Maintaining Halal, Controlling Compliance Costs
The implementation of halal product assurance is entering an increasingly decisive phase. The state is no longer sufficient merely to ensure the existence of a certificate or label on packaging, but must guarantee that the halal or non-halal status of a product can be proven, traced, and communicated correctly to the public.
BPJPH Regulation Number 3 of 2026 concerning the Form and Procedure for Displaying Non-Halal Information is one of the important affirmations in this policy direction. This regulation places information transparency as part of consumer protection. Products that do not meet halal criteria are not hidden from existence, but are required to be clearly labelled so that consumers can make their choices consciously and responsibly.
At the same time, BPJPH Regulation Number 4 of 2026 regulates the assurance of conformity of foreign halal products entering Indonesian territory, bringing new consequences for import governance. The objective is understandable: the state needs to ensure that documents, certificates, labels, product types, and the goods actually shipped are in conformity. However, it is precisely at this point that the law must work in a balanced manner.
Halal integrity must be upheld firmly. However, compliance costs must also not be allowed to grow without clear measurement. A good halal policy is not merely a strict policy, but a policy that is lawful, proportionate, certain, and can be implemented efficiently.
The display of ‘Non-Halal’ information for products derived from forbidden substances must not be read as an attempt to remove certain products from the market. On the contrary, it is a form of honesty in trade that provides legal certainty for consumers, authorities, business actors, and other stakeholders.
For Muslim consumers, such information provides certainty to practise their beliefs. For consumers in general, it strengthens the right to obtain correct, clear, and non-misleading information. Meanwhile, for business actors, the regulation creates more definite guidelines regarding product labelling responsibilities.
From a legal perspective, this design reflects an appropriate balance. The state does not impose homogeneity of consumption choices, but ensures that every product appears on the market with a transparent status. Halal and non-halal are not merely commercial categories; both concern consumer rights to information and the obligation of business actors to act honestly.
Therefore, the display of non-halal information must be understood as an instrument of consumer protection, legal certainty, and commercial order.