristles.

According to the Malaysiakini news portal, PPIM chief activist Datuk Nadzim Johan claimed there were also food items, clothes, kitchen utensils and more that were made with pig derivatives that did not clearly indicate that they contain such parts considered haram to Muslims.

Nadzim further claimed that the introduction of such a logo would open businesses to government action when they knowingly sell items that contain pig parts without informing consumers.

“Many Muslim consumers are not smart. If I say they are stupid, it will agitate people, but they are not that smart.

“They consume everything (blindly). So I suggest we should have ‘Logo babi’, otherwise they would eat this as well,” he reportedly said when pointing to a paintbrush.

Malay Mail Online tried contacting Nadzim for clarification on his statement, but has yet to receive a response.

National news agency Bernama yesterday reported KPDNKK Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin as saying that his ministry seized 2,003 paintbrushes made with pig bristles worth almost RM11,000 in a nationwide “crackdown”.

He reportedly said the brushes were confiscated under the Trade Descriptions (Goods Made from any Part of Pig or Dog) Order 2013, which states that such products must be labelled and separated from other goods,

Punishments for violations of the Minister’s Order are RM100,000 fines, three years’ jail or both for individuals, while corporations face fines of up to RM250,000.