Cabinet Secretary: Claims That US Products Can Enter Indonesia Without Halal Certification Are Untrue

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya has moved to correct claims that products from the United States can enter Indonesia without halal certification.

In a statement issued through the Cabinet Secretariat in Jakarta on Sunday, Teddy said the reports were untrue and misleading.

“That is not true,” he said.

He affirmed that all products subject to mandatory halal certification must continue to bear an official halal label, whether issued by a halal body in the US or by the relevant authority in Indonesia.

“Products that require halal certification must have a halal label, whether from a halal body in the US or a halal body in Indonesia,” he said.

Teddy explained that halal certification is compulsory for food and beverage products.

In the US, he noted, halal certificates can be issued by bodies such as Halal Transactions of Omaha (HTO) and the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA).

In Indonesia, this authority falls under the Halal Product Assurance Organising Agency (BPJPH).

Teddy added that cosmetic and medical device products are also subject to regulatory oversight. Both categories must obtain distribution permits and certification from the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) before they can be sold on the domestic market.

“Cosmetic and medical device products must hold BPOM certification,” he said.

He further noted that Indonesia and the US already have a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) on halal standards. This agreement enables the harmonisation of halal certification within global cooperation frameworks, without diminishing the standards and oversight applicable in each country.

Reports had previously circulated suggesting Indonesia was relaxing halal regulations for US products following the signing of a reciprocal tariff agreement (ART) by President Prabowo Subianto and US President Donald Trump in Washington.

Annex III Article 2.9 of the agreement document refers to adjustments to halal regulations aimed at facilitating exports of cosmetics, medical devices, and certain goods from the US, with further technical discussions to be held at the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR).