BPJPH Head Says Eid al-Fitr is a Momentum to Strengthen Awareness of Halal Products

The momentum of Eid al-Fitr provides an opportune time to strengthen public awareness in selecting halal products. The head of the Halal Product Assurance Organising Agency (BPJPH), Ahmad Haikal Hasan (Babe Haikal), has urged the public to always ensure the halal status of consumed products, particularly amid the heightened consumption activities during Lebaran. “If you wish to eat at a restaurant or café, ensure it has a halal label. If it bears a halal label, it means the product has undergone examination, testing, and determination of halal status in accordance with applicable regulations. If there is no halal label, its halal status cannot be guaranteed,” stated Babe Haikal in a written statement on Thursday (26/3/2026). Babe Haikal emphasised that the obligation for halal certification of products circulating in Indonesia will apply fully starting October 2026. This provision refers to Law No. 33 of 2014 and Government Regulation No. 42 of 2024. “All food, beverage, medicine, cosmetic, and consumer goods products circulating must have halal certification. Meanwhile, for non-halal products, they must state that they are not halal. This is to protect the public,” he explained. On the Eid al-Fitr momentum, which is synonymous with culinary traditions such as ketupat and other special dishes, Babe Haikal invited all members of society to actively participate in supporting the implementation of halal product assurance. “This is not just the government’s task, but a collective role. The public needs to be aware and actively choose halal products. In this way, we can protect ourselves while strengthening the national halal product assurance system,” he added. Furthermore, Babe Haikal stressed that the government continues to promote ease of halal certification, particularly for micro and small business actors (UMK). Through the self-declare scheme, UMK actors can obtain halal certificates quickly and affordably. “For UMK, there is free facilitation with a quota of 1.35 million free halal certificates this year. If independent, the cost is also very affordable, only 230,000 rupiah,” he concluded.