‌BPJPH Regulates the Assurance of Imported Halal Products, Protects Consumers and Provides Certainty for the Business Community‌

The Halal Product Assurance Organizing Agency (BPJPH) has issued BPJPH Regulation No. 4 of 2026 concerning the Conformity Assurance of Foreign Halal Products Entering Indonesian Territory, serving as the guideline for the implementation of assurance work for foreign halal products that enter, circulate and are traded within the territory of Indonesia.

BPJPH Regulation No. 4 of 2026 has gone through a series of discussions coordinated by the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Cultural Affairs (Kemenko PMK). Its formulation has also undergone a harmonization process at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, with the participation of relevant ministries and institutions.

Ahmad Haikal Hasan, Head of BPJPH (affectionately known as Babe Haikal), stated that the regulation on imported halal product assurance is necessary to deliver both halal certainty and business certainty. In other words, this regulation maintains a balance between the interests of consumer protection and certainty for the business community. For the public, this regulation is part of the state's efforts to provide certainty over the halal status of circulating products. For business actors, the regulation clarifies how to meet the Halal Product Assurance (JPH) requirements for products originating from overseas.

"We want to ensure that the implementation of the Halal Product Assurance obligation for imported products follows clear rules. This is crucial to protect consumers while delivering certainty for the business sector," Babe Haikal stated at a press conference held at the BPJPH Building in Jakarta on Saturday (5/9/2026).

According to him, halal product assurance is part of the JPH implementation, which is based on the principles of protection, legal certainty, accountability and transparency, effectiveness and efficiency, and professionalism, as mandated by Law No. 33 of 2014. The implementation of JPH also aims to provide convenience, security, safety and certainty of halal product availability for the public, while increasing added value for business actors.

"The core substance is certainty. The public gets protection when choosing products, while business actors get clear guidance on fulfilling halal product assurance requirements. Therefore, this regulation is expected to benefit consumers, while creating certainty and added value for the business community," Babe Haikal noted.

"When foreign products enter Indonesia, the public has the right to get certainty on their halal status. On the other hand, business actors also need clear rules to comply with applicable provisions. So the interests of consumers and the business community must advance in tandem," he emphasized.

"The principle is to deliver certainty without creating unnecessary procedures. For this reason, the assurance mechanism is regulated in a measurable manner and supported by an integrated electronic system," Babe Haikal explained.

This halal product assurance initiative is also part of fulfilling the mandate of the Halal Product Assurance Law and the Government Regulation on the Administration of the Halal Product Assurance Sector, which stipulates the phased implementation of the second-phase halal certification obligation in October 2026, covering products originating from overseas.

The enforcement momentum of this halal certification obligation is not only significant in terms of consumer protection and legal certainty, but also carries economic dimensions. With a clear, orderly and integrated assurance mechanism, the halal certification administration can contribute to potential state revenue, while driving the growth of the halal industry ecosystem. The more orderly imported and circulating products in Indonesia are in complying with halal provisions, the greater the opportunity to generate economic value from certification services, testing, inspection and other supporting activities within the national halal ecosystem.

‌Consumer Protection and Product Added Value‌

The urgency of halal certainty is also reflected in Indonesian consumers' attention to the presence of the halal logo on products. A 2023 March Populix survey in the report Insight and Customer Perspective of Halal Industry in Indonesia, covering 1,014 respondents, shows that 83% of respondents take the halal logo as a primary factor when choosing products. For the food category, this attention rate even reaches 93%.

These data indicate that halal certainty has become a critical part of Indonesian consumers' decision-making process when selecting products. Therefore, the establishment of a halal product assurance mechanism, which also covers imported products, is of great significance in delivering a sense of safety and certainty to the public.

"This regulation must be viewed as an effort to deliver both halal certainty and business certainty. Consumers get proper protection, while business actors get clear guidance on their compliance obligations. Ultimately, halal certainty also brings added value to products and supports the development of the halal economic ecosystem," Babe Haikal emphasized.

He also encourages importers and inspection institutions to fully understand and prepare for the fulfillment of these provisions, so that the implementation of imported halal product assurance can run effectively, protect the public, and create a business environment with clear regulatory certainty.