Certifier Selection

Management must be able to review and select a certification body from the compiled list of options.

Paperwork Consolidation

Management must compile all the documents listed in the “Facility Certification Application and Audit Process” and “Halal system certification process and guidelines” and have them present for the auditor. Also all the paperwork listed under “Slaughtering Facility” should be prepared in advance.

Introduction

Overview: Go over basic principles of halal certification

Discovery: Gather basic information about the facility, personnel, and daily business activities

Fitness: Assess the facilities’ standards for quality and business

Halal Deposition: Determine if the facilities are compliant with halal dietary restrictions

Walkthrough

Visuals: Auditors are instructed to film or photolog (at their discretion) primary contact points throughout the facility. The walkthrough is performed by viewing the product from point of entry completely through to point of exit from the facility.

Halal Area Risk Management (H.A.R.M.): locations are identified within the facility. These areas are classed as nonconformities and are considered to have a potential for cross-contamination or have the potential to denigrate the integrity of the Halal product. Mitigating procedures are required and must be approved in the corrective action phase.

Sanitation: Machine/Tool sanitation methods are documented. This is especially important in high-risk facilities that process both halal and haram products using the same equipment.

Storage: Storage and warehouse locations are inspected for proper segregation methods for Halal and non-Halal products. Auditors determine whether or not halal products are easily identifiable, and that mislabelling, or mix-ups are not possible. Computer monitoring systems are also taken into account.

Packaging: All raw materials, packaging, and finished products are identified and catalogued throughout the tour.

Cataloguing: Sanitation equipment is identified and catalogued throughout the tour.

Integrity: The level of integrity of the personnel is assessed. Honesty and transparency are key factors.

Final Check

Summarization: Auditor summarizes and records their observations during the walkthrough.

Risk Assessment: A risk assessment is made based upon the following metrics:

HIGH RISK = Facility processes both halal and haram products using indifferent tools, machinery, or utensils.

MEDIUM RISK = Facility processes both halal and haram products using segregated tools, machinery, or utensils.

LOW RISK = Facility does not process any haram products on or inside of the premises.

Final Assessment: Auditor provides a final assessment, communicates any non-conformities, and provides a suggested certification status. Signatories are inked, and audit report submitted to all parties.

As a part of your halal integrity protection submission, you are required to document, implement, and adhere to the following measures as a part of your HIP requirements:

Elect A Halal Enforcement Director

The halal enforcement director is appointed as a responsible individual from the submitting organization. Their full name, phone number, and email address must be provided. If the HED is a team of individuals, provide the team name, contact number, and email address. This individual, or team, will be responsible for ensuring that the halal system is functional and monitored.

Define Your Halal Product Facility

Provide the name, location and type of all of your halal production facilities. There are 6 HPF types:

a). MR - The Halal Manufacturer

b). RS -The Halal Restaurant

c). SH - The Halal Slaughter House

d). KT - The Halal Kitchen

e). DR - The Halal Distributor

f). GR - The Halal Grocery

Who are your Halal Consumers?

Document and provide the entities that your halal products are sold to. Your halal consumers may be businesses, government agencies, consumers, or otherwise.

Legal Business Documents

Provide documentation verifying that your company is legally permitted to do business in your locale. Submitted documents must include your company’s name, address, and the government entity recognizing your establishment.

Traceability Plan

Provide a traceability plan document that details the overall production process of your halal system. Your plan must include the following:

1. Explain the means by which continuity is maintained within the halal product facility, such as the use of demarcation markers, colors, signage, designated locations, and/or computer systems utilized in your traceability plan.

2. Preventative measures aiding against mislabeling, or mix-up of halal products.

3. Logging/documenting incoming and outgoing HP’s. Logs should include product identifiers, supplier/raw material manufacturer, date received, unit amount, production date, and lot number.

Flowchart of Processing

Provide a graphical representation of halal production showing how your HP’s move throughout your facility.

Sanitation Standard Operating Procedure

Provide a document that details your method of sanitation pertaining to the following:

1. Personnel (The HPH) - Any individual who makes physical contact with the halal product within the halal facility

2. Equipment (The HPE) – Includes appliances, tools, machinery, apparatuses, and surfaces in contact with all halal products.

3. Products (The HP) – Sanitation measures must also be provided detailing how contamination is prevented for the halal product itself within the HPF.

* NOT REQUIRED IF PRODUCT IS NEVER OPENED WITHIN THE FACILITY*

Recall Plan

Provide a written actionable recourse plan, which protects your halal consumers from products that have been contaminated (whether actual or potential) with non-halal substances. The recall plan acts as the safety net for the HC and the HPF.

Pest Control

Provide pest control documentation which demonstrates that:

1. A pest control program is in place

2. The pest control program is current and shows passing results within the last 3 months.

If pest control is being performed internally, as opposed to a third-party company, please also provide a pest control SOP.

Finished Product Information

Provide documented information pertaining to all products to be considered for halal status. You must document and provide the following:

1. Product name

2. Corresponding product specification sheet, or an official document listing all of the ingredients associated with each product (e.g. finished product labels may be submitted, so long as the product, and its ingredients are visible)

3. Any correlating internal ID numbers, or SKU’s for each finished product if one exists.

*Restaurants/catering kitchens are required to submit their menu as well*

Raw Material Information

Provide documented information pertaining to all raw materials related to the halal products in consideration. All of the following items are considered to be raw materials:

1. Any Ingredients used to produce the halal product.

2. Packaging material that comes into contact with the halal product.

3. Cleaning agents used to sanitize production tools, utensils, or surfaces that are in contact with the halal product.

4. Feed for livestock, or any living creatures related to the halal product.

Provided information for each RM must include the following:

Each RM’s correlating raw material manufacturer. (RMM’s are the producers of the ingredients that make up the halal product. This company may not be the same as the company supplying the product itself to your facility.)

Proof Of Purchase (External Traceability)

Proof of purchase documentation must be established for all Raw Materials (RM’s) used in the processing or production of the finished halal products. Admissible documentation for consideration must state that the product is being produced by the manufacturer by name and sold to the HPF in consideration for halal certification by name. If the RMM sells product to a distributor who sells to other suppliers, then traceability must be established interlinking each entity to one another completely.

Examples of may take the any of the following forms:

a) Receipts

b) Bill of lading

c) Invoice

d) Valid suppliers’ certificate of Analysis with both company names listed.

Halal Certificates/Disclosure Statements

All Raw Material Manufacturers (RMM’s) must be halal certified, or provide a halal disclosure statement. The Halal disclosure statements is a written testimony that the RM’s do not contain, nor do they ever come into contact with contaminants (See template for the full list of contaminants).

Raw Material Manufacturers may alternatively provide a Halal statement of compliance, a certificate of origin, an allergen statement, or other official statement that discloses the required information.

*NOT REQUIRED FOR NON-PROCESSED RAW MATERIALS WITH ONLY ONE INGREDIENT, SUCH AS LETTUCE, TOMATOES, ONIONS, ETC…

Water Report

Submit a water report from your water provider.

* NOT REQUIRED IF WATER NOT USED IN THE PRODUCTION OF HALAL PRODUCTS*

Testing Procedures & Results (for high risk facilities only)

High risk facilities must provide additional documented procedures that detail the method of testing validation for residual alcohols, and/or ATP swab testing for residual proteins. Testing results MUST BE LOGGED and saved for a period of at least 2 years.

• Slaughter the goat in a most humane method in order to conform with the halal way or Islamic teachings.

• The slaughter act should sever the trachea, oesophagus and main arteries and veins of the neck region.

• The preconditions of halal slaughtering are: legal ownership of goat, has good health, halal-fed, non-pregnant, and marketable age which is at least one (1) year of age.

• Do not kill one animal in the presence of another, or sharpen your knives before them.”

• The ideal halal abattoir or slaughterhouse for small ruminants is to divide the slaughter area into quarters or rooms in order to prevent animals from seeing each other during the slaughtering process.

There are two methods of slaughtering: conventional and religious. In the conventional method, slaughter can be performed by any expert individual of any religious affiliation, stunning using a captive bolt or hammer and high voltage, hence there is no religious significance. The other method is religious and divided into two, Halal and Kosher. Here is the comparison of the said religious methods:

There are different opinions among Islamic scholars of highest imminence. Some say it is haram or prohibited in Islam to use stunning and some do not. Stunned meat is now banned in the Middle East, particularly in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The provision is clearly stated in the Gulf Standard GCC-993-2015 (Halal Slaughtering) formulated in 2015.

Additional requirements: The halal abattoir for goats must be fenced, at least 200 meters from any piggery farm in a non-Muslim area. It must be certified halal by a legitimate halal certifying body with an assigned practicing Muslim slaughterer and a Halal Assurance and Monitoring officer.The handling and transport of halal certified meat in the abattoir and to the market must conform to halal standards and guidelines. It must be transported by a NMIS accredited meat van bearing the Halal Certified Mark logo (inscribed name of halal certifier) on the outside wall panel.

In the wet market or grocery center, halal certified meat must be completely segregated from non-halal meat for retail to consumers or before reaching the plate.

Sanitation

• My facility has a Sanitation Standard Operating Procedure (SSOP)

• Cleaning protocol for equipment, tools, and personnel are present and properly followed

• Testing for microbial, and other contaminants is regularly performed and recorded

Traceability

• My facility has a system of tracking, tracing, and recall of products

• Halal products have designated area's, or demarcations which prevent mislabeling, or other mishaps

• Suppliers of raw material for my products are themselves halal certified, or provide halal disclosure statements

Integrity

• All area's of potential hazard, or high risk within my facility have mitigating measures applied to them in order to maintain the integrity of a halal product

• My finished goods have specification sheets (or an equivalent) detailing everything about the product in consideration for halal certification

• My colleagues, employees, or workers, have integrity and are honest in speech and action.

Composition

Products and packaging in consideration for halal certification do not contain:

• Human derived ingredients

• Pork, or pork derivatives

• Donkey

• Carnivorous Animals

• Animals not slaughtered according to Islamic ritual rites

• Carrion

• All forms of filth (Najis) i.e. Urine, Excrement, Blood, Pus, Vomit, etc

• Insects

• Animals fed with more than 50% of any of the above

• Any intoxicants

• Anything toxic or harmful to the body

• Pigs and boars.

• Dogs, snakes and monkeys.

• Carnivorous animals with claws and fangs such as lions, tigers, bears and other similar animals.

• Birds of prey with claws such as eagles, vultures, and other similar birds.

• Pests such as rats, centipedes, scorpions and other similar animals.

• Animals forbidden to be killed in Islam i.e., ants, bees and woodpecker birds.

• Animals which are considered repulsive generally like lice, flies, maggots and other similar animals.

• Animals that live both on land and in water such as frogs, crocodiles and other similar animals.

• Mules and domestic donkeys.

• All poisonous and hazardous aquatic animals.

• Any other animals not slaughtered according to Islamic Law.

• Blood.