BPJPH: Non-Halal Products May Enter Indonesia, but Must Be Labelled as Non-Halal

The Halal Product Assurance Organising Agency (BPJPH) is anticipating the expansion of mandatory halal certification and labelling obligations in October 2026 through coordination with several ministries and agencies. BPJPH Head Haikal Hasan (Babe Haikal) stated that this coordination is to oversee the implementation of Law No. 33 of 2014 on Halal Product Assurance and Government Regulation No. 42 of 2024 on the Organisation of Halal Product Assurance. “Goods entering Indonesia, being traded, distributed, or circulated must have halal certification,” said Babe Haikal at the Indonesian Quarantine Agency office in Jakarta on Monday. He explained that this obligation covers the determination of product status, whether halal or non-halal, which must be stated through certification and labelling in accordance with regulations. Babe Haikal clarified that the halal certification obligation includes food, beverages, medicines, cosmetics, and other consumer goods. He noted that the expansion of provisions in October 2026 will include meat bone meal, textiles, and other consumer goods that come into direct contact with the skin. “Entry into this is indeed subject to halal regulations starting in October 2026,” he said. According to him, BPJPH needs to take anticipatory measures so that products without halal or non-halal labels do not circulate once the provisions take effect. Babe Haikal said BPJPH has coordinated with the Ministry of Trade and the Indonesian Quarantine Agency (Barantin), and will continue coordination with the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Finance. He explained that this coordination also includes data and information integration, particularly with Barantin, so the government can know the commodities entering, including their halal or non-halal status. In his view, halal checks are conducted not only domestically but also from the country of origin through an inspection mechanism. “In the country of origin, we are developing and have trialled something called inspection in several countries,” he said. He mentioned that inspection trials have been conducted in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, China, and Korea. BPJPH is also anticipating reports of findings of meat bone meal containing porcine as part of strengthening supervision of commodities entering Indonesia. Furthermore, he emphasised that non-halal products can still enter Indonesia but must be labelled as non-halal.