The government has enacted Act No. 33 of 2014 concerning Halal Product Assurance, which requires halal certification for all products and services circulating in Indonesia. Meatballs, which are consumed by nearly all levels of society, fall into the category of food and beverages that require certification.
In addition to ensuring the halal status of meat as a raw material, meatball meat grinding is one of the crucial points that often becomes a stumbling block for meatball traders in Indonesia seeking to obtain halal certification. This is because, until now, there has been no special grinding process for grinding meat and halal ingredients.
It is not an exaggeration to say that the percentage of halal-certified meatball traders is only around 1.5 percent. Meatball traders absorb seventy percent of the beef on the market. “Of the many meat grinders spread across Indonesia, not one has halal certification,” said the General Chairperson of the Noodle and Meatball Traders Association (APMISO), Lasiman.
Therefore, Lasiman demands that the government be responsible for implementing the regulation. To gather further information about APMISO’s stance on mandatory halal provisions, here is a statement from APMISO Chairman Lasiman, collected by Jurnal Halal reporter Saeful through direct interviews and other statements from Lasiman. Here is a summary of the quotes:
The government has stipulated that products circulating in Indonesia must be halal certified, including meatball grinders. As the General Chairperson of APMISO, what is your response to this?
We want to clarify our stance on halal certification, specifically regarding meat grinders. Meatballs are unique, fun, and scary. Exceptional, we have to look back: when did meatballs exist?
I followed in my father’s footsteps, making meatballs since 1980. At that time, there were no machines; instead, only iron cutting boards were used to soften the meat before mixing it with starch and kneading it into meatballs. So, there was no halal or haram at that time. It was only in 1990 that the meat grinder was introduced. The grinder factory belonged to the APMISO management in Wonogiri. We provided the grinder to our fellow meatball traders.
Regarding halal certification, we generally support all government policies, including those related to halal certification. However, the rules of the game in halal certification must be clear; is it the grinding process unit or the grinding machine? What should be halal certified is the grinding service, as it is directly related to the meatball-making process.
To ensure that the meat grinding process does not mix with haram meat, a special halal grinding machine may be required.
Everything must be written down. It must be in the regulations, because this concerns many people. So far, meatballs, except for those made in factories, have not been considered halal. As a trader, since halal certification is managed by the Indonesian Council of Ulama (MUI), I have wanted to obtain halal certification. However, there are many challenges faced.
What are the challenges?
The unavailability of grinders in the markets. This is greatly needed by meatball traders in Indonesia, especially those operating in the micro and small business sector. Almost 90% of meatball traders throughout Indonesia grind meatballs in the market. This is partly because there is a risk of contamination from non-halal meat, such as wild boar, which is suspected of being ground in the meat grinder at the market.
That doesn’t exist, it’s just an issue. Wild boar is only for the food of lions, crocodiles, and tigers. But for human food, there is none. Indeed, the Indonesian nation is diverse; some still eat wild boar meat or other meats that are considered permissible. But in certain areas, for meatball products, almost no one uses wild boar meat.
Are there any other challenges?
The meat grinding machine is expensive, costing around 60 million rupiah. If micro and small-scale meatball traders have to purchase their grinding machines, this will be a significant burden. In addition, the government also needs to pay attention to the condition of the grinding machines in the markets, many of which are too old, necessitating machine rejuvenation. Is it in the form of assistance or loans? From here, we can find a solution. The business is in, and the halal is also in.
So, what is APMISO’s stance on the halal certification program?
Therefore, I would like this halal certification to be handled appropriately; the government should intervene in this matter. Then there are three categories of meatball traders: restaurant-class meatball traders, street vendor groups, and the lowest are push or traveling meatball traders. For the big ones, such as restaurant classes, with the regular halal certification program, I’m sure it’s no problem; they can afford it.
But these street vendors must be taken into account, can they afford it? I’m sure they can’t afford this kind of cost. Let alone spending on halal certification costs, it’s already challenging to make a profit of 100,000 rupiah a day.
So, what are APMISO’s steps regarding this mandatory halal certification?
First, let’s support the government’s program, which aims to have all food products throughout Indonesia certified as halal. We must support it because 80% of Indonesian people are Muslim, who, of course, prioritize the halal principle for every food consumed. We must support this. However, support from these traders must, of course, be implemented without being burdensome.
Second, we provide education to traders, teaching them that they must find a solution. For example, working with companies that have empowerment and social responsibility programs, such as those with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. We were assisted by Pegadaian not only with the grinding machines, but also with the halal certification. The grinding machines provided by Pegadaian are numerous. We provide dozens of grinding machines to each province. We hope that other companies will also set aside funds to offer halal meat grinding solutions.
Third, we request assistance to enable meatball traders to obtain halal certification without incurring any costs.
Hasn’t the halal certification assistance program for meatball traders been carried out before?
Yes, for example, in Yogyakarta, it was assisted by UIN Yogyakarta at that time. Sixty traders were assisted with their halal certification. In Jakarta, it was assisted by Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI) for around 40 traders. APMISO has also approached state-owned companies. In Semarang, we were assisted by Bank Indonesia.
Therefore, for halal certification, we want to obtain information as clearly as possible. If there are costs, it’s no problem. Incidentally, we will be working with BSI on a national level. We have held several meetings with LPPOM, both in DKI and other regions to discuss.
Finally, what are APMISO’s hopes for this halal certification program?
I request that all parties ensure this halal certification is carried out without placing an undue burden on meatball trader members. APMISO has formed groups to ensure that meat grinding is carried out in a coordinated manner. If in the market, this APMISO group handles it, so that it can detect the source of the meat. This group must be supervised; if groups do not supervise it through associations, it feels difficult. The presence of APMISO will help the halal certification acceleration program. Additionally, comprehensive education is necessary. Then the handling is also really focused.
I hope that meatball traders, who number in the hundreds of thousands and potentially reach millions of people, are a concern to all parties. If there are so many traders, it means that there are also a lot of consumers. The thoughts of certain communities that doubt the halalness of meatballs can be polemical and should be avoided. (***)
