BPJPH, MUI and the Fatwa Committee Reach Agreement on a Solution to the Halal-Certified Product Naming Issue

After products named 'tuyul,' 'tuak,' 'beer' and 'wine' obtained Halal certification, the Ministry of Religious Affairs' Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) held a joint meeting with the Fatwa Committee and the Halal Product Committee of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI). The meeting reached a consensus on a solution to the naming issue of 151 Halal-certified products.

Attending the meeting were BPJPH head Muhammad Aqil Irham, Halal Registration and Certification Center head Mamat S. Burhanudin, MUI Fatwa Department chairman Asrorun Niam Sholeh, Halal Product Fatwa Committee chairman Zulfa Mustofa, and representatives from various organizations.

'Today, Tuesday, 8 October 2024, we held a joint meeting with the Fatwa Committee and the Halal Product Fatwa Committee of the Indonesian Ulema Council. This meeting aimed to identify product names suspected of being related to names with connotations not allowed in MUI's fatwas,' BPJPH head Muhammad Aqil Irham said in Serpong on Tuesday (8 October 2024).

'From this joint meeting, we obtained data on 5,314,453 products (with Halal certification), of which 151 products had problematic names. This percentage is 0.003%. Thank God, this shows that we are relatively appropriate. However, among the 151 products, we identified two findings: 30 are exempted, and 121 are not.'

MUI Fatwa Department chairman Asrorun Niam Soleh said that, according to MUI Fatwa No. 44 of 2020, there are two conditions related to product naming.

Niam explained: 'First, according to the fatwa, there are exceptions to the use of names, forms or packaging stipulated in Fatwa No. 44 of 2020, such as names, forms or packaging generally recognized by society that have no association with anything harmful, such as bir pletok, which is considered a Halal, pure traditional beverage with no association with alcoholic beer.'

'Similarly,' he said, 'not all uses of the word "wine" are prohibited. For example, "wine red" refers to a color commonly used in society. This nuance must be fully understood to avoid causing public unease.'

Niam pointed out: 'Second, some substances are indeed inconsistent with the fatwa. Therefore, we are committed to improvement and require business practitioners to make revisions and changes according to the fatwa standards.'

Regarding the mechanism for correcting product naming, a positive path for the improvement process has been discussed, in order to be consistent with various legal provisions and the fatwa standards used as a reference for the Halal fatwa determination process.

He added: 'Therefore, this joint meeting will further accelerate the Halal certification process, and this initiative is in line with the public interest, the guarantee of Halal protection, and strict adherence to Islamic law.'

Halal Product Fatwa Committee chairman Zulfa Mustofa said that the public should not doubt the Halal Product Assurance System (SJPH) and the Halal certificates issued by BPJPH, which are based on the rulings issued by the MUI Fatwa Committee and the Halal Product Fatwa Committee.

'Fundamentally, we use the same references and standards and follow the same audit process, although for regular products it may be slightly more complex,' Zulfa explained.

'Therefore, for matters that have been agreed upon, including those exempted and those not exempted, we will have a common mechanism. For them, this will be an improvement process and an affirmation process. The public must have confidence in the Halal Product Assurance System established by the government, as well as the rulings issued by MUI's Fatwa Committee and Halal Product Fatwa Committee,' Zulfa emphasized.

As is known, under the authority stipulated by legislation, Halal certification is carried out by business actors through two schemes. First, the regular program: Halal certification is first submitted through Sihalal BPJPH, then Halal products are inspected and/or Halal-tested by a Halal audit body. The audit results are then deliberated by the MUI Fatwa Committee at a fatwa meeting. The results, in the form of a Halal product decree, become the basis for BPJPH to digitally issue the Halal certificate through the system.

Second, Halal certification through the self-declaration scheme or business actor declaration. This program is first submitted by micro and small enterprise owners through their Sihalal account for Halal certification (their products being ensured Halal, with simple processing). Subsequently, Halal Product Process Partners (P3H) assist business actors in ensuring the Halal status of materials and production processes. The Halal Product Fatwa Committee deliberates the assistance results at a fatwa meeting, and its Halal determination result is the basis for BPJPH to digitally issue the Halal certificate through Sihalal.