Halal or Haram?

During one of the sessions in the current sitting of the Legislative Council (LegCo), a question was asked on the halal-haram issue of meat being sold in the shops and markets. In his reply, the Minister of Religious Affairs said that the import of raw and unprocessed meat (beef, chicken or lamb) are closely controlled, but processed meat (canned or in other packages) are not currently actively monitored and being processed. He even advised Muslims to exercise caution when buying meat products as their 'halalness' could not be verified. He even mentioned that many shopkeepers, especially non-Muslims (no offence intended), do not really understand the whole halal-haram issue.

I understand what the Honourable Minister meant. Just go to any shop and take note of the items being listed under the 'Not for consumption of Muslims'. Then go to another shop and check where the items that you have seen in the first shop are now located. In probably 7 out of 10 shops, these items are not segregated under the 'Not for consumption of Muslims'. And it does not matter who owns the shops, be it a Muslim owner or not, you are bound to observe this point. At one point I remember that the control over the so-called dubious meat products were strict and they were separated. However, it seems that now there is no control at all. It is even worrying when this happens in a Muslim-owned shop. It is ok to make profits, but please look after the interest of your Muslim shoppers too. And to the shoppers, please be more careful as whatever you eat will 'become a part of you'.