Jakarta (BPJPH) --- The last few days social media has been enlivened by the incident of a Muslim consumer who expressed regret realizing that she had eaten pork-based food at a restaurant in Jakarta. Responding to this incident, the Head of the Halal Product Assurance Organizing Body or BPJPH of the Ministry of Religious Affairs immediately assigned its monitoring team to immediately go to the location.

From this monitoring activity, it was reported that the Mamma Rosy Restaurant on Jl Kemang Raya Jakarta does not have a halal certificate. It is not registered on Sihalal, the service system of the BPJPH halal certification. As stated on the available menu, the restaurant sells non-halal food and alcoholic beverages.

The Head of BPJPH Muhammad Aqil Irham said the incident proved the importance of implementing Halal Product Assurance or Jaminan Produk Halal (JPH) in society. According to him, JPH regulations have clearly provided rules so that the halal status of a product circulating and traded in the community can be easily ascertained by the people.

Aqil also said that the incident provided a valuable lesson, both for producers and consumers.

"Muslim consumers should first ensure the halal status of the product they are going to consume. This is done by ensuring whether the product they are consuming is halal certified or not." said Aqil, on Thursday (15/6/2023).

"However, if indeed the product comes from non-halal materials, of course it is exempted from the obligation to be halal certified. That's why it is very important for business actors is to obligatory provide non-halal information on their non-halal products." he continued.

In accordance with PP No. 39 of 2021 concerning Implementation of the Halal Product Assurance Sector, he continued, Article 2 stipulates that products originating from haram/prohibited materials are exempted from the obligation to be halal certified.

"These non-halal products must be given a non-halal statement." said Aqil.

Such non-halal information, according to the provisions in Article 92, can be in the form of pictures, signs, and/or writings that are printed on the product packaging, certain parts of the product, and/or certain places on the product.

Whereas Article 93 states that products originating from non-halal materials are required to include non-halal information in the form of pictures, writing, and/or names of materials with a different colour in the composition of the ingredients.

"Inclusion of non-halal information must be easy to see and read, and not easily deleted, removed, or damaged, in accordance with statutory provisions." he continued.

Furthermore, Aqil also said that business actors are required to provide correct information regarding the halal status of their products. Because, there is a threat of sanctions if it is violated.

"Our country has a Law on Halal Product Assurance and also a Consumer Protection Act. We must comply with all of them." said Aqil.

Article 149 of the PP, he continued, states that violations of the implementation of halal product guarantees are subject to administrative sanctions for business actors, ranging from written warnings, fines, revocation of halal certificates, and/or withdrawal of goods from circulation.

"The imposition of these sanctions will be effectively implemented since the enactment of the mandatory halal certification which will begin in October 2024. However, we urge business actors to immediately carry out their obligations according to regulations." he concluded. []