Govt extends time for accreditation of halal certification bodies till Apr

The government on Friday extended the deadline for accreditation of halal certification bodies and registration of export units by six months to April 5, 2024.

On April 6 this year, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) announced policy conditions for the halal certification process for meat and meat products, while directing existing bodies to apply for accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies ( NABCB) for i-CAS (Indian Conformity Assessment Scheme) Halal in six months.

“The period for accreditation of halal certification bodies and registration of export units has been extended for a period of six months i.e. till April 5, 2024,” the DGFT said in a notification.

DGFT is a department of the ministry that deals with export and import related issues.

According to the guidelines, meat and meat products can be exported as ‘halal certified’ only if they have been produced, processed and packaged in a facility with a valid certificate issued by a body accredited by a board of the Quality Council of India.

They must apply for accreditation from NABCB.

Products covered by the notification include meat from bovine animals, fish and chilled meat from sheep and goats; and sausages and similar meat products.

To streamline the certification of meat and meat products as halal from the country, a scheme titled ‘India Conformity Assessment Scheme (i-CAS)’ has been developed.

Previously, there was no mandatory government-regulated halal certification system in India as the country has no national regulations for the certification.

The global halal food market reached $1,978 billion in 2021. Looking ahead, the market is expected to reach a value of $3,907.7 billion by 2027.

In India, the country’s halal industry is still in its infancy. There are no specific labeling requirements for halal food products imported into India.

Halal certification is issued by many private companies in the country, marking the food or products as permitted.

The major halal certifying organizations in the country include Halal India Pvt Ltd and Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Halal Trust.

The International Halal Accreditation Forum (IHAF) is an international network of accreditation bodies mandated to enforce halal standards in their economies.

Countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, UAE and Pakistan have their own halal standards. However, so far there are no global halal standards.

The rapid growth of the halal industry has not only led to halal technologies and innovations, but also to halal-related laws and regulations that are still not harmonized worldwide, the report said.

Due to the changing consumer perception, the halal market attracts not only the Muslim population, but also non-Muslim consumers.