Shifting an existing business to Halal means more than adding a logo. A company has to remove or separate forbidden ingredients, find suppliers that can document Halal sources, clean and sometimes dedicate production lines, choose a certifier whose mark is accepted in its target markets, train staff and keep records an auditor can check. Costs and timelines depend on the product and the market.
This article was first published in October 2021. It has been updated with 2024 market data, current certification rules in Indonesia, Malaysia and the UAE, a step-by-step table and corrections to the scope of product certification.
Reviewed by Hafiz Maqsood Ahmed.
The business case is market access. Muslim consumers spent $1.53 trillion on food and drink in 2024, $112 billion on pharmaceuticals and $92 billion on cosmetics, according to the State of the Global Islamic Economy Report 2025/26, produced by DinarStandard. In several large markets, certification is no longer optional. Indonesia, home to about 239 million Muslims, according to the Pew Research Center, has required Halal certification for most food and drink since Oct. 17, 2024, under its Halal Product Assurance Law of 2014.
For companies new to the field, our explainer on what Halal certification means covers the basics. This guide focuses on what changes inside a business that is already operating.
1. Audit what you make and what goes into it
The first step is an ingredient-by-ingredient review. Pork and its derivatives, alcohol from wine and liquor, blood, and meat from animals not slaughtered according to Islamic law are excluded. The harder cases are additives whose source is not on the label: gelatin, emulsifiers such as E471, glycerin, enzymes, L-cysteine, flavorings carried in alcohol and colorings such as carmine. Each needs a supplier declaration or a Halal certificate of its own.
Some products may have to be reformulated or dropped. A bakery using lard, a confectioner using pork gelatin or a sauce maker using wine will need replacements before an audit can succeed.
Halal product certification covers products, ingredients and processes. It does not usually examine how a company is financed. A food maker with a conventional bank loan can still have Halal-certified products; Shariah-compliant financing is a separate decision, governed by Islamic finance standards rather than food standards.
2. Requalify your suppliers
Halal status runs from farm to shelf, so every supplier of a sensitive ingredient has to be checked. Certifiers generally ask for a valid Halal certificate for each high-risk raw material, issued by a body they recognize. That last condition matters: a certificate from one body may not be accepted by another, which is why exporters spend time on which certifiers are recognized in each market.
Switching suppliers can raise costs, especially for meat, gelatin and specialty additives, and may lengthen lead times. Companies typically build an approved-supplier list and require notice before any change of source or formula.
3. Separate or clean production lines
A plant that also handles non-Halal products has to prevent cross-contamination. Requirements vary by standard. Malaysia’s standard for Halal food, MS 1500:2019, and the general Halal food standard of the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries, OIC/SMIIC 1, both set rules for segregation, cleaning and storage. Under Malaysian rules, equipment contaminated by pork or dogs must undergo a ritual cleansing known as sertu before it can be used for Halal production.
Many companies find it simpler to dedicate a line, a shift or a whole plant to Halal production rather than switch back and forth.
4. Choose a certifier that fits your markets
The right certifier depends on where the products will be sold. Importing countries increasingly decide which foreign certifiers they accept. Malaysia’s JAKIM publishes a list of recognized foreign bodies; Indonesia’s Halal Product Assurance Organizing Agency (BPJPH) signs mutual recognition agreements with foreign certifiers; and the United Arab Emirates requires certifiers to be registered with its Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology. A company selling into all three may need a certifier recognized by each, or more than one certificate.
Our guide to choosing a Halal certifier sets out the questions to ask.
Our analysis of mutual recognition between countries explains why one certificate rarely covers the world.
5. Train staff and appoint a Halal team
Most standards require a named person or committee responsible for Halal compliance, often including at least one Muslim staff member, and documented training for workers who handle ingredients, cleaning and storage. Front-line staff also need to answer customer questions accurately, because a single mistaken claim can do more damage than the certificate does good.
6. Market the change carefully
Once certified, companies usually display the certifier’s mark on packaging and on their websites and list the certificate number so buyers can check it. Claims should match the certificate exactly: if only some products are certified, the marketing must say so. Using the word “halal” or a halal mark without valid certification is an offense in several countries, including Malaysia and Indonesia.
Demand is not limited to Muslims. Many non-Muslim shoppers buy halal products for reasons of quality or ethics, a trend we examine in why non-Muslims buy halal.
The shift at a glance
| Area | What changes | What an auditor usually asks for |
|---|---|---|
| Products | Remove or replace forbidden and doubtful ingredients | Full formulas and ingredient lists |
| Suppliers | Approved list of halal-certified sources | Valid certificates from recognized bodies |
| Production | Segregation, cleaning, sometimes dedicated lines | Cleaning records, plant layout, storage plan |
| People | Halal team and training | Named responsible person, training records |
| Records | Traceability from raw material to finished product | Batch records and a recall plan |
| Marketing | Claims match the certificate | Label and website review |
What it costs
Certification fees vary widely by certifier, country, the number of products and plants, and whether slaughter supervision is needed. Most bodies charge an application or audit fee plus an annual fee, and some charge per product. The larger costs are often indirect: reformulating products, paying more for certified ingredients and changing production schedules.
How long it takes
For a simple product with certified ingredients, certification can take weeks once an application is complete. For a multi-product plant that needs new suppliers or line changes, the process can take several months. The audit itself is usually the shortest part; preparing documentation and qualifying suppliers takes longer.
