Halal certification for food products

From ingredients to the production line: what is really checked in a food Halal certification, and which ingredients most often hold up the application review.

For an Italian food company, Halal certification is the requirement that opens — or closes — access to Islamic markets. It is not only about meat: it covers bakery, confectionery, dairy, beverages, condiments, ingredients, additives and flavourings. In many cases the obstacle is not the finished product, but a single upstream ingredient whose origin the company did not know.

Who needs it

The ingredients that cause most applications to fail

In our experience, the large majority of non-conformities at document review stage are concentrated on a small number of ingredients. It is worth checking them before starting an application:

IngredientWhy it is critical
GelatineIf of porcine origin it is not admissible. Documentation on its origin is needed, not a generic declaration.
Mono- and diglycerides (E471) and emulsifiersThey may derive from animal or vegetable fats: without specification of the origin they cannot be assessed.
Enzymes and rennetMicrobial, vegetable or animal origin: in dairy this is the most frequent sticking point.
Flavourings and extractsFrequently carried in ethanol. The solvent and its residue in the finished product need to be known.
L-cysteineUsed in bakery products; its origin can be problematic.
Carmine (E120) and colouringsAnimal origin: to be checked case by case.
Fats and shorteningOrigin and processing plant: sharing lines with non-permitted fats is a real issue.
The problem is not only the ingredient, it is traceability. A supplier declaration stating "of vegetable origin" without documentary references is not sufficient for a recognised body. The longest part of the application review is almost always collecting adequate technical data sheets and declarations from suppliers: it pays to start immediately, in parallel with the application.

Cross-contamination

Even with all ingredients compliant, there remains the question of the plant. A company that produces Halal products and products containing non-permitted ingredients on the same line must demonstrate effective separation: dedicated lines, or validated production sequences and cleaning procedures, with records. The evaluation also covers storage, internal transport and packaging.

The certification process in practice

  1. Application and definition of scope: which product codes, which sites, which markets.
  2. Document review of ingredients: technical data sheets, origin, supplier declarations, complete bill of materials.
  3. Process evaluation: layout, separation, cleaning, storage.
  4. On-site audit: field verification of what has been declared, with examination of records.
  5. Findings and corrective actions, where necessary.
  6. Issue of the certificate for the products and markets within scope.
  7. Periodic surveillance and management of changes: every new ingredient or supplier must be notified.

Applicable standards

For food, the main references are OIC/SMIIC 1:2019 (general requirements for Halal food) and OIC/SMIIC 2:2019 (requirements for certification bodies), supplemented by the standards of individual markets: GSO 2055 for the Gulf, MS 1500:2019 for Malaysia, and the BPJPH requirements for Indonesia. HQC Italia is recognised by the authorities of the main Islamic markets.

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Frequently asked questions

Does Halal certification only concern meat-based products?

No. It concerns any food product, because the issue is ingredients and process. Bakery, confectionery, dairy, beverages and industrial ingredients have their own critical points, often linked to additives, enzymes and flavourings.

Can I certify only some of my products?

Yes. The scope is defined at application stage and can cover a single line or a selection of product codes. The certificate states explicitly what it covers.

Do I need dedicated production lines?

Not necessarily. If non-compliant products are also processed on the same line, effective separation must be demonstrated through production sequences, validated cleaning procedures and the related records.

What happens if I change a supplier after certification?

It must be notified. A change of ingredient or supplier alters the basis on which the certificate was issued and requires an evaluation, which is normally quick if the documentation is ready.

How long does the process take?

It depends above all on how quickly supplier documentation is collected: this is the phase that determines the overall duration more than any other. The audit is generally scheduled within a few weeks of the close of the document review.

Related reading

Contact HQC Italia

HQC Italia - Halal Quality Control
Viale Giorgio Ribotta, 11
00144 Rome (RM), Italy
Tel. +39 338 965 2911
📧 anis.youssef@halaloffice.com
🌐 www.hqcitalia.com

Legal notes: HQC Italia operates in accordance with the international standards OIC/SMIIC 1:2019, OIC/SMIIC 2:2019, OIC/SMIIC 4:2018, GSO 2055-1:2015, GSO 2055-2:2021, UAE.S 2055-1:2015, UAE.S 2055-2:2016, MS 1500:2019 and BPJPH Decree 78/2023.