Taiwanese snack company Hyfoods on Monday said it has halted shipments of a new bak kut teh-flavored potato chip, after its packaging sparked backlash in Malaysia for imagery criticized as insensitive to Malay religion and culture.
Hyfoods’ Potato Chips (波的多) brand launched three new flavors earlier this month, drawing attention from fans while also sparking backlash from many Malaysians on social media.
The controversy centered on the packaging for the new bak kut teh flavor, with critics saying that if the product were sold in Malaysia, it would provoke widespread outrage.
Photo from Threads
Bak kut teh is a popular Southeast Asian pork rib soup commonly associated with Malaysia and Singapore.
One Malaysian woman criticized the packaging, saying the overall design felt like a bizarre mash-up of cultural elements.
Most ethnic Malays are Muslim and do not eat pork, yet the packaging shows a traditionally dressed Malay figure next to a bak kut teh dish, she said, accusing the designers of not understanding halal dietary rules.
The packaging also shows coriander in the soup, which many Malaysian people would never include, she said.
In addition, the packaging shows the iconic Singapore Merlion, she said.
While both Malaysia and Singapore are known for the dish, the two countries’ cooking styles and flavors differ significantly, she said, adding that different countries’ food cultures should not be conflated.
Hyfoods responded less than an hour after the post appeared, saying it had already received similar feedback last week and halted shipments of the flavor.
The company has already discarded remaining packs, Hyfoods said, pledging to improve cultural sensitivity and accuracy in future designs.
Seeing the company handle the issue quickly, the original poster and other Malaysians online thanked Hyfoods for respecting bak kut teh, and expressed hope that the flavor would be relaunched with different packaging.
Some Singaporean users suggested that the company specify which country’s version of bak kut teh is being used to avoid further misunderstandings.
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