A halal certificate is not just a piece of paper but the result of a long commitment to implementing the Halal Product Assurance System (SJPH). In the restaurant industry, SJPH covers the selection of raw materials and the production process, storage, distribution, and presentation to consumers. Beyond a label, a halal restaurant signifies a full commitment to halal standards! How do the best halal restaurants assure the safety and quality of their food according to Islamic guidelines?
Have you ever seen a restaurant that displays the words “halal” in large letters on the front banner but without an official certification logo? Be careful, it could just be a one-sided claim!
In the midst of the increasingly varied and modern culinary industry, people now judge not only food by taste and aesthetics but also by value—especially halalness. This is not just a trend but a reflection of the increasing awareness of Muslims, as the majority of the Indonesian population is attracted to what they consume.
So, what exactly is a halal restaurant? Is the concept the same as a franchise? And to what extent is a restaurant responsible if it wants to be labelled “halal”?
The President Director of The Assessment Institute for Foods, Drugs and Cosmetics (LPPOM), Muti Arintawati, emphasized that the halalness of a food product cannot only be claimed by the business owner. “With a halal certificate, it means that the company has gone through a series of processes that can guarantee that its products are halal,” she said. A halal certificate is not just a piece of paper but the result of a long commitment to implementing the Halal Product Assurance System (SJPH).
In the restaurant industry, SJPH covers the selection of raw materials and the production process, storage, distribution, and presentation to consumers. The existence of SJPH in restaurants aims to assure Muslim consumers that the food and drinks they consume have gone through a process that is by halal provisions. With this system, restaurants can increase customer trust and expand the market for people who consider halalness the primary consideration when choosing a place to eat.
Halal’s scope in the restaurant industry includes raw material selection, processing, storage, and presentation. The implementation of SJPH in the restaurant industry refers to the Decree of the Head of BPJPH No. 78 of 2023 concerning Guidelines for Halal Certification of Food and Beverages with Processing. This standard includes several criteria that must be met by the Restaurant Industry, including:
1. Commitment and Responsibility
Restaurant management or business actors must demonstrate commitment to implementing SJPH and ensure all business operations comply with halal standards. Business actors must implement this commitment by establishing clear halal policies and conducting periodic evaluations for improvement.
Business actors must disseminate halal policies to all business units, including head offices, warehouses, kitchens, branches, and outlets. In addition, business actors are required to ensure that all business units have the same standards when implementing SJPH. Business actors must also provide training for employees to improve their understanding of the halal concept.
2. Materials
Every material used in the production of food and beverages must meet the established halal standards. These criteria include using raw materials, additives, auxiliary materials, and processed materials. In addition, factory-made products (such as soft drinks) and consignment goods (such as cakes, nuts, and crackers) that will be sold as products must also be registered as ingredients. Business actors must ensure the consistency of the use of ingredients is the same as those used in the halal certificate proposal. In addition, business actors must report ingredient changes to BPJPH to ensure compliance with the established halal standards.
3. Halal Product Process
Business actors must meet the criteria for the Halal Product Process (PPH), which includes a) Location, place, and tools, b) PPH equipment and devices, and c) PPH procedures. Business actors must ensure that PPH meets the criteria determined in each business unit warehouse, kitchen, branch and outlet. Business actors must separate the location, place, and PPH tools from the non-halal product process in each kitchen, warehouse, branch outlet, or similar location, including slaughtering, processing, storage, packaging, distribution, sales, and presentation. Including the location and processing tools that use third-party services. The third-party must meet the halal standards for processing facilities/services, and a commitment agreement must be made at any time (according to the cooperation contract) to ensure the quality of SJPH at the location, place and tools used. In addition, business actors must provide the availability of procedures and implementation in each kitchen, warehouse, branch and outlet. The method must also include whether or not petty cash is allowed to buy ingredients that have run out and rules related to employee consumption.
4. Products
Products produced by restaurants must meet the established halal standards, including Packaged or repackaged products, must be in accordance with the contents and have a halal certificate. Consignment products (such as cakes, nuts and crackers) and factory-packaged products (such as soft drinks) must be registered for certification to facilitate traceability. Halal labels must be included on products, except for food served directly on plates (or similar containers), products packaged in front of buyers, and products too small to be labelled halal. Identification and tracing of halal products must be carried out in all business units.
5. Monitoring and Evaluation
To ensure consistency in the implementation of SJPH, restaurants must conduct regular internal audits at least once a year. In addition, business actors are also required to have and implement internal audit procedures to ensure compliance with SJPH, report complete internal audit results for each business unit, and report a list of ingredient compositions and halal production processes to BPJPH every six months. If there is a transfer, reduction, and addition of business entities, business actors need to notify BPJPH, especially if it can affect the implementation of SJPH.
Specifically, several things need to be considered for food and beverage franchises with processing. The agreement between the franchiser and franchisee must include the implementation of SJPH, especially the commitment and responsibility to meet the SJPH criteria.
Franchisees or continuing franchisees must comply with the agreement to implement SJPH. If they cannot meet these provisions, they are not entitled to use the Halal Certificate obtained by the franchisor or continuing franchisee.
As a result, they are also not allowed to include a halal label on the products or services offered. Franchises in the food and beverage sector that have not applied for a Halal Certificate are required to apply for certification immediately. Coordination and cooperation are needed between the franchisor and franchisee in this application process so applicable provisions can obtain that certification.
The Halal Certificate’s validity period and the franchise agreement’s term are one unit. When the franchise agreement ends, the franchisee’s right to use the Halal Certificate also automatically ends. This confirms that compliance with SJPH must continue to be maintained throughout the validity period of the franchise agreement.
Halal-certified restaurants have great opportunities to develop in the culinary industry, which continues to grow. However, business actors must overcome various challenges with the right strategy, such as education about the importance of halal certification, optimization of operational costs, and innovation in marketing. With a good approach, halal-certified restaurants can compete competitively and continue to grow in meeting the needs of Muslim consumers who are increasingly selective about halal food. (Rina/FM).
