One Standard One Logo Halal Accreditation & Certification Mechanism
There are different halal certification bodies those are certifying different companies and products as halal certified with different logos by using different standards. Consequently, different logos based on different standards by the so many halal certification bodies are being unacceptable in international trade.
In the present scenario OIC/SMIIC has published halal standard for certification bodies and for accreditation bodies. So there is need for OIC/SMIIC to develop halal accreditation system for halal certification bodies so that one standard and one logo theme must be implemented globally. My paper would consist also what is halal accreditation and what is halal certification and how these two concepts are aligned with the international trade mechanism.
Halal accreditation means third party attestation related to a Halal conformity assessment body (e.g. Halal certification body) conveying formal demonstration of its competence to carry out specific Halal conformity assessment tasks.
Halal accreditation system is not isolated from internationally recognised quality infrastructure based on ISO, IEC, IEC, ITU etc Standards, the accreditation system of International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC) for dealing with recognition of certifications and similarly International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) for dealing with the recognition of testing/calibration laboratories, medical laboratories and inspection bodies and the metrological system of International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) and CIPM dealing with the recognition of measurement. Halal Accreditation of Halal Certification Bodies according to the requirements of OIC Halal Standards is most likely to accreditation of product certification bodies according to the requirements of ISO/IEC 17065:2012 and accreditation of certification bodies according to the requirements of ISO/IEC 17021:2011 and the requirements of Islamic laws (Shariah).
At present only OIC has developed Halal Guidelines for the operation of Halal Accreditation Bodies titled “Guidelines for the Halal Accreditation Body Accrediting Halal Certification Bodies”, the only practical, productive and valuable effort by the Standard Metrology Institute of Metrology (SMIIC) in the world through the consensus of OIC member countries. No doubt this is big achievement. The Halal guidelines developed by SMIIC for Halal System are harmonized with requirements of internationally recognised standards e.g., ISO/IEC 17011:2004, ISO/IEC 17021:2011, ISO/IEC 17065:2012 etc to avoid any question mark on their recognition in the global world. Therefore we will discuss the salient features of the Halal Guidelines requirements with reference to Halal Accreditation Body accrediting the Halal Certification Bodies.
Now the guidelines regarding the procedure for implementation of Halal Standard not only in the Muslim World but also in the non-Muslim countries have been elaborated through contributions of particularly Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia & Pakistan. These guidelines are based on internationally recognized ISO/IEC 17011 standard and the procedures have been prepared by Malaysia and the Turkish experiences and practices in the field of accreditation. In elaborating the guidelines, it is intended that the accreditation system planned to be developed under OIC or in the OIC member countries should not be isolated from the world and the practices under the Mutual/Multilateral Recognition Agreements- MRA/MLA) of regional and international accreditation associations such as IAF, EA, PAC, ILAC, APLAC. Therefore, it is hoped that the structure will be established under the OIC would also be recognized by non-OIC member countries all over the world.
The OIC/SMIIC Guidelines specify the general requirements for National accreditation bodies (NABs) that are accrediting Halal Certification Bodies (HCB). The whole procedure has been elaborated in line with the already recognised/implemented practices all over the World.
My presentation will elaborate all the mechanism of halal accreditation and halal certification.
