"We emphasize that halal certification registration will go to no other than the SIHALAL, as well as with the process," BPJPH Secretary Arfi Hatim noted in his statement received here, Friday.
While the halal certification registration and issuance are conducted only through BPJPH, the halal product examination required for certification issuance would be conducted by ministry-certified halal examiner institutions, he remarked.
Hatim stated that the halal examiner institution's duty is merely to check the product's compatibility with the halal criteria and is not an institution to process the certificate.
"No other institution other than the Religious Affairs Ministry's BPJPH is authorized to issue halal certificate. Certificates issued by other institutions are fake," Hatim remarked.
He underscored the need for the ministry to underline this issue, as the authority had found some halal certification applicants still not using the SIHALAL system to apply for their certification.
"They then visit the BPJPH after obtaining the halal compliance proof (from other institutions), but we could not issue the halal certification because they are not registering through SIHALAL," the agency secretary explained.
Hatim stated that applicants, who mistakenly apply for their halal certificate through the halal examiner institution, must repeat the process by registering through SIHALAL.
Meanwhile, Halal Registration and Certification Centre Head Mastuki affirmed that BPJPH is the only authorized body to issue halal certificates according to prevailing laws.
"The one-stop service, from registration to the certification process, is only through the BPJPH. All services are conducted through the Halal Information System," Mastuki remarked.
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Translator: Asep Firmansyah, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
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