Implementation of Halal Assurance System in the Poultry Slaughterhouse

Halal Assurance System (HAS) is integrated management system that ensure continuity of entire halal process in the poultry slaughterhouse activities from the receiving of birds to packing and dispatching of meat products supervising Islamic rules. Halal Assurance System has 11 components that must be implemented by the company before applying and registering for halal certification process. Among them are: determining halal policies, establishing Halal Management Team, preparing HAS Manual, conducting training, preparing related HAS procedures, implementing internal audit, and reviewing management properly.

The Indonesian government regulates the guarantee of halal products through the Law regarding Halal Product Guarantee number 33 of 2014 which states that Products that enter, circulate and trade in Indonesia must have a halal certificate. This is because the majority of Indonesia's population is Muslims. Based on data from the Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration (Dukcapil) of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the total population of Indonesia is 272.23 million in June 2021. Of this number, 236.53 million people (86.88%) are Muslims. Muslims are required to consume halal foods based on Allah's commands in the Al-Quran Surah Al Baqarah verse 168.

Halal is an Arabic term which means permissible or lawful in Islam. In reference to food, it is dietary standard as prescribed in the Islamic Law. Haram is another Arabic term which means impermissible or unlawful in Islam. In the Al-Qur’an mentioned several things that are classified as Haram materials such as: Pork and its derivative products, all kind ?of blood and carcass, Liquor and its derivative products, and halal animals (Chicken, Cow, Sheep, Goat, etc.) that not slaughtered by the name of Allah. Halal slaughterhouse must implement halal method in the entire production process to guarantee the halal of the products.

In principle, halal products are products that come from halal materials and produced using facilities that free from haram and/or unclean materials. The company that will applying and registering halal certification must make statement letter that all productions facilities are Pork Free Facilities. It made and signed by top management. The company must has Standard Operational Procedure (SOP) for cleaning and sanitation productions facilities to make sure it’s free from haram and/or unclean materials.

Based on the Law of the Republic of Indonesia number 33 of 2014 which state that Halal Certificate is issued by the Halal Product Guarantee Agency (BPJPH) of the Ministry of Religion of the Republic of Indonesia. After that, BPJPH has collaboration with the Halal Inspection Agency (LPH) for audit halal production process (Halal Auditor). Currently, there are 3 Halal Inspection Agencies that have been registered with BPJPH. One them is Institute for the Study of Food, Drugs and Cosmetics - Indonesian Council of Religious Scholars (LPPOM MUI).

First of all, the company requesting for halal certification, whether for new registration, development (product/facility) or renewal can do online registration. Online registration can be done through BPJPH website (https://ptsp.halal.go.id ). After completing the required documents and received supporting document from BPJPH for halal certification, then continue do online registration through LPPOM MUI website (https://e-lppommui.org ) and then fill in the required documents in the registration process. After completing the required documents, the auditor from LPPOM MUI will conduct audit halal production process in the company site. During the audit in the company site, the auditor will evaluate the Halal Assurance System implementation and check the completeness of Halal Assurance System documents.?

The eleven components of Halal Assurance System (HAS) are determining halal policy and socialize it to all stakeholder, establishing Halal Management Team, training and education of HAS to all employees, the list of halal materials, matrix of products, production facilities, written procedures for critical activities, traceability of materials and products, handling of non-conformance products, conducting internal audit, and reviewing management properly.

The first components of Halal Assurance System (HAS) is determining halal policy. Halal policy is written commitment of top management that company will produce the products from halal materials and produced using facilities that free from Haram or unclean materials. The company must disseminate halal policy to all company’s stakeholders by email to all stakeholders or conduct training, via poster or banner and so on.

The second component of Halal Assurance System (HAS) is establishing Halal Management Team. Halal Management Team is the team determined by the management to plan, implement, evaluate and improve the Halal Assurance System (HAS) in the company. Based on BPJPH rule, the management must assign as Halal Supervisor that usually the leader of the Halal Management Team and supervising Halal Production Process (HPP). Halal Management Team must include all company section involved in critical activities and the duty, responsibility and authority of each team member must be clearly defined.

The third component of Halal Assurance System (HAS) is training and education to all employees. There are two types of training to be carried out by the company; internal training and external training. Internal training is training that must be attended by all employees. Internal training is once a year or more if needed. Internal training materials include 11 components of the Halal Assurance System and updates related to halal regulations and procedures in Indonesia. Internal training trainers are permanent employees who have passed external training (Halal Supervisor). ?External training is training that must be attended by one of the representatives of the Halal Management Team.

The fourth component of Halal Assurance System (HAS) is written list of all the halal materials for production raw materials. The list contains of the information about supplier’s name and location, distributors, halal certificate documents and other supporting documents. There are halal materials that consider as halal positive list of materials by LPPOM MUI. It’s mean that halal materials needn’t halal certificate document, such as: groundwater, fruits, vegetables, fresh fish and so on. Complete halal positive list of materials by LPPOM MUI can be found in https://halalmui.org .

The fifth component of Halal Assurance System (HAS) is written list of matrix products versus materials. Matrix products contains of the information about variant products come from the list of halal materials. Brand or names of products mustn’t use names which imitate haram things and violate Islamic law. For retail food products, all products must be registered for halal certification before release it.

The sixth component of Halal Assurance System (HAS) is production facilities are pork free facilities with evidenced by statement letter from top management. Production facilities must ensure that no cross contamination with haram materials or unclean products. Production facilities can be used interchangeably to produce certified and uncertified products as long as it doesn’t contain materials from pork and its derivatives products, but there must be certain procedures to ensure there is no occurs of cross contamination.

The seventh component of Halal Assurance System (HAS) is written procedure for critical activities that could affect the status of halal products. Standard Operational Procedure (SOP) for critical activities from the receiving of birds to packing and dispatching of meat products. Main critical activities in poultry slaughterhouse are stunning, killing (halal method) and bleeding. ?Standard Operational Procedure (SOP) must ensure the birds are not dead after stunning process. Halal method is bird’s killing method based on Islamic law which includes: say Bismillah before slitting, cut the windpipe (trachea), esophagus, jugular vein and carotid artery. The bleeding process must properly apply to ensure all the blood from the birds perfectly come out. Written procedures critical activities can be made integrated with other system procedures.

The eighth component of Halal Assurance System (HAS) is written procedure for traceability products and approved materials. All products which produced by the company must be traceable from the materials used and have been approved by LPPOM MUI and produced in production facilities that are free from pork and its derivative products as well as other unclean materials. Product traceability is carried out through the arrangement of recording the use of materials and production facilities from the raw material warehouse to the final product warehouse. Product traceability records must be well and complete documented.

The ninth component of Halal Assurance System (HAS) is written procedure for handling non-conformance products. Non-conformance products are the products were made from haram/unclean materials and/or produced in facilities that are not complying with Halal Assurance System. All non-conformance products are prohibited from being sold to Muslim consumers or reprocessed with other products, but it must be destroyed or being sold to Non-Muslim consumers.

The tenth component of Halal Assurance System (HAS) is conducting internal audit to all the company sections about Halal Assurance System implementation. The internal audit must be written in procedure and performed based on schedule, at least once in six months or more often if necessary. All the company sections must be audited by Halal Management Team.

The last component of Halal Assurance System (HAS) is management review. Top management must review the effectiveness of Halal Assurance System implementation once a year. The results of evaluation must be delivered to the stakeholders who are responsible for each activity.