Get Halal Certificate in India | What is Halal Certificate?

How to Get Halal Certification in India

Halal is a term from the Quran that means ‘permitted’ or ‘lawful’. Therefore, in relation to food, Halal is used for food and other consumables that are permissible for consumption and used by Muslims, based on Islamic law, the Shariah. Halal promotes cleanliness in all aspects of a person and halal foods ensure that food consumed by a person in their daily lives are clean, hygienic and not detrimental to their health or well-being. Having a halal certification ensures that the food product is deemed safe for consumption and with rising awareness about Halal foods, more and more businesses are seeking Halal Certification for their products, premises, restaurants, etc., In this article, we look at the procedure for obtaining Halal Certification in India.

Halal Certification

Halal Certification is provided by Halal Certification Bodies in India. There are various Halal Bodies and a few of the Halal Bodies in India are listed below:

• Halal India Private Limited
• Halal Certification Services India Private Limited
• Jamiat Ulama-E-Maharashtra – a State unit of Jamiat Ulama-E-Hind
• Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Halal Trust

Businesses wishing to obtain Halal certification in India can approach any of the above Certification Bodies for obtaining Halal certification. While providing Halal certification, a competent authority audits and ensures that the business:

• Neither is nor consist of or contains any part or matter of an animal that a Muslim is prohibited by Shariah to consume or that has not been slaughtered in accordance with Shariah.
• Does not contain anything which is considered to be impure according to Shariah.
• Has not been prepared, processed or manufactured using an instrument that was not free from anything impure according to Shariah; and
• Has not in the course of preparation, processing or storage been in contact with or close proximity to any food that fails to satisfy paragraph (a) (b) or (c) or anything that is considered to be impure according to Hukum Shariah.

Types of Halal Certification

Based on the nature of the business, the type of Halal certification varies. Most frequently, Halal certification is obtained for places like restaurants, hotels, slaughtering houses, packaging and labelling materials to ensure they are suitable to be visited/used by Muslim consumers. However, Halal certification is not limited to only food produce. Non-alcohol beverage, raw materials needed in food processing, pharmaceutical and health care products, traditional herbal products, cosmetics and personal care products, cleaning products and daily consumable products can also obtain Halal Certificate. Therefore, obtain the Halal Certification from Halal Certification Bodies – broadly under the following schemes:

• Food, Beverage and Catering Scheme
• Restaurant Scheme
• Industrial Scheme
• Abattoir Scheme
• Warehouse or Storage Scheme
• Product Endorsement Scheme

Halal Certification Procedure

Step 1: Application

The business wishing to obtain Halal Certification must apply to one of the Certification Bodies. It is important for the business to be aware of Halal Certification requirements at this stage and ensure that it is compliant with Halal requirements, Halal systems requirements and Halal staffing requirements.

Step 2: Audit

Once the application information is verified, Auditors (usually one Shariah Auditor and one Technical Auditor) will visit the business for inspection. The Auditors will verify if the following areas are acceptable for Halal Certification:

• Documentation
• Processing, handling, and product distribution
• Storage, display, and product serving
• Cleanliness, sanitary, and food safety
• The overall aspects of the premises
• Tools, apparatus, and machines
• Packaging and labeling

During the audit, the business might have to provide criteria of acceptance of raw materials (ingredients), certificate of analysis, and Halal certificate of individual ingredient. Once, the audit is completed, an audit report will be prepared and signed by both parties.

Step 3: Certification

Once the Halal audit is complete, a Technical Committee will review the documents submitted by the business and the audit report submitted by the Auditors. If the audit report is satisfactory and the business and/or products satisfy the Halal certification criteria, then the Halal Certification Body issues the Halal Certificate.

Benefits of Halal Certification

Obtaining Halal Certification has various advantages and could provide an edge for business amongst competitors. The following are some of the major benefits of obtaining Halal Certification for a business or product:

• Make the business or product marketable to over 2 billion people across the world.
• Use of the Halal logo
• Enhance the marketability of the product in Muslim countries
• Improve the quality of the food or product or hygienic systems
• Improve the quality of the food or product