Ministry of Industry Ensures Basic Goods from the US Must Still Have Halal Certification

The Ministry of Industry ensures that basic goods from the United States entering Indonesia must still have halal certification. The Head of the Standardization and Industrial Service Policy Agency of the Ministry of Industry, Emmy Suryandari, said that halal certification can be carried out by authorized institutions in the United States.

“Halal certification can be done, it doesn’t have to be done here; producing countries can also do it, but they must have a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA),” she said when met at the Bank Mega Tower, Jakarta, Tuesday, February 24, 2026.

Emmy said that the Indonesian government will appoint one of the eight halal certification institutions in the United States. The agreement in the MRA is carried out by the Product Halal Guarantee Organizing Agency (BPJPH) representing the Indonesian government.

This is regulated in the document of the reciprocal trade agreement between the United States and Indonesia. Halal products are regulated in Article 2.9: Halal Products for Manufactured Goods, and Article 2.22: Halal Products for Food and Agricultural Products.

In point 4 of Article 2.9, Indonesia must allow any halal certification institution from the United States that is recognized by Indonesian halal authorities to certify products as halal for the purpose of importing into Indonesia without additional requirements or restrictions.

Then, in point 1 of Article 2.2, Indonesia is obliged to accept slaughtering practices in the United States that comply with Islamic law or standards from any country that is a member of the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC). However, in point 5, it is stated that Indonesia must not impose or maintain any provisions that require US companies to appoint a special expert in the field of halal.

The Head of the Halal Industry Center of the Ministry of Industry, Kris Sasono Ngudi Wibowo, said that basic goods entering will still be registered as halal products and given a halal logo. Basic goods imported from the United States include soybeans, beef and chicken, corn, and others. “The products are upstream, for raw materials, there are few downstream products, mostly soybeans,” said Kris.

Kris said that these provisions have been socialized to trader or business associations. The existence of the MRA agreement is also said to facilitate halal certification, because it is carried out by the exporter, when entering Indonesia, only the halal status of a product is registered.