Man Wrongly Labels Hup Seng Not Halal, Goes Viral, Deletes Post, Blames Others
The post, which accused the brand of using pig-bristle brushes, confused Hup Seng Industries Berhad — the Johor-based maker of Malaysia’s iconic cream crackers — with Tian Hup Seng Biscuit Factory, a separate Melaka-based company whose halal certification was genuinely revoked.
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A social media post claiming that Hup Seng biscuits were no longer halal went viral on Threads this week, leading to widespread concern among Malaysian consumers — only to be exposed as a case of mistaken identity.
The post, posted by a Threads user identified as Muhamad Adam Adib, alleged that the popular cream cracker brand had used pig-bristle brushes in its production process and was therefore no longer halal-certified.
The post quickly gained traction, accumulating over 1,600 likes and more than 700 reposts before it was taken down.
The claim, however, conflated two entirely separate companies.
It was Tian Hup Seng Biscuit Factory — a Melaka-based manufacturer — whose halal certification was revoked after brushes used at its premises were confirmed by the Halal Analysis Centre of Malaysia (MyHAC) to have physical characteristics consistent with pig bristles.
The company, along with Heng Loong Coffee Sdn. Bhd., was ordered to immediately cease use of the Malaysian halal logo, recall all affected products from the market, and undergo sertu — a ritual purification process under Islamic law — before any reapplication for certification could be considered.
Hup Seng Industries Berhad, the Johor-based company behind the iconic cream cracker brand familiar to most Malaysian households, is an entirely different entity and retains its halal certification.
View on Threads
Backlash and a Questionable Defence
After the original post was deleted, Muhamad Adam Adib posted a follow-up stating that his source was a Facebook post.
The guy added that if he was wrong, “someone else should be sued first” — appearing to deflect responsibility onto whoever originally circulated the claim.
The response drew further criticism online, with users pointing out that sharing someone else’s lie doesn’t make you any less responsible for spreading it.
Under Malaysian law, individuals who spread false or defamatory content online, regardless of whether they were the original source, may be held liable.
Legal observers noted that Hup Seng Industries would have clear grounds to pursue legal action, given the post’s broad reach.
View on Threads
Community Pushback Was Swift
Several users moved quickly to correct the record.
One widely circulated counter-post featured a side-by-side image that clearly distinguished between the two brands — labelling Hup Seng Cream Crackers as halal-certified and Tian Hup Seng’s products as having had their certification revoked.
“Guys, jangan salah info dan salah share ye,” the post read — urging the public not to spread incorrect information.
The misinformation had by then already travelled well beyond social media timelines.
Threads user @ahmdnazrafq captured what many Malaysians likely experienced, writing that his own mother had received the false claim through a WhatsApp forward and had come to believe that Hup Seng biscuits were no longer halal.
“Sumpah aku benci orang yang sebar fitnah ni. Tak pasal-pasal mak aku pun percaya biskut Hup Seng ni tak halal,” he wrote — expressing frustration that a family member had been misled by content that had been shared without verification.
It is a pattern familiar to many Malaysians — once a halal scare reaches the WhatsApp group, the correction rarely follows.
View on Threads
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