To provide guidance and make it easier for business actors, LPPOM MUI has issued a list of materials that do not need halal certification (halal positive list of materials). How do food and beverage manufacturers respond to the policy?
As an effort to be efficient and effective in the halal certification process, as well as providing guidance to business actors who want to take care of halal certification, the Food, Medicines and Cosmetics Assessment Institute (LPPOM) of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued a decision on the Halal Positive List of Materials.
Halal Positive List of Materials, which in everyday language is often called positive list, is a list of non-critical materials from halal aspects that are generally used in the processing industry. The policy of compiling the list, according to the Executive Director of LPPOM MUI, Ir. Muti Arintawati, M.Si, to make it easier for food industry players to choose ingredients.
"Because, in fact, there are materials that do not contain critical things either from the origin of the material or the production process. This is obtained based on scientific studies based on literature reviews and based on audit experience," said Muti.
According to Muti, a positive list can simplify the halal certification process because the industry or company is quite focused on preparing halal supporting documents and the selection process of critical materials only. There are at least three conveniences for companies that use the ingredients contained in the positive list.
First, in the selection process of new materials, LPPOM MUI requires that every new material used by the company must have an approval application from LPPOM MUI before use. Meanwhile, the materials included in the positive list have received approval for the use of materials from LPPOM MUI automatically without the need to make an approval application.
Second, in the process of receiving materials, materials included in the positive list do not need to check the suitability of the ingredient name, manufacturer name and country of origin versus the existing ingredient list owned by the company. This list of existing materials is indeed made to control so that the materials that come are not out of the list of materials approved by LPPOM MUI (which requires an examination of the name of the ingredient, the name of the manufacturer, and the country of origin). For non-critical materials, there is no need for inspection of the suitability of the three pieces of information.
Thirdly, in the process of product registration, the materials included in the list of non-critical materials do not require supporting documents. If the material uses a trade name that is not the same as the name of the material, then the material specification document is still required. During the audit process, the auditor will still check the supporting documents of the materials if needed.
With the convenience provided, the LPPOM MUI positive list received appreciation from the company or manufacturer. "Because they can focus on selecting critical materials and providing appropriate documents. We are also working closely with industry associations in the process of providing the information needed in the preparation of this list," Muti said.
Muti continued, in modern halal certification practices, the provision of positive lists is commonplace. A number of foreign halal institutions also implement similar things, albeit under different names. This positive list has also become a reference or reference for other halal certification bodies in the world.
"The Halal Positive List of Materials is an important document that is used as a reference for halal institutions in various countries in carrying out the halal certification process," said Muti. (*)
