A Complete Guide to HALAL & KOSHER Certification (Factory Audit Notes)

A complete guide to HALAL & KOSHER certification

I. Company introduction

SINOQUAL is an authorized direct branch of an international Halal certification body and of the world''s five major Kosher certification bodies, a long-term partner of Chinese listed companies and Fortune Global 500 enterprises, and highly trusted by clients. We uphold the core values of "passion, professionalism, justice, and unity," carry the mission of "with love as light, making life healthier," and have 2,800+ successful cases. Our elite certification specialists with 15 years of certification experience interpret importing countries'' certification policies precisely with a global perspective. We insist on professional division of labor throughout, one-on-one zero-time-difference communication and guidance, obtaining certificates in as fast as 15 days, safeguarding clients'' success in the international Halal/Kosher market!

II. Certification scope

Our certification scope is broad, covering eight major categories including but not limited to seafood, dairy products, additives, oils and fats, chemical products, pharmaceuticals, daily-use products, and packaging products. For details, please view the SINOQUAL Halal & Kosher certification scope.

III. Certification brands

SINOQUAL''s main Halal brands

SINOQUAL''s main Kosher brands

IV. Certification process

Days 1-3: Preliminary consultation and research stage

The enterprise needs to clarify the scope of export/domestic markets, as well as the certified products and their raw materials and the production workshop operations, so that we can accurately assess whether your company is qualified to apply for certification;

Days 4-6: Filling out the application form

Please have the enterprise arrange for someone who understands English and is familiar with the product information and production situation to fill out the application form and prepare relevant supporting documents. All documents should be confirmed as final declaration materials before submission - the efficiency of cooperation in this link directly determines the certification timeline!

Days 7-8: The body reviews the application form

The body''s personnel review the materials intensively; an application typically involves 3-4 professionals, so the materials must be accurate. Once they need to be modified, the body has to re-review them and the certification cycle will be extended;

Days 9-10: Acceptance fee quotation and contract signing

We generally provide the contract to the enterprise''s legal department for review before submitting the application form; this link mainly implements payment, so let''s get going!

Days 11-15: Arranging the factory audit, applicant payment, and issuing the certificate

We will arrange the factory audit within one week of receiving payment. If the on-site factory audit goes smoothly, the certificate is just around the corner!

V. Factory audit notes

The factory audit is the single most important link in the entire certification process, directly determining whether we can successfully obtain the certificate.

Document preparation

The ingredient situation on the application form and supplementary materials should be consistent with the warehouse inventory; please prepare a copy of the application form in advance. In addition, the business license, purchase contracts, invoices and other purchase vouchers, production records, pest control records, cleaning records, purchase orders, logistics distribution orders, and other relevant materials should also be prepared in full.

Raw material packaging

Be sure to provide the original packaging information on the raw material''s outer packaging, and do not tear off the original packaging label. Especially for raw materials that require a Halal certificate, specification sheet, Halal declaration, MSDS, etc., the original packaging must absolutely be retained. To ensure the factory-audit process can proceed efficiently and smoothly, it is best to provide English explanations for the raw material names and related information for the auditor''s reference.

The on-site raw material inventory and finished products must be consistent with the application form. Halal product raw materials and non-Halal product raw materials must be completely separated into different warehouses and different production lines.

Keep communication open

Ensure that for two days before the factory audit and on the day of the audit, the factory manager''s mobile phone is reachable, so as to coordinate relevant arrangements and allow the auditor to communicate important matters with the factory manager in a timely manner during the audit. At least 5 people, including the factory''s quality control, warehouse management, and production supervisors, need to attend the training before the factory audit.

Factory cleaning

The cleaning scope includes but is not limited to:

Finished product warehouse, semi-finished product warehouse, raw material warehouse.

The floors, walls, workbenches, and equipment of the production workshop.

The factory grounds should be clean and items stacked in the factory should be arranged neatly.

Please keep the factory workshop clean, and there should be no dogs at the factory entrance.

Video factory audit

In view of special circumstances, SINOQUAL thoughtfully provides video factory-audit services.

For a video factory audit, please contact the inspector''s messaging account in advance, keep a good and smooth signal, and conduct an online video with the inspector. Throughout the audit process, at least one person familiar with production technology must be present to explain in English.

During the video factory audit, the auditor will inspect the following on site: the raw material warehouse, finished product warehouse, and production line workshop for all products in the factory. A technician familiar with the production equipment and raw materials needs to be present to explain in English.

Inspecting the production workshop

It is best to be in normal production; in the event of a production stoppage or off-season, at least ensure that the raw material warehouse has some raw materials or that the production equipment is complete and can demonstrate the production process. Dynamic production is not required, but a presenter needs to explain the production process in English. During this process, the inspector will ask questions, which the video presenter can answer online.

Inspecting the warehouse

This mainly checks whether the warehouse products are complete and packaging is intact, whether the raw materials are consistent with the application form, whether there are other non-applied products on site, and whether the non-applied products are Halal-prohibited, such as pork, alcohol, and their derivatives.

If alcohol is used, it must be food-grade alcohol from a chemical plant and may only be used for cleaning, disinfection, and as a solvent. The content in the finished product must not exceed 0.5%.

Any images or text of pork, dog, donkey, or snake meat and their derivatives, alcohol, or god-of-wealth idols must not appear on packaging, labels, finished products, samples, or websites.

Friendly reminder: cartoon images of prohibited animals are also not allowed, such as Peppa Pig.

Factory audit order

The auditor will inspect starting from the first process on the production line, all the way to the final finished product. Throughout the process, if the auditor asks questions about production, a professional must provide answers. If there are two production lines, they need to be in production at the same time during the audit.

Catering and reception

Please arrange for the auditor to dine at a Halal restaurant.

Personnel transport

Please be sure to have factory personnel pick up and drop off the auditor at the designated locations in the itinerary (airport, station, hotel, etc.). To ensure the auditor''s personal safety, the auditor is not permitted to take a taxi or otherwise travel to the destination (airport, station, hotel, etc.) on their own. If the factory lets the auditor travel to the destination on their own and any personal safety accident occurs en route, the factory shall bear the relevant responsibility - please be sure to be aware of this!

V. About confidentiality and security

SINOQUAL attaches great importance to the security of your information and data. We come standard with a professional, well-known licensed lawyer with up to twenty years of practice as a legal advisor, building a custom firewall to safeguard your information security and eliminate all your worries. SINOQUAL will sign strict and rigorous confidentiality agreements with you, as well as with company employees and the certification body, ensuring that the confidential information you provide to our company - such as product formulas, production processes, and trade secrets - is securely safeguarded. To earn our company''s long-term professional reputation in the industry, even if you do not engage in any further business cooperation or purchase services from SINOQUAL later, our company will keep the information you provide in the strictest confidence.

From 2006 to the present, SINOQUAL''s customer return rate has exceeded 95%, many of them Fortune Global 500 and well-known listed enterprises. They all hold an affirmative and recognized attitude toward SINOQUAL''s professionalism, rigor, and confidentiality and security.