Halal auditors are people who have the ability to examine product halalness. Its role and function are very crucial in the process of product halal certification.
Referring to Act Number 33 of 2014 concerning Halal Products Assurance, which has been merged into the Omnibus Law of Job Creation, the Halal certification process includes several stages involving three essential stakeholders.
The three stakeholders are Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) as a regulator. The second one is the Halal Inspection Body (LPH) that examines and tests the halalness of materials based on the implementation of the Halal Assurance System (SJH) and the Indonesian Council of Ulama (MUI) that conducts a fatwa trial to determine either a product is halal or not.
LPH, as an institution that examines the halal content of products scientifically. Is tasked with conducting inspections of raw materials, additional materials and auxiliary materials, production processes, packaging to distribution, and examining the implementation of the halal assurance system in the industry. Therefore, LPH entrusts its halal auditors.
According to Article 1 Number 13 Government Regulation (PP) No. 31 of 2019 concerning Implementing Regulations of Act No. 33 of 2014 concerning Halal Product Assurance, what halal auditors mean are people who have the ability to conduct halal inspections of products.
Given the crucial role and function and heavy responsibilities, the halal auditor must fulfill several law-regulated requirements. Article 14 of the Job Creation Law stipulates that the requirements to become a halal auditor include Indonesian citizens; are Muslim; Minimum education degree (S1) in food, chemistry, biochemistry, industrial engineering, biology, pharmacy, medicine, catering, or agriculture.
The special requirements for halal auditors are listed in the Act, according to the Chairman of MUI, Dr. Lukmanul Hakim, M.Si, meant that there would be no misunderstanding of terms that are often used in the food industry.
“There are many terms in the food industry that ordinary people can misinterpret. Therefore, to become an auditor, one must have basic sciences,” said Lukmanul Hakim. When he served as Director of LPPOM MUI, he was one of the initiators of the drafting of the Halal Product Assurance Act that stipulates special requirements for halal auditors.
Good spoken and written English skills are also essential for understanding English supporting documents and communicating with auditees to obtain information needed in audits, especially for foreign companies.
This skill is to ensure that audits of foreign companies are carried out correctly and accurately. In audits of foreign companies, as evidence of competence, the auditor must present the audit results in the auditor’s meeting in front of other auditors in English.
In particular, Government Regulation (PP) No. 31 of 2019, Article 40 Paragraph 4 summarizes the roles and functions of halal auditors, including:
1. Inspecting and conducting an assessment of the materials used
In examining and reviewing the materials of a product, the auditor requires sufficient competence in the production flow. At this stage, the auditor must ensure that all raw materials are included in the halal category.
2. Checking or reviewing the product processing process
Products made with 100% halal raw materials do not guarantee that the final result will also be halal. Therefore, it is necessary to check.
3. Inspecting and reviewing the system for slaughtering
Products made from raw materials derived from animals are a particular concern in the halal certification process. Halal auditors must ensure that animals that must be slaughtered according to Islamic law.
4. Examining product locations
Halal auditors are required to ensure that production sites, slaughterhouses, processing equipment, packaging, and distribution of halal products are not mixed with non-halal ones.
5. Checking the Halal Assurance system from business actors
Every company that wants its products to be certified halal must have SJH or Halal Assurance System. SJH itself is integrated management created and determined to regulate that the raw materials used, production processes, human resources, and procedures are following the requirements set by LPPOM MUI.
5. Reporting the results of the test or examination to LPH
From the results of the examination, the halal auditor is obliged to report any findings to LPH. The findings were then reported to the MUI Fatwa Commission to issue MUI halal regulations. (FMS)
