From www.halaljournal.com
Indonesia: A Need for One Halal Logo?
By Kamarul Aznam Kamaruzaman, The Halal Journal
Aug 13, 2006, 15:46
Representing the small group of locals at the inaugural Halal Indonesia Expo 2006 held recently was Darsono Arbi, a middle aged kampong manufacturer of multi-coloured frozen doughnuts. Picking up one of his cardboard boxes of doughnuts peering through a transparent plastic window, his packaging simply had the brand name, contact details and the word Halal written in Arabic.
Curiously though, other packaging from other local manufacturers had both the Arabic and Latin inscriptions as a Halal logo. Like Darsono’s multi-coloured frozen doughnuts, Indonesian Halal logo may also come in many different styles, shapes and colour - it is up to the manufacturer’s discretion. “That’s what you get when the certifying body is not the government, even if it’s the only Halal certification body in this country,” he said with a wry smile.
Similar in Malaysia, obtaining Halal certificates is voluntary in Indonesia. Unlike in Malaysia however, a Halal certificate issued by Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI), the de facto Muslim organisation in Indonesia, does not automatically come with a Halal logo – one simply does not exist.
When Indonesians discovered swine-based enzymes in foods in 1989, MUI realised it was time for them to create a Halal specialist body within its organisation. A few months later, the Assessment Institute of Foods, Drugs and Cosmetics or LPPOM was established as a non profit organisation.
“The sole objective why LPPOM came to be has always been to try and find ways to increase the level of confidence and trust of the ummah when they consume any Halal products available here in Indonesia,” said Osmena Gunawan, treasurer of MUI on the sidelines of Halal Indonesia 2006.
Although they were initially tasked to assist MUI in promulgating policies, rules, recommendations and counselling, LPPOM quickly started scrutinising, analysing and certifying all local and imported Halal products. Throughout the following years, it had successfully positioned itself as a professional and credible Halal certifier despite not getting much support from the government, funds notwithstanding.
MUI’s Halal certificate however is a pre-requisite for the application to the government to market and distribute Halal products in Indonesia, which currently falls under the purview of the Food and Drug Control Agency (BPOM). It was previously under the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare but it underwent a structural re-organisation to become an independent body to act more like the US Food and Drug Agency and is now under the direct purview of the President of the Republic of Indonesia.
Darsono also pointed out that there were previously two models of Halal certification in Indonesia – MUI’s and BPOM’s. Following the re-organisation, the latter relinquished all of its Halal jurisdictions and handed them over to MUI’s Fatwa Council, all except the regulation and enforcement of Halal products.
Under the new process, once manufacturers have obtained their Halal certification from LPPOM-MUI, they would then have to register with BPOM to enable them to market their products as Halal. Although the service is free, “that is only in theory,” said Andi, an official from a leading beverage manufacturer. “It could take as quick as one week and as long as three months, depending on…you know what I’m talking about,” he said suggestively.
Having issued with MUI’s Halal certificate and cleared by BPOM to market their products, manufacturers may opt to put on their packaging with what has been adopted as a universal Halal logo – a circle with the word Halal in Arabic. They may also opt to use a different design. “The government has declared that it is not compulsory because it adds more cost to the manufacturers,” said Andi, “but more are beginning to realise the importance of a Halal logo to the consumers.”
As mentioned, enforcement of Halal is still under the purview of BPOM, and since there is no one common logo, enforcement can be a bit tricky. It is therefore not surprising that there have been many cases of frauds, including using expired Halal certificates, declaring the entire range of products as Halal even though only one is certified and using a Halal logo without any Halal certificates.
The latest and by far the biggest public outcry was in October 2000 when three Japanese and four Indonesian officials from PT Ajinomoto Indonesia were arrested for using pork enzymes in their popular MSG flavour enhancers.
“High profile cases such as these deepen the consumer’s mistrust of the manufacturers,” said a Malaysian businessman familiar with trading in Indonesia, “and in a society that has a serious divide between the rich and the poor, Halal is also being used as a tool to boycott products and the staging of street demos,” he added.
Many would agree that cases like these are serious public relations nightmares and it should be the last thing on any manufacturer’s mind. They could also easily undo all efforts to build Halal certification awareness amongst manufacturers, especially with the small and medium sized industries that make up the majority of Indonesian retail segment, some estimating as significant as 70 per cent. There was also the cost factor.
“Small manufactures like me often find ourselves in a dilemma,” said Herlina, a local manufacturer of roasted bananas who is still unsure of the branding benefits of Halal in Indonesia. “We want to tell consumers that our products are Halal, but because of these cases, the consumers have grown wary of the current Halal logo. And to get a Halal certificate is not cheap.”
Applying for a Halal certificate would cost manufacturers around Rp1 million (RM500) per product. As it is, a source from MUI estimates that only 20 per cent of the total processed foods available in Indonesia are actually Halal certified.
“Until we don’t have to bring the entire directory of Halal certified products when we go shopping for groceries, just enough by looking for products that carry one standard Halal logo, that would be good enough,” said Nur Bowo of Halal Watch, one of the local Halal-centric NGOs.
Despite the many obscurities however, there have been strong sentiments within these last few months by Indonesian Halal authorities to establish a common Halal logo for the convenience of all. How long more the consumers have to wait for this to be created, however, remains unclear.
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