JAKARTA. The Indonesian Food and Beverage Producers Association (Gapmmi) has called on the government not to add to the burden of the industry through mandating halal certification for their products.

“The halal certification will give added value to the products on the global market, but we hope the certification process will not add to the industry's burden,” Gapmmi chairman Adhi Lukman said in Jakarta on Wednesday, as reported by tribunnews.com.

The government is now preparing a regulation to establish the Halal Certification Agency (BPJPH), which will be authorized to issue halal certificates .

Adhi also expressed the hope that the halal certification would not become mandatory for all food and beverage producers, and that it should remain voluntary.

“Even in Saudi Arabia, the halal certification is only voluntary,” he said. “However, if  halal certification becomes mandatory in the end, it should still not apply to all products and services.”

Under the BPJPH, Adhi added, the halal certification process should be transparent and the agency needed to set a maximum processing period for companies to be issued with halal certificates.

Adhi stressed that his association supported the government’s intension to establish such an agency with the authority to issue certificates, because it would help industry to expand and take advantage of the broad opportunities of the global halal market. (bbn)

Editor: Dessy Rosalina