RI seeks international 'halal' recognation<\/p>\n
By Joko Sarwono<\/p>\n
BOGOR, West Java (JP): The spate of bomb hoaxes in Jakarta
\nwhich marked the heightened political tension prior to and during
\nthe presidential election last month did more than just scare
\npeople in high-rise buildings.<\/p>\n
The hoaxes also forced the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI)
\nto cancel a meeting with a United States delegation to discuss
\nthe establishment of a global network linking organizations to an
\nauthority on whether certain foodstuffs are halal (permissible
\naccording to Islamic law).<\/p>\n
\"We canceled the meeting because we'd feel too uncomfortable
\nto receive guests in such a situation,\" said Aisjah Girindra,
\ndirector of the council's Food, Drug and Cosmetic Research
\nInstitute (LPPOM MUI). The institute is in charge of issuing
\nhalal certificates in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Aisjah believes a linkup with other countries is crucial to
\nworld Moslems' peace of mind given how international trade
\nenables the free traffic of various commodities, including food
\nproducts.<\/p>\n
Aisjah said that in some countries there were institutions
\nthat automatically issue halal certificates for US$100 and
\nneglect to investigate how a product is processed.<\/p>\n
\"It's clear we cannot trust such institutions,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Islam prohibits its followers from consuming blood, pork and
\nalcohol as well as animals that are slaughtered without saying
\nthe name of Allah over them. In 1988, Indonesian Moslems panicked
\nand unrest erupted following reports that certain food products
\ncontained or were contaminated by pork.<\/p>\n
\"The government was overwhelmed and asked the MUI to help
\nallay (the unrest). In order to prevent the same thing from
\nhappening, the LPPOM MUI was established (in 1989),\" she said.<\/p>\n
\"The body only started operating in 1994, at the same time as
\nwe held the International Halal Food Exhibition III in Jakarta,\"
\nshe said. \"We spent the time between 1989 and 1994 studying the
\nissue. We understood the technology and Islamic law, but we did
\nnot know how to combine the two.<\/p>\n
\"We learned through various seminars, and through visits to
\nMalaysia and Singapore which had applied the concept\" of
\ncertification of halal food.<\/p>\n
The LPPOM MUI, established a year after the pork scare, now
\nhas a number of experts who audit and investigate food
\nprocessing.<\/p>\n
It may take the body between three weeks to four years before
\na halal certificate is issued.<\/p>\n
Born in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, on Oct. 7, 1935, Aisjah is
\na professor of biochemistry at the Bogor Institute of
\nAgriculture. She spoke to The Jakarta Post recently.<\/p>\n
Question: What other factors prompted the establishment of
\nLPPOM MUI?<\/p>\n
Answer: With the advancement of technology, there's always the
\npossibility that the food we consume contains elements which are
\nnot halal. Now consumers demand that products taste good, appear
\nattractive, are succulent ... For all that, producers use food
\nadditives made of either vegetables or animals -- which are not
\nalways halal.<\/p>\n
The MUI is obligated to provide Moslems with peace of mind as
\nto the status of the food they consume.<\/p>\n
Your agency issues halal certificates but has the government
\nofficially named it the sole body authorized to do so?<\/p>\n
The 1996 Law on Food stipulates that a food product has to be
\nhalal. A draft of a government regulation, prepared a year ago to
\ncomplement the law, says that MUI is the authority to issue
\ncertificates. The draft has not yet been signed into effect by
\nthe President. We know why, but that's our secret.<\/p>\n
I am confident, though, that the draft will eventually go into
\neffect, because the community wants it. Despite the lack of
\n(official authorization), we intend to just go on with our duty.<\/p>\n
How does a food producer get a halal certificate from the
\nLPPOM MUI?<\/p>\n
Since April 1997, we have cooperated with the Ministry of
\nHealth. Applicants (for halal certificates) first register their
\nproducts with the ministry. We then investigate the processing in
\nfactories, and examine the products in the biochemistry
\nlaboratory at the Bogor Institute of Technology, or crosscheck
\nthem at other laboratories.<\/p>\n
The result is then taken to a panel of 20 to 30 auditors. If
\nthe team is satisfied, the products will then be discussed in a
\nmeeting of the MUI commission in charge of decreeing whether they
\nare halal.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, we cannot issue a certificate. We rejected a
\nrestaurant's application because the proprietor could not say
\nwhere they procured their raw materials. They just said the
\nmaterials were imported from this or that country, and we did not
\nknow how the materials were processed.<\/p>\n
Have you had applicants become impatient with how you work?<\/p>\n
Yes. They did not understand the scientific procedures that we
\nhave to undertake. They wanted us to issue a certificate just
\nlike that. Some even try to bribe us. That offends us greatly.<\/p>\n
A certificate expires after two years. The recipients have to
\nsign an agreement stating they will hire internal auditors whose
\njob is to make sure the food processing remains religiously
\ncorrect. We check and recheck with the internal auditors.<\/p>\n
Sometimes we also make impromptu visits to the producers and
\ncheck them, or buy their products and do laboratory tests on
\nthem.<\/p>\n
What's the benefit of a halal certificate?<\/p>\n
The products will be trusted by the public. Imagine, 89
\npercent of Indonesia's 202 million population are Moslems. If
\nonly 50 percent of them demand halal food, they represent a
\npotential market!<\/p>\n
How many producers have halal certificate?<\/p>\n
It's difficult to say. Maybe around 30 percent of all large
\ncompanies. Not many are interested in applying for certificates,
\nmaybe because they think the procedure is expensive, or
\ndifficult. Some of them just don't care about whether their
\nproducts are halal.<\/p>",
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