Khairuddin Aman Razali, deputy chairman of Umno’s ulama council, said such actions only send the wrong message to Muslims and gives the unity government a negative public perception.

The former Kuala Nerus MP said it was clear enough that the producers of the sandwich had breached the law by misusing the halal logo, adding that this was tantamount to deceit.

“The authorities need to act swiftly so that it would not aggravate past wounds from the incident (of KK Mart selling) socks with the word ‘Allah’,” Khairuddin said in a statement, without explicitly mentioning any minister in particular.

On Tuesday, DAP vice-chairman Nga Kor Ming waded into the controversy, accusing certain quarters of making a fuss on the matter and saying ham simply referred to meat that had been cured.

Nga, who is also housing and local government minister, said there were turkey and chicken ham in the market which were “perfect for consumption”. In a social media post, he said: “To make an issue out of it simply shows who is the real idiot.”

The Islamic development department (Jakim) has confirmed that the meat used in the sandwiches was certified halal but the sandwiches, along with the company producing them, were not halal-certified.

Jakim said no product or service can be described as halal or carry a halal logo without its verification and certification.