JAKIM ’ s continuous enhancements to Malaysia ’ s halal standards foster confidence and trust among the public and industry players
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Cover Story
@ Halal | MAY-JUNE . 2023
Upholding halal integrity
JAKIM ’ s continuous enhancements to Malaysia ’ s halal standards foster confidence and trust among the public and industry players
BY FATIHAH MANAF
MALAYSIA ’ S halal standard is widely regarded as the benchmark in the industry , with its halal certification holding global recognition . Once businesses obtain the halal certification issued by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia ( JAKIM ), they gain a significant advantage to venture into the global halal market .
Their halal-certified products instil consumer trust and confidence , enhancing their market appeal .
According to Mohamad Zamri Mohamed Shapik , Director of the Halal Management Division , JAKIM , the industry is prompted to obtain its halal certification due to the significant signal brought forth by increased consumer awareness .
“ The development of halal certification in Malaysia is highly encouraging , with a high level of consumer awareness ,” said Zamri .
“ The public is very sensitive to this issue .
So , if there are any issues related to halal , one should not take them lightly because they can go viral whether they are reported correctly or falsely .
“ Therefore , when the wave of consumer awareness regarding halal is high , it indirectly impacts the industry , making the players more alert .
“ The industry ’ s development is also increasingly attractive and positive , as they strive to fulfil halal requirements and manual standards to the best of their abilities . For example , in implementing the Halal Assurance System ( HAS ), there is a need for a halal executive , halal training , standard operating procedures ( SOPs ), and the establishment of a committee .
“ The industry is becoming more aware and familiar with our manuals and standards .”
IMPROVING OVERALL EFFICIENCY
Zamri emphasised that the achievements in the development of halal certification in Malaysia embodied a long and enduring struggle . Despite the positive progress , he noted that it had yet to reach a perfect stage , leaving room for further improvement .
He said : “ Now we are striving to enhance our level of achievement . As we are well aware , we are in the digital era . In this era of IR 4.0 , the customer-driven approach is solid , and customers nowadays want everything fast .
“ They don ’ t want things to be slow ; they expect speed and efficiency . Therefore , given this situation , we are trying to improve our SOPs .”
Zamri stated that the usual processing time for regular cases was approximately three months . However , JAKIM has identified specific types of applications where the duration could be shortened .
“ For instance , if a customer only needs to do repackaging , it wouldn ’ t take up to three months . However , the duration might take slightly longer for hotels with thousands of ingredients and hundreds of menus .
“ JAKIM received high demand from industries abroad seeking our certification . However , according to our current policy , applications should be submitted by branches , distributors or agents in Malaysia .
“ But moving forward , InsyaAllah , we will introduce a halal manual for companies and industries overseas in July . It means they can directly engage with JAKIM to obtain halal certification for their products .”