Habib Ghanim
Habib Ghanim

Halal requirements are spreading across international markets, and Indonesia offers one of the clearest recent examples. On October 16, the government moved the mandatory certification deadlines for imported food and beverages, cosmetics, and several other categories from October 2026 to October 2028. Officials linked the delay partly to completing mutual recognition agreements, and the country has so far signed 109 such agreements with certification bodies from 39 countries. Reliable certification might take longer to build than a deadline allows.

The stakes extend well beyond one country. According to DinarStandard's State of the Global Islamic Economy Report 2025/26, halal food spending reached $1.53 trillion in 2024 and is projected to exceed $2 trillion by 2029. As more markets make certification mandatory, more products may need to prove their status at more borders. That growth could place pressure on standards that were never designed to work together. Speed may matter less than whether consumers can rely on what each certificate says.

Most halal systems appear to share the same core principles, yet the requirements built on them can differ widely. Some markets accept certain stunning methods while others reject them, and some prefer their own nationals to perform slaughter. Views differ on whether Christians and Jews may slaughter for Muslim consumers. A certificate accepted in one market might still need separate approval in the next. Recognition negotiated body by body may leave exporters managing a patchwork of approvals.

For manufacturers, one product can face several sets of rules. A plant filling orders of different sizes for different countries may struggle to switch practices for each shipment, and every importing authority might send its own technical or assessment auditors. Those repeated audits could raise costs that eventually reach the consumer. Meanwhile, cheap certificates backed by few non-accredited certifiers' technical checks may undercut rigorous certifiers. Many shoppers might also accept any halal sign without asking who issued it.

Habib Ghanim, founder and CEO of USA Halal Chamber of Commerce, has worked in halal certification for decades. His work began with weekend visits to a Maryland poultry plant for buyers in Singapore and led to the USA Halal Chamber of Commerce, now largely family-run. He has been involved with the World Halal Council since its founding in Jakarta in 1999, and sits on its executive committee and chairs its membership committee as well. "Now every country has rules, but they don't coordinate with each other," Ghanim says.

According to Ghanim, the system struggles to agree because schools of thought such as Shafi'i, Maliki, and Hanbali interpret some details differently. Yet he believes the overlap may be larger than the differences. His proposed baseline is an animal that is alive and healthy, slaughtered by a Muslim invoking God's name, with both jugular veins cut and the animal properly bled. "That is the common denominator," he says. "Start there, and let countries ask for more on top."

Mutual recognition agreements could partly reduce repeated work, since a product certified by a recognized foreign body may not need a fresh certificate. Ghanim suggests a single international standard, perhaps overseen by a body such as ISO or the GCC Standardization Organization, or OIC-SMIIC standards could go further to unite all the accreditation bodies. Countries wanting more could add higher grades above that baseline, and certifiers could be verified periodically, much as doctors renew their licenses. "The plant pays for every inspection, and in the end the consumer pays," he says.

In Ghanim's view, a credible certificate rests on evidence rather than a logo. He points to practices such as random testing at ISO 17025-accredited and approved laboratories, checks on ingredient sources like gelatin/porcine, and approval decisions that need agreement from an entire review committee rather than a majority. He also stresses tayyib, or wholesomeness, which calls for checking the animal's health alongside the slaughter. "If it isn't documented, it didn't happen," he says. "Any certificate should be traceable back to who audited what."

Indonesia's extra two years might give regulators and certifiers a chance to work toward that kind of coordination. Ghanim believes the goal should be fewer duplicated inspections, not weaker standards. Smaller producers might find certification more affordable, careful certifiers could compete on rigor rather than price, and consumers may pay less for products they can trust. Clearer labeling could also show shoppers which body certified a product.

For many shoppers, a halal logo is a promise accepted on trust. Its value may depend less on the logo itself and more on whether anyone can trace the checks behind it. "It's about credibility, verification, and traceability," Ghanim says. "Get those right, and the consumer can trust the label anywhere in the world." A shared baseline may not settle every difference, but it might help the label carry the same meaning at every border. That's why Ghanim supports OIC-SMIIC standards.