Food exporters asked to gear up for possible mandatory halal certification

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino exporters intending to sell their products to halal markets are advised to ready themselves for possible mandatory halal certification as Indonesia, the world’s halal food center, is mulling over whether it makes halal certification a mandatory or voluntary system.

Indonesian lawmakers are deliberating the halal certification bill that requires halal certificates and labels for three sectors: food and beverages, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, as well as for ingredients and equipment used to make the products.

They are also deciding on whether the government or the Religious Affairs Ministry and the Majelis Ulema Council (MUI) would be authorized to issue halal certifications.

In the Philippines, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), formerly known as Office on Muslim Affairs (OMA), is the only recognized halal certifier by MUI.

NCMF limits the authority of the government-attached agency to accredit halal certifying bodies, but not to issue halal certifications.

“NCMF and various religious concerned would need to get their act together to anticipate the possibility to ensure that exporters would be able to continuously export to Indonesia,” said Alma Argayoso, Philippine Attache to Jakarta, Indonesia.

Halal certification convinces the Muslims to purchase products that have been prepared based on religious requirements set by Islamic teachings.