Halal Export Certification And The Markets A US Exporter Can Reach

In the United States, the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia has accredited three Islamic institutions to inspect and certify food and beverage products as halal for export to Malaysia, USDA reported in a required report dated April 22, 2025. Each consignment travels with a veterinary health certificate signed or endorsed by the veterinary authority of the country of export, and a halal certificate issued by an approved US Islamic center.

In Malaysia, exporters of other food and beverage products are encouraged to consider halal certification even without an official requirement. In Indonesia, certification can be obtained through a US halal certifying body accredited by Indonesia or directly through the Indonesian halal authority. In the UAE, suppliers who claim halal must provide a halal certificate from an approved halal certifier.

The Requirement Belongs To The Importing Country

In accordance with Malaysia’s Standard for Halal, all meat except pork and livestock products such as beef, poultry, dairy and eggs imported into the country must be halal certified as recognized by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia. Malaysia requires all imported meat and poultry except pork, animal-based further processed products, and all milk and egg products including whey, cheeses and ice cream to be accompanied by a halal certificate from a JAKIM approved certification body, USDA reported. Under the Control of Slaughter Rules 1975, all meat except pork and poultry products imported into the country must be certified halal by an accredited certification body.

Currently, the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia is the only authorized entity allowed to issue halal certification for domestic food establishments, USDA reported. Roughly 60 percent of the Malaysian population is Muslim and many hotels, restaurants, and catering services require 100 percent halal certification for their inputs in order to maintain their own halal certifications, the same report records. Halal certification may be a commercial necessity, depending on the end use of the product, USDA wrote.

Malaysia Publishes The List

JAKIM’s recognition of foreign certifiers exists as a published document, The Recognized Foreign Halal Certification Bodies and Authorities, effective from 30th January 2026 and gazetted under the Trade Descriptions Act. The document runs to 68 pages and is issued by the Halal Management Division of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia in Putrajaya. On page 59, under the United States of America heading, entry 87 is the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America at 2004 Miner Street, Des Plaines, Illinois, with Dr. Muhammad Munir Chaudry named as president. Alongside the entry number, the list’s columns are headed organization and address, contact, and halal logo.

The Gulf Route Runs Through A Single Mark

In 2021 and 2022, the UAE published updated versions of its major halal standards and technical regulations, and those regulations outline the requirements and process by which food should be certified halal, USDA reported in its United Arab Emirates report dated November 13, 2023. That process includes accreditation of conformity assessment bodies, meaning halal certification bodies, and the use of the UAE national halal mark for marketing purposes. The named standards include UAE.S 2055-2 on general requirements for halal certification bodies and UAE.S 2055-3 on general requirements for halal accreditation bodies accrediting halal certification bodies.

The UAE national halal mark or logo is voluntary but no other halal marks are permitted in the UAE, and suppliers who claim halal are required to provide a halal certificate from an approved halal certifier. Information on the approved UAE certifiers operating in the United States can be obtained by contacting MOIAT or the Dubai Municipality’s Accreditation Center, USDA wrote. For meat and meat products, an original halal slaughter certificate is required. The halal certificate must include the logo of the approved US Islamic organization, a serial number and date, the abattoir’s name and address, and the producing company and FSIS facility number.

Indonesia Sets A Date

Starting October 17, 2026, halal certification becomes mandatory for a wide range of ingredients, additives, and all processed food products, both domestic and imported, USDA reported in an exporter guide dated July 03, 2026. USDA advises that US exporters should first determine whether their products fall within scope, referring to Ministry of Religious Affairs Decree No. 748/2021, and assess the feasibility and cost of certification. Indonesia imported $26 billion in agricultural products in 2025, including $9.2 billion in consumer-oriented products, while the United States remained the fourth-largest agricultural supplier. The trade diplomacy behind that opening has been covered separately.

How To Read A Certifier’s Recognition Page

IFANCA’s published accreditations and recognitions page separates the bodies that accredit it from the authorities that recognize it. IFANCA lists ANAB, BPJPH, EIAC, GAC, HAK and PNAC under accredited by, and JAKIM, MUIS, SASO, SFDA, IMANOR, PHA, the Saudi Halal Center, the State of Qatar Ministry of Public Health and CICOT under recognized by. The gazetted list issued in Malaysia names recognized foreign halal certification bodies and authorities.

These checks are worth running against the primary documents before committing to a destination:

• Whether the importing authority names the certifier in its own current list, not only on the certifier’s website.
• Which product categories the accreditation or the recognition actually covers.
• The effective date printed on the list, and when the next revision is due.
• Whether the specific plant, abattoir or co-packer is named rather than the brand.

Reading the certificate itself is covered separately.

Demand And The Limits Of A Certificate

Halal food was worth US$1.53 trillion in 2024 and is projected to reach US$2.06 trillion by 2029, according to the State of the Global Islamic Economy Report 2025/26 produced by DinarStandard. OIC economies recorded US$421.5 billion in halal-related imports, the same report states. The United States is Malaysia’s third-largest trading partner, and US exports of goods to Malaysia were valued at $28 billion in 2024, the United States government’s Malaysia market overview records.

The fragmentation problem in halal standards has been examined at length elsewhere. Final import approval of any products is subject to the importing country’s rules and regulations as interpreted by border officials at the time of product entry, the Malaysia report states.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does A US Government Agency Issue Halal Certificates For Export?

The Malaysia report lists the veterinary health certificate and the halal certificate as separate documents, with the halal certificate issued by an approved US Islamic center. The United Arab Emirates report refers to pre-approved US halal certification bodies, and the Indonesia guide to a US halal certifying body accredited by Indonesia.

Can A Single Halal Certificate Cover Every Export Market?

Each importing authority sets its own terms. Malaysia works from a gazetted list of recognized foreign halal certification bodies effective from 30th January 2026, the United Arab Emirates permits no halal mark other than its own and requires a certificate from an approved halal certifier, and Indonesia accepts certification through a body it has accredited or directly through the Indonesian halal authority.

What Is Changing For US Exporters To Indonesia?

The mandate takes effect on October 17, 2026. USDA reported that certification can be obtained through a US halal certifying body accredited by Indonesia or directly through the Indonesian halal authority, and that a full list of accredited US halal certifying bodies is available in a separate GAIN report.

Where Do You Verify That A Certifier Is Accepted In A Market?

Go to the authority that admits the goods. The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia publishes its recognized foreign bodies as a dated list, USDA points to MOIAT or the Dubai Municipality’s Accreditation Center for the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia accredits the halal certifying bodies it accepts.