Ministry of Religious Affairs mobilises KUA-based literacy ahead of 2026 halal mandate

The Ministry of Religious Affairs will mobilise halal awareness literacy based on the network of Kantor Urusan Agama (KUA, or Office of Religious Affairs) in preparation for the mandatory halal policy on 18 October 2026. “This literacy drive aims to ensure that the message of Halal Product Assurance reaches the public more broadly,” said Fuad Nasar, Director of Halal Product Assurance at the Ministry, in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Fuad Nasar explained that the KUA-based halal awareness programme integrates halal education and literacy into the entire KUA service ecosystem. Through this programme, KUA heads, marriage officiants, religious counsellors, and regional ministry officials are encouraged to become agents for disseminating halal information according to their respective duties and functions. He noted that halal education is conducted through various religious services and guidance platforms, such as counselling, family guidance, religious study groups, sermons, and community forums.

With this approach, the KUA will not only serve as a centre for religious administrative services but also as a hub for halal literacy that builds public awareness from the family level to public spaces. Fuad stated that the public needs to understand that the concept of halal extends far beyond just a certificate or a label. Halal is a value that reflects a lifestyle, principles, and a shared responsibility to provide products that are safe, clean, and compliant with sharia.

“The Minister of Religious Affairs, Nasaruddin Umar, has repeatedly conveyed that the issue of halal does not stop at certification and labelling. Halal also concerns attitudes, values, lifestyles, and principles that are part of community life,” Fuad said. He stressed that ministry officials from the central to the regional level have a crucial role in building public awareness about the urgency of Halal Product Assurance. To this end, the Ministry is optimising its network of regional offices, district and municipal offices, KUA offices, religious counsellors, marriage officiants, and preachers as the front line of halal education. “We are the eyes and ears of the Ministry in the field. Therefore, let us strengthen socialisation, education, and preaching about halal so that the public increasingly understands that halal is not just a matter of labels, but also of process, knowledge, and shared responsibility,” Fuad concluded.