Ms. Ma. Juanita P. Carpio, DTI-PAB Chief of Management System Accreditation Division discusses the requirement of ISO/IEC 17025:2012 and PAB’s Accreditation on Halal Products Certification Bodies

In the global market, it is important to take into consideration not only the health and safety aspects of food and most products but also the cultural and religious preferences of consumers. The global Muslim population with diverse tastes and interests also has a number of religious requirements that affect its purchases. According to the Euromonitor, Muslim consumers are expected to reach 26 percent of the global population by 2030.

Consuming products in accordance with the Islamic faith means that consumers only buy what is considered halal (permissible) and not haram {forbidden). islam as a way of life permeates every moment of a Muslim’s consumption of just about anything, from food to clothing, investments to insurance. The principles of Islamic law inform the purchasing decisions of Muslims but are not always directly met in the global marketplace. Muslim consumers around the world are waiting for more suppliers to step up. 

Halal certification gives assurance that the products are thoroughly checked by a certification body in accordance with Islamic Shariah Laws. The question is how can the Muslim consumer be assured that the certification was conducted by a competent and reliable certification body. This is where accreditation plays a role.

Accreditation of Halal certification bodies is a formal declaration that the body is competent to certify halal products or services. Being accredited means that the certification body fulfills the requirements of an internationally recognized standard as it opens their business processes to outside scrutiny of an authoritative body that can make such declaration.

To increase awareness on accreditation, the Department of Trade and Industry – Philippine Accreditation Bureau (DTI-PAB) conducted the Seminar on ISO/IEC 17065:2012 and PAS’s Accreditation of Halal Products Certification Bodies on 03 July 2017 in Berjaya Hotel, Makati City. It was attended by Halal certification bodies in the country and other stakeholders.