Cover image via SAYS
You've no doubt heard of the hoo-ha surrounding Auntie Anne's Pretzel Dogs by now, especially the part where the chain was denied a halal cert because the menu item contained the word "dog"
A QA-cum-halal executive working with the pretzel company recently revealed that the Department of Islamic Development (JAKIM) had told them to **change the name of its Pretzel Dog to a more appropriate option, like 'Pretzel Sausage'**.
JAKIM would later clarify that food vendors looking to apply for a halal cert should **avoid using words like "ham", "bak kut teh", "bacon", "beer", "rum", "hotdog", "charsiew", and other words related to non-halal food items** when naming their products, as they will **"confuse Muslims"**.
In fact, some iconic food names have been quietly changed in the past few years to meet JAKIM's requirements, such as A&W's Coney Dog and Root Beer, which are now known as Chicken/Beef Coney and RB respectively
In addition, **A&W's canned Root Beer is now known known as "Sarsaparilla"**, while **F&N's Ginger Beer has been renamed "Ginger Ade"**.
While the restrictions are only enforced for food names in Malaysia, what will it be like if they were implemented on random stuff and everyday words? We tried out some alternatives:
1. Hush Puppies will not only rebrand themselves, the clothing brand will have to hire a new (and definitely cuter) mascot too
Image via SAYS
2. Sorry De Beers, but you gotta go with a name that better reflects your shiny, sparkly diamonds
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3. The iconic '70s band Black Dog Bone gets a hip revamp for the 21st century
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4. Almost every Malaysian kid has had – or wanted to have – a hamster for a pet, but it's time to bring them closer to their relatives with a new name
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5. To eat, or not to eat, that is ALWAYS the question
Image via SAYS
