HNW Supports MUI Assertion that 'No Pork No Lard' Labels Do Not Guarantee Halal Status
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Deputy Speaker of the MPR, Hidayat Nur Wahid (HNW), supports the assertion by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) that ‘no pork no lard’ labels on menus or at culinary business premises do not guarantee halal status, as they only indicate that the products do not contain pork or lard.
HNW, who is also a member of Commission VIII of the DPR, stated that ‘no pork no lard’ information is insufficient to guarantee the halality of a product because halal certification essentially encompasses the inspection of raw materials, production processes, equipment, storage, distribution, and presentation.
“The absence of pork and lard does provide certain information, but it does not automatically make a menu halal. Muslim consumers have the right to obtain full certainty regarding the products they consume,” he said in a statement in Jakarta on Friday.
He reminded business operators not to use such labels as evidence that their products have been halal-certified.
According to him, claiming a product is free from certain ingredients is different from a halal certificate, which is issued only after undergoing inspections in accordance with regulations.
He also encouraged the Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) to increase education for the public and business owners regarding the difference between ‘no pork no lard’ information and a halal certificate.
In addition to education, he requested that the BPJPH strengthen supervision of product information, particularly in the culinary sector, to prevent false perceptions among the public regarding the halal status of a product.
This step, he noted, is in line with Law Number 33 of 2014 concerning Halal Product Assurance, which aims to provide comfort, security, safety, and certainty regarding the availability of halal products for the community.
HNW hopes that strengthening halal product assurance can increase consumer confidence, expand market access, and strengthen the competitiveness of Indonesian products in the global halal industry.
“Indonesia has a great opportunity to become a global halal industry hub. That trust must be built from the most fundamental level: consumers knowing correctly what they consume, business operators providing honest information, and the state, through the BPJPH, ensuring that halal assurance is credible,” he said.
Previously, the MUI Head of Fatwa, Asrorun Niam Sholeh, emphasised that the use of ‘no pork no lard’ descriptions in restaurants does not necessarily guarantee that the food served meets halal requirements.
According to him, the halality of food is determined not only by the presence or absence of pork and its derivatives but also includes raw materials as well as processing and slaughtering methods.
“‘No pork no lard’ is more of a unilateral declaration by the business operator, but a menu without pork and lard cannot automatically be justified as a halal menu,” Asrorun said in Jakarta on Wednesday (2/9).