Mondelez Malaysia, part of Mondelēz International and owner of iconic brands such as Cadbury Dairy Milk, Toblerone, Oreo, Chipsmore and Twisties recently won the Best Halal Chocolate Bar under Heritage Brand for its Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolates at the Asia Halal Brand Awards 2017 (AHBA). The prestigious award recognises the company’s long-term legacy in making Halal Cadbury chocolates in Malaysia and catering to the local consumers, with its commitment in manufacturing processes and supply chains that are internationally-compliant and halal-certified. Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolates are certified Halal by Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM) since 2004.
Swadheen Sharma, Managing Director of Mondelez Malaysia said, “2017 has been an outstanding year for Mondelez Malaysia and being recognised as a prominent Halal brand not only further validates our position, but also demonstrates our continued responsibility towards meeting consumer needs and preferences. We understand how important Halal is to our consumers. Ensuring that all our products made here in Malaysia are Halal is something that we take very seriously.”
The Asia Halal Brand Awards 2017 (AHBA) aims at promoting prominent Halal brands in Asia that elevate the significance of the brands in the global market. Mondelez Malaysia was awarded because of its stringent manufacturing process to ensure the highest standard of quality, while being compliant to the Halal guidelines. All Mondelez products in Malaysia are certified Halal by JAKIM and 20 percent of products manufactured here are exported to 16 countries worldwide.
Mondelez Malaysia reinforced its focus on Halal by strengthening its collaborations with authorities and certification bodies, including Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC), as well as carrying out proactive audits on its products. These initiatives have collectively strengthened consumers’ confidence in Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolates as a Halal-certified product.
Mondelez Malaysia maintained its strong presence in the country in three core categories; chocolate, biscuit and salty snacks. Currently ranked number one in the biscuits category and number two share position in Salty Snacks and a sizeable Candy business, the owner of famous brands such as Cadbury Dairy Milk and Cadbury 5 Star is confident that it would gain back its category leadership in chocolates because of its strong plans and execution roadmaps.
“Mondelez Malaysia’s positive growth in the chocolate category is driven by our product innovation and portfolio diversification. Over the years, we have had great success with the new products we introduced to the market, such as Marvellous Creations, Cadbury Honey Comb & Nuts, Cadbury 5 Star and Cadbury Dairy Milk Oreo to suit the Malaysian consumers’ taste. These efforts are important for us to keep up with the evolving needs of consumers, while catering to a variety of taste profiles and flavour preferences,” said Vikram Karwal, Associate Director Marketing Chocolates SEA.
The market will continue to be uncertain in view of the changing dynamic of consumers’ purchasing habits. In sustaining this leadership, Mondelez will focus on building excellence in its sales execution to drive category growth. This includes even deeper partnerships with retailers to improve the shopping experience, faster speed to market, improved freshness and availability.
