A new body formed under the religious affairs ministry has taken over issuing halal certification, almost 30 years after Indonesia’s top clerical body was given responsibility for the practice.
The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) will no longer be involved in halal accreditation after the Halal Products Certification Agency (BPJPH) was given sole responsibility for regulating procedures and applications for halal certification, as well as collecting fees.
“The BPJPH has the authority to issue, revoke and manage all administration related to halal certification of domestic and imported products, while the MUI still holds the authority to issue halal edicts,” its head, Soekoso, told the Jakarta Post.
It is hoped that the halal certification process will be improved under the new set-up, after the the opaque and unaccountable MUI was mired in allegations of graft.
The agency will also undertake an online registration system for certification requests, which is expected to be implemented early next year, Soekoso said, adding that the whole process would take fewer than 60 days to complete.
Fees will be directed by the finance ministry, to help prevent cases of bribery or corruption. Since 1989, these were collected by the MUI, which now stands to have its financial reports audited amid suspicions that the private Muslim council had amassed substantial revenues from the process.
Zainut Tauhid Sa’adi, the MUI’s deputy chairman, said the organisation supported the transfer of halal certification to the BPJPH. He said the government agency would hopefully increase the number of halal-certified products, making Indonesia one of the biggest suppliers in the world.
His comments were backed by Adhi S. Lukman, chairman of the Indonesian Food and Beverage Association (Gapmmi), who said the new halal agency could strengthen the bargaining position of Indonesian halal certification on the world stage, compared to when the certificates were issued by MUI.
Source: Food Navigator USA
