By: Harridil Haq
Halal certificate is one of the tools for MSMEs to increase the added value of the products produced. How not, with a halal certificate, the product you have can be guaranteed halal status so as to provide peace of mind for consumers, especially Muslim consumers. In addition, with a halal certificate, MSMEs are challenged to implement a Halal Assurance System so that the quality and quality of products and even the integrity of a business unit become better in the eyes of consumers.
LPPOM MUI as the implementer of the halal certification process realizes that MSMEs have their own challenges in running their daily business. Likewise, for MSMEs who want to implement HAS23000 as a prerequisite for carrying out a halal certificate, the number of relatively efficient workers and awareness of the importance of implementing a halal guarantee system is often a scourge for MSMEs to get halal certificates.
With these conditions, LPPOM has basically issued several conveniences that can be used by MSMEs to get halal certification. Some of them are:
- Online-based halal certification system, Cerol SS-23000
With an online-based system, the halal certification process can be accessed at any time. The site can be accessed through http://e-lppommui.org. The documents uploaded through the system are softfiles so that they are easier to manage and store, so with a relatively efficient number of workers, the halal certification process is still very possible.
- Halal Assurance System Manual Template
The Halal Assurance System Manual (SJH) is a guidebook for implementing the Halal Assurance System in business units. For MSMEs, basically there is no need to worry, LPPOM MUI has designed a template that can be used. In the SJH Manual, it has been explained the steps that MSMEs need to take to implement the Halal Assurance System. In simple terms, then MSMEs only need to ensure that the criteria contained in the template are implemented and can be proven to be implemented through recording in a form that can be adjusted to the business units carried out. This document can be accessed by communicating with the Cerol Sevices team on 14056 or by email [email protected].
However, in addition to these conveniences, there is still another challenge, namely MSMEs need to provide supporting documents for materials, in this case including raw materials, additional materials and auxiliary materials. According to Dr. Ir. Hj. Mulyorini R. Hilwan, M.Si. as the Head of the Auditing Division of LPPOM MUI, in HAS23000 has regulated criteria related to materials, namely: Materials meet criteria related to the origin of materials, namely halal materials, critical materials must be equipped with sufficient supporting documents, and the company has a mechanism to ensure the applicability of supporting documents.
In addition, he also said that in general, supporting documents for materials are documents that explain the halal status of a material. These documents can be in the form of halal certificates from MUI or halal certification bodies recognized by MUI, flowcharts, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), Certificates of Analysis (CoA), other documents that can show that the materials used to produce halal products are halal materials, as well as their combinations. These documents must be issued by the manufacturer of the material.
In preparing these documents, MSMEs often have their own challenges, here are some of them:
- The view that “All ingredients must be supported by a halal certificate”
This view is not quite right. LPPOM MUI only requires halal certificates for certain ingredients. Some of them are ingredients or derivatives of ingredients of animal origin (such as cut meat, offal, etc.), ingredients that are generally produced in a complex and large quantity (such as flavors, seasonings, and vitamin premixes), ingredients that are difficult to trace their halal status (Such as whey protein concentrate whose raw materials are collected from various cheese industries). In addition to the MUI halal certificate, LPPOM MUI also received other supporting documents in the form of halal certificates from Halal Certification Bodies (LSH) abroad who are members of the World Halal Food Council (WHFC). These overseas LSH names can be accessed via halalmui.org in the LSH List column. In addition, LPPOM MUI has also issued Halal Positive List Material, which is materials that have been considered halal so that they do not require supporting documents. The positive list can be accessed through the halalmui.org website in the LPPOM MUI Policy column. Thus, this view needs to be straightened out to “All materials must be supported by supporting documents, except for the materials listed in the Halal Positive List Material”.
- Difficulty obtaining MUI halal certificate documents
In the ongoing business process, MSMEs often find it difficult to get a hard copy of the MUI halal certificate as a supporting document. Generally, in this case, it is caused because MSMEs do not have direct access to producers because purchases are made in retail or retail or the number of purchases that have not met the minimum order requirement. In this case, LPPOM MUI has provided convenience for MSMEs, namely supporting documents for materials can be replaced with product screenshots on the product search page on the halalmui.org, product screenshots on the halal journal page that can be downloaded on the halalmui.org, or in the form of product packaging photos that can be confirmed ownership of the MUI halal certificate.
- Supporting documents come from the supplier
This is not in accordance with the definition of supporting documents, because supporting documents must come from producers who produce raw materials. Please be aware that the definition of one ingredient is a material produced by the MANUFACTURER and with a CERTAIN COUNTRY OF ORIGIN. If an MSME uses cooking oil from producer A and producer B, it means that the company is considered to use two different ingredients. Likewise, if an MSME buys flavor ingredients produced by the multinational company C from Indonesia and Singapore, this means that the company is considered to use two different ingredients. This difference has an impact on different supporting documents that are issued by two different manufacturers. Simply put, to find out the manufacturer and nasal of the country of the material used, you can look at the packaging of the material or match the batch number with the Certificate of Analysis (CoA) owned by the material.
What about supporting documents that are not in the form of halal certificates? According to Dr. Ir. Hj. Mulyorini R. Hilwan, M.Si. as the Head of the Auditing Division of LPPOM MUI, basically as long as the material is not a material that is required to be halal certified, there are supporting documents that are able to explain the halal status of raw materials, additional materials, and auxiliary materials, and are verified through the audit process, supporting documents are still very likely to be used. For example, in the use case of certain chemicals that use trade names, generally, a document in the form of a Material Safety Data Sheet is still needed which explains the chemical name of the material so that it can be further traced its halal status.
Thus, the existing conveniences in the form of the CEROL SS23000 Online system, positive lists, halal product search lists, Halal Journals, and Lists of Halal Certification Bodies abroad can be used by MSMEs in developing strategies in preparing supporting documents and implementing the Halal Assurance System in the daily business process and even the halal certification process can even be carried out and passed more easily.
