Catering Service Providers Ready to Implement Halal Certification Regulations

The Indonesian Catering Service Providers Association (PPJI) is prepared to implement government regulations regarding halal certification by continuously accelerating the acquisition of halal certificates for catering business actors across Indonesia.

According to the General Chairperson of the PPPI Central Executive Board (DPP), Minerva Taran, approximately 85 per cent of PPJI members have already obtained halal certification to comply with the government’s mandatory halal regulations. “Everything must be halal, except for business actors who openly choose to sell non-halal products. Currently, I believe 85 per cent of our members have obtained halal certificates,” Minerva Taran stated during the 2026 PPJI National Working Meeting in Bandung on Tuesday (29/09/2026).

Minerva noted that the halal certification process is now relatively easier and more affordable compared to previous years. The government provides free halal certification facilities (Sehati) for micro and small businesses under the self-declare or single-business scheme. For catering services with more complex or non-single menus, fees still apply but remain relatively economical. “In the past, it felt very expensive, but now the price is very affordable and realistic for catering entrepreneurs,” she said.

Despite reaching an 85 per cent achievement, the PPJI Central Executive Board aims for 100 per cent of its members to be fully certified. To achieve this target, PPJI is implementing a massive, multi-level certification programme across all management levels, from the Branch Leadership Council (DPC) and Regional Leadership Council (DPD) to the central level (DPP). “We organise assistance and certification in stages. The DPC operates at the regional level because local entrepreneurs often have their own fostered groups, while the DPD and DPP also continue to provide facilitation,” Minerva explained.

Challenges in Replacing Raw Materials and Recipes

Although certification facilities and procedures have become more accessible, Minerva noted that technical challenges remain for culinary and catering entrepreneurs on the ground. The greatest challenge is not the halality of the raw ingredients themselves, but the necessity of ensuring that every derivative ingredient and complementary seasoning used possesses official halal certification documents.

“Halal certification for catering services requires all derivative products to be certified halal. For example, rice or salt is logically halal, but the system requires those specific brands to carry a halal certificate label,” she said.

This condition often forces catering entrepreneurs to replace their usual brands of raw materials or seasonings with other brands that are already halal-certified. However, switching raw materials carries the risk of altering the flavour profile of legendary recipes that entrepreneurs have maintained for a long time. Minerva is optimistic that through continuous assistance from the PPJI Central Executive Board, catering entrepreneurs will be able to adjust recipes without compromising taste quality, while successfully meeting the overall mandatory halal regulatory standards.

Highlighting several challenges in managing kitchens for the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme—particularly regarding cleanliness standards, food safety, and the timeliness of food consumption—she mentioned that some PPJI members are currently involved in managing MBG kitchens. However, not all members are involved, as each possesses different catering business lines.

Managing MBG kitchens has different characteristics compared to general catering businesses. Food must be produced in large quantities, sometimes reaching thousands of portions in a single production cycle. “When we talk about MBG, that is also catering. Cooking in large quantities, anywhere from 50 to 2,000 portions,” she said.