Malaysia Bets on Halal Standards as the Industry Expands Across Borders

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia is using a month of halal industry events to put a less visible part of its Islamic economy in the spotlight: the standards, certification systems and regulatory relationships that determine whether halal products can move confidently from one market to another.

The Global Halal Summit 2026, part of Malaysia’s National Halal Month, brings together certification authorities, government agencies, researchers and businesses as the country seeks to strengthen its domestic halal ecosystem while expanding international cooperation.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled to open the main gathering on Friday at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

For Malaysia, the effort comes at a time when the halal economy is becoming increasingly difficult to define simply as a food business. Pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, logistics, Islamic finance and tourism are now part of the same commercial conversation, while new products and technologies are creating questions that existing certification systems must address.

Some of those questions were on the agenda this week at the 16th Halal Certification Bodies Convention in Putrajaya.

Organised by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia, or JAKIM, the two-day convention focused on “Shariah and Integrity: Empowering the Global Halal Ecosystem.” Its discussions included Shariah auditing, contemporary fiqh issues, the use of alcohol in food and beverages, cultured meat, halal certification of vaccines, Islamic finance and import and export regulations.

The recognition of foreign certification bodies has also become an important part of Malaysia’s approach.

As of Aug. 21, JAKIM had recognised 96 foreign halal certification bodies in 49 countries and territories. The system connects Malaysian halal requirements with certification organisations operating in markets overseas, where manufacturers and exporters must navigate different regulatory and commercial environments.

For companies, the issue is practical. A product moving through an international supply chain may encounter several certification and regulatory requirements before it reaches a consumer. Consistency in how those requirements are interpreted can affect manufacturing decisions, market access and the movement of goods.

The technical expertise required to support that system is receiving attention as well.

The fifth International Halal Technical Capacity Development Programme, held in conjunction with the wider programme, has focused on areas including food and beverages, food services, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and halal logistics. The emphasis is on sharing technical knowledge and strengthening the ability of practitioners to deal with changing requirements.

That matters particularly as the definition of a halal supply chain becomes more complicated. Certification can involve not only the final product but ingredients, processing, storage, transportation, auditing and other stages along the way.

Malaysia has built a network of institutions around those functions.

JAKIM and the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry are spearheading this year’s programme, working with the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation, Halal Development Corporation, Department of Standards Malaysia, Islamic Tourism Centre and Universiti Putra Malaysia.

Their roles differ, but the events taking place this month increasingly overlap.

MATRADE’s Malaysia International Halal Showcase, running from Sept. 23 to 26 at MITEC, gives companies a commercial platform to pursue buyers and international business connections. HDC’s World Halal Business Conference on Sept. 24 has focused on business and policy issues.

The programme also extends into tourism, standards and research. The Islamic Tourism Centre has organised a technical tour, while the Department of Standards Malaysia has held a consultation on the draft MS 2807 Sertu standard. Universiti Putra Malaysia is scheduled to host Halal Paradigm 2026 on Sept. 29 at its Halal Products Research Institute.

The breadth of the programme reflects how closely the different parts of the halal economy now interact.

A certification decision can influence market access. Standards affect manufacturing. Logistics determine how products are handled between production and destination markets. And the credibility of each stage ultimately rests on confidence in the system.

Malaysia has made that system part of its broader economic positioning.

The State of the Global Islamic Economy 2025/26 report ranks Malaysia first in the Global Islamic Economy Indicator for the 12th consecutive year. The indicator covers several segments of the Islamic economy and has become one measure of Malaysia’s standing in the sector.

The more immediate challenge, however, is translating institutional strength into international commercial relationships.

As companies enter new halal markets, they need to understand which certification is accepted, how requirements are applied and how products can move through supply chains without unnecessary uncertainty. Regulators face the corresponding task of keeping standards credible while dealing with products and technologies that did not exist when many of the industry’s systems were first developed.

Those tensions are unlikely to be settled at a single gathering.

But they explain why Malaysia is putting certification bodies, standards organisations, trade agencies, researchers and industry representatives in the same programme.

The country is not simply promoting halal products. It is also presenting the regulatory and institutional framework behind them — a framework that Malaysia hopes can support greater international trade while reinforcing confidence in halal certification.

For an industry increasingly defined by cross-border supply chains, that infrastructure may prove as important as the products themselves.