After 20 years of operation in Singapore, Subway has told us that they have finally received its Halal-certification by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS). They currently in the process of distributing the Halal-Certification to each of their 130 stores islandwide, except for the branch at Wisteria Mall which is in the midst of applying for the Halal Certificate..
So why has it taken so long?
In an interview with Mr Samad, he mentioned that the process took time because they had to be careful with their product. They had to change the proteins and sauces to make sure they were of similar quality with the original Subway that their initial customers have come to love them for.
What has changed now that Subway is Halal-Certified?
The protein in the Chicken Ham, Subway Club and Subway Melt and their Breakfast melt has changed from ham made from pork to chicken ham.The meat in the Cold Cut Trio, Meatball Marinara Melt, and Steak & Cheese and Roast Beef subs has changed to Halal-Certified products.
Their Italian B.M.T. subs ingredients containing pork pepperoni and salami has been changed to Halal-Certified beef pepperoni, salami as well.
The Chicken Bacon Ranch has changed from pork bacon to chicken bacon.
The Breakfast Sausages, previously containing pork sausage is now changed to Halal-Certified Chicken Sausage.
They have also removed Red Wine Vinegar sauce from their sauce selections.
Despite these drastic changes, most of Subway’s menu shall remain the same, substituting processed meats with Halal-certified products instead.
Why do they want to acquire Halal-Certification?
“This initiative was done because we want to be more inclusive. We want the whole of Singapore to experience the Subway experience. We were very careful we take a lot of time in ensuring our product was of the highest quality,” said Mr Samad.
Another factor that affected this decision may be the changing face of Subway’s customer profile as they consider the location of Singapore in a Muslim majority region. “The Subway customer profile is quite broad, and includes locals, tourists from the region, and beyond, some of whom follow Muslim principles when making food purchases. Guests in our restaurants in Singapore can be assured that we serve top quality and Halal compliant products,” added Mr Samad.
According to the Singapore Tourism Board, the top three Southeast Asian countries that have the highest number of visiting citizens travelling to Singapore are from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia respectively. There are currently more than 240 million Muslims in Southeast Asia, making up 40 percent of the population. According to a Mastercard-Crescent Rating Global Muslim Travel Index 2017, Singapore is one of the top 10 destinations for Muslims to travel to in Asia.
Subway also has a new Fresh Forward Design to celebrate the new global and inclusive direction that it is taking.
To everyone who has been anticipating this moment for weeks now, rejoice! Their doors are now open to all Muslim patrons who can finally order an Italian B.M.T with some mayonnaise for themselves.
