Halal Standardization : The Malaysian Model


The Industry Standard Technical Committee I (ISC I) is headed by JAKIM and all its committee members are all practicing Muslims from various agencies (government, industries, academia, consumers, R&D etc).
Within the context of increasing power on food expenditure among Muslim consumers in Malaysia, Halal certification was formally introduced by JAKIM (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia) in 1994. From then on, the steady growth of the Halal industry propelled Halal certified products to the global stage of international trade. The need to conform to international standards is confirmed. This has led to the first documented Halal Standard MS1500:2000 in the year 2000 on how to produce halal food in Malaysia, which was developed in line with international standard practices.
The Industry Standard Technical Committee I (ISC I) which addresses the Islamic standards is formed under the National Standards Committee of the Department Standard Malaysia. The ISC I is headed by JAKIM and all its committee members are all practicing Muslims from various agencies (government, industries, academia, consumers, R&D etc).
The MS1500 has undergone 2 revisions and the current reference is MS1500:2009. Subsequently more new standards were being published to address other specific sectors in the industry such as Halal cosmetics, Halal pharmaceuticals, Halal supply chain management and management systems.