Indonesia is streamlining its halal certification process for micro, small, and medium-sized food enterprises (MSMEs), recognizing that while mandatory certification has applied since October 2024, many smaller businesses have faced difficulties due to complex procedures and high costs. The country’s Halal Products Assurance Agency (BPJPH) has introduced SIHALAL, a self-declaration system specially designed for MSMEs producing “simple” products. Through SIHALAL, companies can apply fully online, receive digital certificates, and track their application process in a user-friendly manner.
BPJPH also plans to integrate artificial intelligence in future stages of SIHALAL to create a risk-based certification model, reducing cost and effort even further. The broader goal is to boost these small firms’ competitiveness in the global halal market — currently worth over US$ 3 trillion — while ensuring transparency and efficiency in Indonesia’s halal regulatory system.
