Indonesia BPJPH Emphasizes Some Materials Exempt from the Requirement to be Certified Halal

On May 29, 2024, the Halal Product Assurance Organizing Body (BPJPH) of the Ministry of Religious Affairs published an article on its website, emphasizing that some materials exempt from the requirement to be certified halal. ¹ As early as 2021, the Indonesian government issued Minister of Religion Decree No.1360 of 2021, outlining materials exempted from the obligation of halal certification and providing legal guidance on materials not requiring halal certification.

Minister of Religion Decree No.1360 of 2021 lists three categories of materials exempt from mandatory halal certification:

Category	Materials
Materials derived from nature without any further process and physical process and addition of any auxiliary substances, additives, or other substances	Materials from plants without any further process and physical process and addition of auxiliary substances, additives, or other substances; Materials from non-slaughtered animals without any further process and physical process and addition of auxiliary substances, additives, or other substances; Materials from the microbial fermentation process without any further process and physical process and addition of auxiliary substances, additives, or other substances; Materials from natural water without any further process and physical process and addition of auxiliary substances, additives, or other substances.
Materials without risk of containing and being contaminated by haram substances	Materials derived from nature, substances and chemical products from mining activities, as well as inorganic and organic synthesized chemicals.
Non-dangerous materials without haram substances	Chemicals sourced from mining activities or purification processes of natural materials; Inorganic and organic synthesized chemicals.

Examples are fresh fruits, fresh and dried vegetables, cereals, tubers, nuts, fresh seaweed, corn rice, dried grated coconut, pure coconut, fresh milk, fresh eggs, fresh water fish, frozen, and dried or marinated fish.

The full list of exempted ingredients can be accessed and downloaded here.

ChemLinked Comments

The above information is not the introduction of new halal certification requirements, but rather a clarification of the existing exemptions. Effective December 27, 2021, Minister of Religion Decree No.1360 of 2021 provides an extensive list of ingredients or materials that are considered to be halal by their nature and exempt from halal certification. This list is also known as the Halal Positive List of Materials, including more than 4,000 chemical substances. Companies can refer to the list when selecting new materials and receiving incoming materials.

Indonesia BPJPH Emphasizes Some Materials Exempt from the Requirement to be Certified Halal

ChemLinked Comments

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