Jakarta, NU Online
Opposition from the Industry Ministry, food producers and a consumer protection group has arisen after the bill on halal product assurance said halal certification was mandatory.
Sponsored by the Religious Affairs Ministry, the draft law stipulates halal labels would be issued by an independent body including the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and the Religious Affairs Ministry.<>
Muchtar Ali, head of the ministry's halal product sub-directorate, confirmed Tuesday the draft law obliged food, drugs and cosmetic producers to certify their products.
The bill was handed over to the State Secretariat two weeks ago for review before being submitted to the House of Representatives for deliberation, said Aziezah Kebahyang from the ministry's legal bureau.
It often takes months for the government to submit a draft law for deliberations at the House.
Halal certification is currently voluntary and labels are issued by the official ulema council.
At a hearing with the House Commission VIII on religious affairs earlier this month, the MUI demanded halal labeling be made compulsory in the draft law.
The council also asked the House to continue their 19-year-authority administering and issuing such certificates.
Commission chairman Hazrul Azwar said Saturday legislators gave support to the proposed inclusion of mandatory halal labels in the draft law, arguing it would ensure protection for Muslim consumers.
But opposition against mandatory halal certification has been raised by industry players.
The Industry Ministry said via its website compulsory labeling would put an extra financial burden on small-scale producers because they would be obliged to pay more fees.
The draft law proposes charging producers between Rp 500,000 (US$53) and Rp 2 million to obtain halal certificates before submitting those fees as non-tax revenue.
Yelita Basri, the food industry director at the Industry Ministry said via the website halal labeling should remain voluntary for producers.
"The urgency of halal labeling should be decided by customers," she said.
"If the market mostly demands halal labeling on products, producers will voluntarily seek this certification."
Suroso Natakusumah, chairman of the Indonesian Food Communication Forum (FKPI), said obligatory labeling would harm small-scale producers.
"As far as I am concerned, producers whose food products are imported must also cover associated costs for certifiers obtaining halal certification abroad," Suroso said.
"This means the charge can be up to Rp 2 million."
Ilyani S. Andang, a researcher with the Indonesian Consumer Foundation (YLKI), said consumers were entitled to get complete information on all contents of products they consumed, including halal products.
But she said she was fearful the new bill would fail to protect Muslim consumers because law enforcement was weak.
"The existing laws, including the law on consumer protection, have already mandated similar things proposed by the government, although they may lack some detail," Ilyani said.
"If the government does really care about what Muslims consume and if it has complied with Islamic sharia or not, they should push producers to uphold the existing law instead of creating another bill with similar items," she said.
"I perceive that the new bill is made only to favor politicians." (jp/dar)
Opposition from the Industry Ministry, food producers and a consumer protection group has arisen after the bill on halal product assurance said halal certification was mandatory.
Sponsored by the Religious Affairs Ministry, the draft law stipulates halal labels would be issued by an independent body including the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and the Religious Affairs Ministry.<>
Muchtar Ali, head of the ministry's halal product sub-directorate, confirmed Tuesday the draft law obliged food, drugs and cosmetic producers to certify their products.
The bill was handed over to the State Secretariat two weeks ago for review before being submitted to the House of Representatives for deliberation, said Aziezah Kebahyang from the ministry's legal bureau.
It often takes months for the government to submit a draft law for deliberations at the House.
Halal certification is currently voluntary and labels are issued by the official ulema council.
At a hearing with the House Commission VIII on religious affairs earlier this month, the MUI demanded halal labeling be made compulsory in the draft law.
The council also asked the House to continue their 19-year-authority administering and issuing such certificates.
Commission chairman Hazrul Azwar said Saturday legislators gave support to the proposed inclusion of mandatory halal labels in the draft law, arguing it would ensure protection for Muslim consumers.
But opposition against mandatory halal certification has been raised by industry players.
The Industry Ministry said via its website compulsory labeling would put an extra financial burden on small-scale producers because they would be obliged to pay more fees.
The draft law proposes charging producers between Rp 500,000 (US$53) and Rp 2 million to obtain halal certificates before submitting those fees as non-tax revenue.
Yelita Basri, the food industry director at the Industry Ministry said via the website halal labeling should remain voluntary for producers.
"The urgency of halal labeling should be decided by customers," she said.
"If the market mostly demands halal labeling on products, producers will voluntarily seek this certification."
Suroso Natakusumah, chairman of the Indonesian Food Communication Forum (FKPI), said obligatory labeling would harm small-scale producers.
"As far as I am concerned, producers whose food products are imported must also cover associated costs for certifiers obtaining halal certification abroad," Suroso said.
"This means the charge can be up to Rp 2 million."
Ilyani S. Andang, a researcher with the Indonesian Consumer Foundation (YLKI), said consumers were entitled to get complete information on all contents of products they consumed, including halal products.
But she said she was fearful the new bill would fail to protect Muslim consumers because law enforcement was weak.
"The existing laws, including the law on consumer protection, have already mandated similar things proposed by the government, although they may lack some detail," Ilyani said.
"If the government does really care about what Muslims consume and if it has complied with Islamic sharia or not, they should push producers to uphold the existing law instead of creating another bill with similar items," she said.
"I perceive that the new bill is made only to favor politicians." (jp/dar)
