Halal Certification
Szutest has been accredited by the Halal Accreditation Institution (HAK) in the field of Halal Certification.
It carries out the Halal certification service, taking into account the OIC/SMIIC 1: 2019 general requirements standard for Halal food, which was created by SMIIC (The Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries), and measures the competence and compliance of the relevant organizations within the requirements of this standard.
Religion is one of the most important factors influencing the choices of people and societies. Studies on consumer behavior have shown that consumer preferences change in accordance with their religious sensibilities. Muslim consumers demand halal, high quality, and healthy products in conformity with Islamic rules.
Food and drinks are among the important elements of the concept of halalness in Islam. According to Islam, the term “halal” is used for those that are permissible and “haram” for those that are forbidden.
There are some important issues regarding halal food in terms of Islam. These are;
- Quality features required by Islamic standards for halal products should be compatible with consumer needs and preferences.
- Consumers should know exactly the differences between the concepts of halal and haram.
- Different strategies should be developed for different demands of consumers in the halal food market.
- Promotional campaigns should be organized in accordance with different cultural preferences within the framework of Islamic rules.
- Businesses should not apply a deceptive pricing policy in the halal food market that they have created for product differentiation.
All these points are an indication of the concept of halal in Islam is closely related not only to the food dimension, but also to the concept of halal/haram in the marketing, pricing, and promotion of these foods.
WHAT IS HALAL CERTIFICATION?
It is a method that involves a valid, competent, and impartial institution to inspect the production in question, to verify that the manufacturing has been made in accordance with halal standards (OIC/SMIIC 1), and to issue an approved document accordingly. Along with the halal requirements, hygiene must be in accordance with ISO and HACCP rules. Halal certification is a necessary condition for the production of an acceptable, reliable, and consumable product for religiously sensitive consumers.
Halal food certification is an application that provides different benefits for producers and consumers. It is possible to collect these benefits under three headings.
Consumer Confidence: Certification provides consumers with the opportunity to make a conscious choice in line with their preferences. At the same time, with a continuous inspection mechanism provided by the halal food certificate, consumers can safely consume the food they buy.
Export and Competition: “Halal food”, which is in the food sector, has been increasing its importance in the global market recently. Companies that obtain halal certification will have the opportunity to supply their products to the global “halal food” market and increase their competitive power. Thanks to the “halal food” certificate, which is the result of the halal certification process, it becomes much easier to recognize and promote the product and the manufacturer in Global Islam. In case of having a halal certificate with HAK accreditation, The producer will be able to export and sell its products as “Halal” in all SMIIC member countries and prove that it has the recognition that it produces Halal products in other countries with the accredited halal certificate obtained from SZUTEST. This will enable the producer with a HAK accredited halal certificate to stand out from both local and international competitors while bringing prestige and trust against the consumer society that cares about consuming halal food.
Quality: The certificate indicates that not only the halal law requirements of the “halal food” food product are applied, also that the food safety and hygiene practices are strictly applied in the production of the product/service.
HALAL CERTIFICATION AREAS
Certification concerns not only food, but also other areas such as service, energy, transportation, and cosmetics. The standard of reliability in the production of products and services includes being respectful to Islamic beliefs and values at every stage. For example, it is not enough that red meat is only hygienic, but some additional conditions can be put forward to be considered halal as in Kosher. In the same way, the search for halal in production and consumption is not limited to food. Halal certification can also apply to different service areas other than food (non-food), renewable energy, tourism services, agricultural transactions, and transportation, as well as other areas. Especially in the tourism sector, it is observed that the applications for obtaining halal service certificates are increasing due to customer demands and international competition.
WHO CAN GET HALAL CERTIFICATE?
Even though Halal Certification is perceived as a standard prepared for food-based producers, mainly meat and meat products, is an obtainable and applicable certification standard for organizations that provide manufacturing and services in all areas that touch our lives such as food, cosmetics, tourism, and affect our daily consumption or service routine. In addition to its applications and services, all organizations that meet the general requirements of the OIC/SMIIC 1: 2019 standard created by the SMIIC organization are subject to audit and can qualify for this certification.
BENEFITS OF HALAL FOOD CERTIFICATION
There are various factors that affect the purchasing decisions of consumers. One of these factors is the religious beliefs and identities of the consumers. The religious beliefs of consumers prohibit the consumption of certain foods by those who follow this religion. Islam prohibits the consumption of some foods with the rules it has set. Therefore, halal food certification has emerged as a result of the efforts of Muslims to protect their religious identity and to provide religiously halal foods and avoid haram foods. The easiest way for Muslim consumers to prefer halal food is halal certified products. The certificate and logo are an important way to inform and convince the consumers that the products are halal. The purpose of this study is to examine how consumers perceive halal food certified products, how they define the risks in the purchasing decision process, and the position and effects of halal food certified products in establishing consumer confidence. For this purpose, as a result of the research conducted on 796 customers, it has been revealed that 87% of each consumer takes this condition into consideration.
As SZUTEST, as a result of the Halal certification audit we conducted by the Halal Accreditation Institution (HAK), we perform the Halal certification service, taking into account the OIC/SMIIC 1: 2019 Halal food standard created by SMIIC(The Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries), and we measure the competence and conformity of the relevant organizations within the requirements of this standard.
Your certification applications will be evaluated sensitively by our expert staff.
Contact us for your Halal Certification Applications and Questions;
