Managing Menus, Custom Cake Recipes, Toppings and External Suppliers

Register the full menu, control variations, toppings, seasonal recipes and outside vendors before and after certification.

Last reviewed 5 November 2026

ManaHalal note: An educational guide to help you prepare. It is not a certificate, an approval or an official eligibility decision from JAKIM/JAIN/MAIN (Jabatan/Majlis Agama Islam Negeri, the state Islamic religious departments and councils). Operators need to check the requirements in force and the scope of their own application.

In a bakery, one product can have many variations: vanilla cake, vanilla cake with a topper, chocolate cake with a cheese filling, and special birthday decorations. One new ingredient can change the control status of the whole recipe. That is why a bakery menu register needs to be more careful than just a list of cake names at the counter.

Set one reference source for recipes

For every menu item, keep menu_id, the name customers see, recipe_version, ingredients and quantities, topping/filling options, preparation method, storage label, ingredient approval status and the date of change. For example:

Menu	Version	Critical variation	Check
CK-001 Chocolate cake 6 inch	v3	Ganache and sprinkles	Cocoa, cream, flavouring, chocolate and decorations
BR-004 Chicken croissant	v2	Savoury filling	Laminating butter, chicken, sauce and cheese
DR-009 Tiramisu	v1	Flavouring, coffee powder and cream	Ingredient source, technique and menu naming
CK-014 Mango cheesecake	v2	Glaze and gelatin	Cheese, enzymes, gelatin, glaze

Custom orders and ingredients brought by customers

A customer wants an edible image topper from another shop, or a sauce they bought themselves. Do not let the item straight into the cake process. Set a policy: all edible toppers, colourings, sprinkles, cream and food ingredients that enter the product must go through an ingredient/supplier check. If the origin cannot be proven, offer an option that has already been approved.

For non-food decorations, check hygiene controls, food-contact safety and the method of fitting; it is not a way to bring unclear materials onto a cake.

Can other people's bakery products be sold?

A bakery that sells cakes or pastries from an outside vendor needs to control the traded product and the supplier's status, not just the ingredients it buys itself. If the operation involves a supplier's kitchen or a separate factory, get guidance from the authorities on the certificate scope needed. Do not borrow the halal logo from your bakery premises certificate for outside products that are not covered by an approval.

Seasonal menus: Ramadan, New Year and festivals

Make a menu register with three categories: Active, Inactive, Proposed. Promotional menus must be assessed before they are offered, and any menu addition after certification must follow the relevant procedure. The 2026 amendment of the MPPHM (Manual Prosedur Pensijilan Halal Malaysia, the Malaysia Halal Certification Procedure Manual) lists a menu addition fee of RM200 for a two-year period for such applications. Check how to apply with the authorities before launching a promotional menu.

Menu control diagram

Approval flow for a new menu or custom cake

A real-life example

A bakery makes 30 chocolate cakes from one recipe. Five customers ask for red velvet with new cream cheese, two ask for imported pistachio cream, and one brings a biscuit topper from outside. Do not lump them all together as “Chocolate Cake”. Open a controlled variation/menu item and check every added ingredient.

Output of this article: the file en-daftar-menu-resipi.csv; make sure the version and status of each menu item can be seen by the kitchen workers and the order staff.

Sources & status

This content was prepared based on sources reviewed on 2026-11-05. Final decisions and requirements are subject to JAKIM/MAIN/JAIN and the latest notices; information on fees, scope and instructions may change.