Islamic Inspection Service - SIILHalal

As of May, warehouses and cold storage chambers will require halal certification. The change applies to Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Starting next May, Gulf countries will have a new requirement for exports of halal items, i.e. products fit for consumption by Muslims. The GCC Accreditation Center (GAC) anbd the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (Esma) will require Brazilian warehouses and cold storage chambers used for storing beef and poultry items after slaughter to comply under Category J.

According to Chaiboun Darwiche, the CEO at certifier SIIL Halal, the new rule is designed to ensure that halal products do not get stored next to non-halal ones. “Compliance deadlines will be different for each warehouse. We’ll need to make visits and check whether there are proper facilities for each item. Pork items, for instance, cannot be stored with halal items,” he said.

Up until last January, there were no certifiers in Brazil working under the new category. Thus, the industry put in a request for the new category to be made valid only as of May. In February, and SIIL Halal were audited by the GAC, which is partners with Esma, and therefore issues accreditation to certifiers on behalf of both organizations. SIIL Halal is already accredited under Category J.

Darwiche believes that 20 to 30 warehouses will require halal certification to comply. “We have processes for two companies underway. Since this is still a new thing, companies must get ready,” he said. He also pointed out that the new rule concerns especially beef and poultry, but any halal product shipped from Brazil must be stored separately.

Source: ANBA, adaptade to Press Office SIIL Halal