Cadbury chocolate free of pork, says Malaysia in turnaround

Islamic lovers of chocolate can savor Cadbury chocolate again in Malaysia.

On Monday, Malaysia’s top Islamic body announced that it had cleared Cadbury chocolate bars of containing pig DNA. Last month, the nation's Ministry of Health reported that it had found the DNA in two Cadbury chocolate products – Dairy Milk Hazelnut and Dairy Milk Roast Almond – and had suspended their halal certification.

Halal products conform to sharia law and don't contain pork, according to the Islamic Food Council and Nutrition Council of America.

Although the Malaysian Department of Islamic Development said new tests didn’t show traces of pork in either chocolate bar or other Cadbury products, some Islamic organizations are still boycotting Cadbury products, including the Association of Islamic Consumers. The group told the Associated Press it would end the boycott if the Health Ministry itself admitted that the test results were wrong.

In a May 30 statement, Cadbury said the company remains committed to adhering to Malaysia’s halal regulatory guidelines. 

“Although Cadbury proactively and voluntarily recalled the products, we have no reason to believe that there is any porcine or pork-related ingredient in our Cadbury chocolates, the company said. “We stand by our halal certification and we have the highest levels of product labeling standards.”