Amid concerning pressure on social media and threats of boycotts, it appears that Australian companies are being bullied into dropping their Halal certification for food products.
ABC News report that one such organisation, the South Australia-based Fleurieu Milk and Yoghurt Company, bowed to social media pressure to ditch the certification, losing a $50,000 deal with airline Emirates in the process.
A number of users took to Fleurieu Milk’s Facebook page last week to complain that the $1000 fee the company paid to become Halal certified was being used to “fund terrorism.”
The company’s sales and marketing manager Nick Hutchinson said that they subsequently decided to “pull the pin” on their yoghurt supply deal with Emirates.
Although many complaints reportedly came as part of an organised campaign from interstate and overseas, Hutchinson said he was worried about the negative effect that the complaints would have on local customers.
“When our small customer base in South Australia are reading this and starting to question us we thought, yeah maybe the negatives outweigh the positive,” he told the ABC.
Since dropping its Halal certification, the company has received further negative feedback from users accusing it of caving in to social media bullying.
“I’ve received a lot of feedback to say they’re disappointed we’ve caved in to this kind of thing,” he said. “We understand that, people are going to have their own opinion I guess, unless you’re in the shoes we’re in.”
He went on to say that the company are concerned about the financial impact of the lost Emirates deal, but hope that they will be able to salvage some part of it in the future.
In a statement following these events, the Islamic Society of South Australia, which provides companies there with Halal certification, said that social media campaigns against Halal products are attributable to “Islamophobia”.
Dr Waleed Alkhazrajy, a representative of the society, said that more understanding of Halal products and certification would help ease negativity in the community.
“We are happy as well to help these companies engage in discussion or explanation for these members of the community that send these negative remarks,” he said. “I’m sure that will alleviate their concerns or misunderstanding.”
Photo: Ishara S Kodikara via Getty Images
