Jakarta (BPJPH) --- The Head of the Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) of the Republic of Indonesia ensured that the Law requires halal certification is intended to providing protection for the public as product consumers. Also, to providing convenience for business actors as product producers in producing quality products.
"It must be understood that the obligation for halal certification is actually intended to provide consumer protection and provide convenience for product producers." said Head of BPJPH Haikal Hasan, in Jakarta, Tuesday (10/29/2024).
"For product consumers, they are given legal certainty in ensuring the availability and guarantee of the halal products they need. For producers, they are also facilitated in their efforts to produce quality products, with added value as they are halal standarded, and to realizing excellent service for consumers." continued Babe Haikal, his popular name.
With the spirit of providing convenience, he continued, the implementation of the Halal Product Assurance of Jaminan Produk Halal (JPH) by the Government also considers various related technical aspects. The goal is to make sure that the implementation of the halal certification mandatory can be carried out without causing difficulties for businesses. The implementation of the halal certification obligation is also applied to products with clear limitations.
"Law Number 33 of 2014 Article 4 firmly states that all products entering, circulating and traded in the territory of Indonesia must be halal certified, with clear limitations and provisions," Haikal emphasized.
according to Article 1 of the Law, products are goods and/or services related to food, beverages, medicines, cosmetics, chemical products, biological products, genetically engineered products, and goods used, utilized, or utilized by the community. Services include slaughtering, processing, storage, packaging, distribution, sales, and/or presentation.
"So it is wrong if someone said that laptops and the like also need to be halal certified. That is an incorrect interpretation," he said.
In addition, Haikal reminded that the Law also emphasizes that business actors who produce products from haram or non-halal materials are certainly excluded from applying for halal certificates.
"Consumption of products is a choice. Halal products may be distributed with halal certification. Non-halal products may also be distributed as long as they include a statement that they are not halal." Haikal continued.
Furthermore, Haikal also explained that the next aspect of the ease of halal certification is that the obligation to have halal certification is implemented in stages. Article 160 of Government Regulation (PP) Number 42 of 2024 stipulates that the stages of the obligation to have halal certification for food products, beverages, slaughtered products, and slaughtering services as starting from October 17, 2019 to October 17, 2024.
"This means that starting from October 18, 2024, these three product groups must be halal certified. If not, it will be subject to administrative sanctions in the form of written warnings, and/or product withdrawals from circulation." he explained.
For micro and small business actors, the stages of halal certification obligations for food products, beverages, slaughtered products, and slaughtering services start from October 17, 2019 to October 17, 2026. Meanwhile, the obligation to have halal certification for food products, beverages, slaughtered products, and slaughtering services originating from foreign countries will be determined by the Minister no later than October 17, 2026 after considering the completion of mutual recognition of halal certificates.
"BPJPH also continues to educate business actors whose products must be halal certified to carry out halal certification with full awareness. Do not make halal certification as a burden or as regulatory obligations or just an administrative issue. Currently, consumer awareness of halal product preferences is increasing." he continued.
The submission of halal certification can be done digitally through ptsp.halal.go.id. For more information regarding the submission of halal certificates, business actors can access the halal.go.id website and/or through the official BPJPH social media accounts.
"I advise, make halal certification as an added value to improve the quality and competitiveness of the product. Also, to expand its market reach. Don't let our halal products lose out to halal products from other countries," he concluded.