Just because an eatery does not have a halal certificate does not mean the food it serves is haram, says Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Jamil Khir Baharom.

Jamil Khir, who is in charge of Islamic affairs, said the public should not make such conclusions.

"The perception is that when a premises doesn't have a halal certificate (it is not halal), but it does not mean that it is haram," he said in his wrap up of the Budget 2017 debate.