February 24, 2026 | 04:40 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The head of Indonesia’s Halal Product Assurance Organizing Agency (BPJPH), Ahmad Haikal Hasan, has assured the public that the United States maintains a strict halal certification system, urging Indonesian consumers not to worry about U.S. imports bearing halal labels issued in their country of origin.
Haikal said the U.S. has enforced halal standards for decades, pointing to the establishment of the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA) in 1974.
“I am not defending America. Instead, America is more stringent in halal matters because it has implemented halal regulations since 1974,” Haikal said in a written statement on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.
According to him, IFANCA and other recognized U.S. halal institutions cooperate with multiple countries, including Indonesia. Halal certificates issued by accredited U.S. bodies are recognized by BPJPH, which serves as Indonesia’s official halal authority.
Responding to Trade Deal Concerns
Haikal’s remarks came in response to circulating claims that U.S. products would no longer require halal labeling to enter Indonesia following a trade agreement signed last week by President Prabowo Subianto and U.S. President Donald Trump.
He dismissed the reports as inaccurate.
“The information circulating in the community that American products entering Indonesia do not require a halal label is not true,” Haikal said.
He stressed that halal certification for U.S. imports would continue to comply with Indonesian regulations and be implemented transparently.
“Do not worry. In terms of halal, nothing is kept secret, nothing is concealed. There are no violations,” he said.
Mutual Recognition Agreement
Haikal explained that halal requirements between Indonesia and the United States are governed by a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA). The arrangement formalizes mutual acknowledgment of halal standards between BPJPH and foreign halal institutions in the U.S.
He noted that the MRA had already been in force prior to the signing of the latest Indonesia–U.S. trade agreement.
Under the mechanism, once a recognized U.S. halal authority issues certification, Indonesian authorities do not need to re-examine the product’s halal status from scratch.
“It only needs to be registered, not processed again from the beginning,” Haikal said.
The Indonesian and U.S. governments signed a reciprocal trade agreement in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, February 19, 2026. The deal addresses import tariffs and the removal of trade barriers.
Following the agreement, Indonesia granted certain halal certification exemptions for several categories of U.S. products entering the country, including cosmetics, medical devices, and manufactured goods.
However, cosmetics and medical devices are still required to obtain distribution permits from Indonesia’s Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) before being marketed domestically.
Haikal emphasized that the trade agreement does not eliminate Indonesia’s halal requirements, but rather operates within an established framework of mutual recognition to streamline procedures while maintaining regulatory standards.
Read: BPJPH Ensures US Products in Indonesia to Carry Dual Halal Labels
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