Halal Certification in Singapore: How to Apply?

Halal Certification in Singapore - Why it is Important for Your Business

Nowadays, the demand for Halal certification in Singapore and globally are increasing every day. Many different companies are trying to expand their market and release products that can be used for Muslim consumers by applying the halal certification in Singapore, thus they are eager to get certification for their Halal products both locally and internationally. This particular situation is happening not without reasons, there are several causes that led to the companies having an interest in the Halal products. One of the many reasons, Halal food has accounted for one-fifth of the world food trade. The industry is growing at amazingly $547 billion per year, with predictions that the Halal food market will grow to more than 20% over the next decade. More than 1.8 billion consumers worldwide purchase Halal products. The Muslim population itself increasing at the rate of 1.8% per annum, and surely they need more and more these products for their necessities. Moreover, by the year 2020, it is said that Halal tourists stand to be the fastest-growing sector, giving so many opportunities for a lot of companies that halal consultancy and agency can assist to target their market toward them.

Although Muslim consumers had difficulty accessing halal food products, especially if they did not live in their own countries until a decade ago, as a consequence of the rise in production and consumption for halal food products, halal-certified products are now offered for sale in big supermarkets, such as malls and hypermarket franchises. Also, food manufacturers are trying to attract more Muslim consumers in most Muslim populated countries by increasing the range of halal food items. The international market, which entails multinationals such as Tesco, Unilever, and Nestle, is expanding its scope of certified halal food products intending to reach huge audiences in the halal food market, particularly in Asian and Middle Eastern countries.

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Contents

What is Halal?

But first, what is Halal, and why it needs to be certified? The word “Halal” means “permitted/allowed”. Euromonitor stated that Islamic law dictates that Muslims must follow Halal standards when consuming goods and services. The goods not only composed of food and beverages but also products such as beauty and personal care. In terms of food products, Halal meat products have to be sourced from healthy animals which slaughtered according to Islamic ways, such as:

  • The animal has to be alive and healthy
  • The slaughter has to be performed by Muslim in an appropriately ritual manner, including performing in the name of Allah
  • The animal’s throat must be cut by a sharp knife severing the carotid artery, jugular vein, and windpipe in a single swipe
  • Blood must be drained out of the carcass

With the other food products, the products which are deemed halal are when they meet the following:

  • Produced without any forbidden ingredients (dead animal prior to slaughter, alcohol, pork, etc.)
  • Proven to be not harming the consumers’ health and well being
  • Must be clean and hygienic
  • Have supply chain integrity

Seeing all the above requirements on products, there is a necessity to differentiate which products are Halal or not, therefore a means of such products to get halal certificate in Singapore is required so that Muslim consumers can use go to the market and choose their products safely without any doubts or hesitations.

How to get Singapore Halal Certificate in Singapore?

Every country usually has its own certification body and organisation which regulates which products or services that can obtain a halal certificate in Singapore. Majlis Ugama Islam or MUIS Halal is the organization that manages the Singapore Halal food certification. According to MUIS, the certification is not compulsory in Singapore, but rather voluntary for all business. Therefore, it is the company's choice whether they want to apply for a food certificate or not on their own or through the halal consultancy. Usually, the businesses which are applying for Halal food certification are those who are targeting Muslim consumers.

What is the Halal Certification in Singapore?

The Singapore MUIS Halal Standards (SMHS) have been developed by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), in collaboration with SPRING Singapore (national standards body) and the MUIS-appointed Halal standards committee, comprising religious scholars, industry players, and government officials. Its objectives are to provide transparent religious and technical guidelines pertaining to the certification, to enhance consistency with regard to compliance with the Halal certification in Singapore terms and conditions, and to facilitate trade and other business opportunities.

As stated by MUIS, the Halal certification is “an independent testimony that a food/product is prepared, processed, stored, and handled in a manner that is suitable for Muslims.” To continuously enhance the credibility of MUIS Halal certification, MUIS implemented several initiatives, including the MUIS e-Halal System (2007), Halal Quality Management System (HalMQ; 2008), and MUIS Halal audits/inspections (2009 – 2012).

HaIMQ certification uses a process-based approach, which evaluates all the food production processes, start from the receipt of raw materials to the sale of end products. HaIMQ has several objectives, which are as follows:

  • Enhance halal compliance through a more structured and systematic approach
  • Increase competitive advantage of certified companies
  • Increase the credibility of halal certification in Singapore
  • Meet the rising expectations of Muslim consumers
  • Increase international recognition of MUIS halal certification

Halal certification in Singapore doesn't come without a cost, and they are varied in accordance with the type and size of the certification needed or by using a halal certification agency. For a typical owner of a small food establishment, the cost of Halal certification (valid for a year) including training staff on Halal requirements are ranging from $670 to over $1,130. The Singapore Halal food certification makes sure that sourced ingredients, preparation methods, and kitchen are Halal.

Even though the certification seems more costly, according to MUIS it also has many benefits, such as:

  • Leverage on the global halal market which worth more than $2.1 trillion
  • Globally enhance competitive advantage between companies
  • Provide greater assurance to Muslim consumers
  • Leverage on small investment cost with potential huge growth in revenue
  • Boost the company’s reputation to meet various customer’s needs.

Which Products or Services that Can be Applied for Halal Certification in Singapore?

Almost every product can be applied for a halal certificate, as long as it meets the requirements. Usually, food industries are the one who gets this certification mostly. MUIS halal itself offers 7 types of halal Certification in Singapore schemes that can be chosen per company type and needs:

  1. Eating establishment scheme: issued to retail food establishments, including restaurants, school canteens, bakeries, confectionaries; and temporary stalls in bazaars, flea market, trade fairs, etc.
  2. Endorsement scheme: issued to imported; exported or re-exported products.
  3. Food preparation area scheme: issued to catering establishments and central kitchen facilities.
  4. Poultry abattoir scheme: issued to poultry abattoirs for freshly slaughtered poultry
  5. Product scheme: issued to products which are manufactured or partly manufactured in Singapore
  6. Storage facility scheme: issued to stationary and mobile storage facilities, such as warehouses
  7. Whole plant scheme: issued to manufacturing facilities

What is the Benefit of the Halal Certificate in Singapore?

Gaining a halal certificate would allow your business to connect to both the Singapore market and around the world to a larger public. A significant part of the entire food sector is halal food. This pace in the market is growing every year. As the world's interest in halal food rises, the value of receiving the approval for halal food rises. Moreover, the rise in the number of Muslim tourists is yet another crucial determinant.

Application, Training, and Certification Fees (cost + price list)

When you want to attain a MUIS halal certification in Singapore for your business there are certain steps you need to follow, and each step has its costs and fees. The price is based on the current date, please check with us or MUIS if there is any recent changes with the cost.

Initial Application Fee

The first step is the application fee. This is a one-time payment for the new applications. There will be no renewal for this payment each year. For the normal time period of application processing, the application fee is $170.13 including the GST. The application will be taken into consideration within the following 14 days.

But you need a fast-track application period, then there is Express Application fee. The price is around $363.80 and this time the application will be processed within the following 7 days or more.

Annual Payments for the Usage of Halal Certificate

The second step is the annual payments and each change based on your segment, the products you produce, the type of your establishment, and the type of scheme. Below you can briefly find the prices and details of each certification cost.

The costs stated includes GST %7.*

Scheme Explanation Total  Payment*
Poultry Abattoir Halal certificate for a period of one

year

$ 267.50
Poultry Label Fee Specified Halal certification mark $ 0.107
Storage facility Halal certificate to run a warehouse for one year $ 963.00
Endorsement of Certified Products Halal certificate usage fee for products exported, imported $ 308.16
Halal certification mark $ 0.75
Operation of Catering Establishment / Central Kitchen Facility Halal certificate use for 1 year for any facilities less than 186 m2 $ 1,070.00
Halal certificate use for 1 year for any facilities larger than 186 m2 $ 1,305.40
Halal certificate use for 1 year for any facility at pre-schools $ 401.25
A Retail Food Establishment

EE-Hawker

The 1-year halal certificate fee for total floor area less than 13 m2 $ 374.50
The 1-year halal certificate fee for a total floor area of more than 13 m2 $ 604.55
EE-Restaurant The 1-year halal certificate fee for any restaurant whose total floor area less than 186 m2 $ 829.25
The 1-year halal certificate fee for any restaurant whose total floor area more than 186 m2 $ 1,219.80
Snack Bar /

Confectionery / Bakery

The 1-year halal certificate fee for any snack bar, bakery, etc. $ 759.70
EE-Halal Section The 1-year halal certificate fee for the Halal section for any supermarket $ 759.70
School Canteen Stall The 1-year halal certificate fee for the Halal section for any government school canteen $ 64.20
Short Term Stall For stalls that will not be used more than 7 consecutive days in any bazaar, fair, trade, or event $ 80.25
Food Station The 1-year halal certificate fee for Halal food station in any restaurants $ 599.20
Staff Canteen Stall The 1-year halal certificate fee for any staff canteen $ 759.70
Food Kiosk The 1-year halal certificate fee for any snack bar, bakery stall in a petrol station $ 389.48
Product (Manufacturers seeking a certificate for certain products) The 1-year halal certificate fee for total floor area less than 200 m2 $ 802.50
The 1-year halal certificate fee for total floor area less than 750 m2 but more than 200 m2 $ 856.00
The 1-year halal certificate fee for total floor area less than 2000 m2 but more than 750 m2 $ 973.70
The 1-year halal certificate fee for a total floor area of more than 2000 m2 $ 1,294.70
Halal certification mark for a product type or brand $ 42.80
Whole Plant The 1-year halal certificate fee for total floor area less than 200 m2 $ 850.65
The 1-year halal certificate fee for total floor area less than 750 m2 but more than 200 m2 $ 930.90
The 1-year halal certificate fee for total floor area less than 2000 m2 but more than 750 m2 $ 1,048.60
The 1-year halal certificate fee for a total floor area of more than 2000 m2 $ 2,113.25
Halal certification mark for a product type or brand $ 32.10

 

Halal Certification Training, Procedure and MUIS Training Fees

If your business aim at receiving MUIS Halal certification, two employees should receive one of the training courses provided in the Halal Foundation Program which are Training for Operational Level Learners (Online and Blended Learning possible) and Training for Supervisory Level Learners (Online). Each employee should only attend one course.

Halal Foundation (Operational Level) - to Fulfill MUIS Requirements

It is an obligatory course for the acquisition of Halal Certification in Singapore. It focuses on acquiring the required awareness of basic Halal principles to students. Attendees would be able to use the skills learned in everyday business activities at the end of the training.

Course Fee: $390 (before GST)

Halal Foundation (Blended Learning) – (for Operational level), to Fulfill MUIS Requirements

This the more diversified format of the basic mandatory operational level training. It includes 5-hours mobile training and a 1-day Zoom session.

Course Fee: $310 (before GST)

Training for Supervisory Level Learners (Online) - Recommended Course to Take and to fulfill MUIS Requirements

This is the next level of training to be provided for the employees in the roles of management and supervision in general.

Course Fee: $200 (before GST)

Level 2: Developing & Implementing HalMQ - Not Required, for Learning Purpose

If you decided to improve your employee’s abilities and knowledge, this program is highly recommended for Halal Production Supervisor, Team Leaders, and Managers. But for this, you need to complete one of the courses on the first level mentioned above.

Course Fee: $500 (before GST)

Agency / Consultancy Firm Fee During the Application Process

Since there so many steps and regulation details to follow, MUIS Halal Certification in Singapore applications are processed through the mediation of agency firms. The companies like us, we provide full-assistance and answer your questions and deal with the paperwork and follow-up steps on behalf of you.
This agency fee can cost between $1200 to $3000 depending on the scope of your work and facility per each year.
Please consult us to prepare you a business plan based on your product range and premise features, then we will provide you the most proper offer and describe the necessary steps to follow.

Attention: Critical Requirements to Fulfill Before Submitting the Halal Application

The below-mentioned statements are crucial before you apply for the MUIS Halal Certificate in Singapore and pay your fees.

  1. If your business is new, you need to have proven experience while running the company for at least 3 months before applying to MUIS Halal Certification.
  2. You need to have two Muslim employees and these two Muslim individuals must be under your payroll records for at least 3 months.
  3. You need to send two employees to MUIS Foundation Training Program to proceed in the process. One of them should be one of among Muslim personnel. The training will take 2 working days from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can see the exact details and registration costs of training programs from the below link.

Warees training

  1. Before you apply for MUIS Halal certification, you need to be sure that the ingredients that you use during manufacturing or cooking also are halal certified, except for raw ingredients.

Also, you can find the below information to bear in mind while calculating your application cost and annual costs for holding the MUIS halal certification.

  • For the new applicants, you need to pay 100% Application Fee* + 40% Certification Fee in the first step. Then, if this step is completed, you need to pay the rest, 60% Certification Fee for the specific scheme type you want to apply.
  • If you wish to change, update, and amend your application, there will be no application fee as a first step. But you will pay 100% of the payment amount of new type of schemes you decided to apply for this time.
  • If you need to renew your Halal Certificate, as a first step you need to pay a 40% Certification Fee and in the second step, you need to pay the rest of the amount which is a 60% Certification Fee for the specified product/facility/endorsement type of scheme.

Applying Online for Halal Certification in Singapore

If you want to apply for Halal Certification in Singapore for your business, it is quite possible. You need to visit the LicenceOne portal and log in using your CorpPass information in case you already have a food business registered at ACRA.
Or this applies to the individually owned businesses such as stalls and daily running market sellers if they have necessary SingPass information already.

Where to Submit Your Halal Certification?

The MUIS eHalal System is the centralized system for all Halal applications regardless of the size of the business.

What Do You Need To Do?

First, you need to find the Halal section located under license applications since this platform is used by many license applications for diverse subjects.

Then, provide company details, name, establishment info, address, and so on.

The documents needed to be submitted on the platform are:

  • The license for the NEA/ AVA
  • The floor plan, building details of the property that is subjected to this Halal certification.
  • A description of the materials and the vendors from which you received or bought these raw materials and ingredients, as well as photos of these products' food labels.
  • A compilation of all the things that you serve on your menu with descriptions.
  • As a quick suggestion, you cannot collect and make ready all of these documents one shot. So before filling out the form, start collecting necessary documents first.

And even though you started filling the application form, you can still save it and return the same page.

There are two options for the application. One is normal, the other one is express application.  Normal application takes 14 days with the cost of $159 to finalize while the express application takes 7 days and costs $340. And 7% will be added as well.

What are the Indispensable Conditions and Requirements for Halal Certification in Singapore?

Below we have compiled a fundamentals list for applying Halal certification in Singapore. So that before you jump into the application page on the website, you should bear in mind the below aspects:

  • All candidates should comply with the MUIS Requirements for Halal Certification which are clarified in the EE Scheme. Until continuing with their submission, all potential candidates are highly recommended to check the MUIS Halal Certification Requirements carefully so that they would not lose money or time while filing a wrong application.
  • Halal is required for all raw resources, manufacturing processes, and additive contents. On the MUIS eHalal Scheme, which is the portal in which all Halal certification requests are rendered, these are all clarified. It is better to check your raw materials and all additional ingredients for halal criteria because during the application you need to give the promise and commitment that they are all halal.
  • Through classifying and sending a design layout to MUIS, candidates must specifically determine the scope of the examination.
  • Halal certification candidates should also ensure that the qualification scope does not contain Haram or questionable products or will not include them as long as you practice under this future certification. You need to check all ingredients' haram status too.
  • Candidates should guarantee that manufacturing plants, kitchen, storage rooms, kitchenware, cookware and dishwashing equipment for the handling and distribution of halal goods and materials are well described.
  • And they should be declared and liable to the formal cleaning process required by MUIS in case of any tools or utensils or equipment has historically been touched and contaminated by Haram products.
  • Candidate firms who would like to have Halal certification have to hire at least two Muslim staff. The "Muslim Representative" of the Halal Team later must be appointed among those of the Muslim employees.
  • All candidates must be following all of the ten principles stated by the Singapore MUIS Halal Quality Management System (HalMQ).
  • There are some of the principles that call for the creation of a Halal Team to ensure conformity with the MUIS Halal Certification Criteria, therefore, an applicant company should look at these requirements because just forming a Halal team of 2 Muslim people is not enough.

For the halal team training requirements, you can look at the training info of this article.

The Process after Submitting the Application

Just like any other quality management system framework, you need to collect documents, proofs and provide information during application. And the relevant authorities or their agents will perform an audit both on paperwork and your facilities to confirm what you have stated on your application.

Online Audit: To ensure that all necessary material and related records are given, an inspector assigned by MUIS may review the online form.

Lack of information and Revision: Any missed information, unaccomplished criteria, or comments by the inspector must be resolved before the date specified by the eHalal MUIS system.

Facility Audit: The inspector will also practice a detailed audit on-premise and, upon accordance with the MUIS Halal Certification Requirements, can proceed to the application or demand you to once resolve the nonconformances.  Before the specified date, all deficiencies have to be fixed and then another site inspection will be performed to verify that all flaws have been corrected.

How Long can the Application Process Take?

Within 14 working days from the date of the processing fee for new (standard) applications and then within 7 days for new (express) requests, the processing shall begin.

The duration of the qualification application process relies on how easily the candidate passes the audits needed by MUIS with success and correct the nonconformances. Related to all forms of audits, first before certification can continue, any violations would require correction by the claimant.

It is also suggested that you periodically view the MUIS eHalal Framework for feedback on the status of your submission, any notes of vulnerabilities, and audit results.

Once you have achieved the certification, then what happens?

If the relevant application is accepted, whenever the Halal Certificate in Singapore is available for processing, a bill would be sent to the email address associated with the application.

Bear in mind that it is important to pay all certificate charges so that you can obtain the certificate without any delay.

For convenient display of this certificate inside your restaurant or food facility, the authentic and official issued Halal certificate must be shown centrally. Alternatively, a photocopied edition of the certification cannot be shown.

Renewal of Halal Certification

  • The Halal certificate is issued only for the time specified in the document and can be renewed according to the given conditions of the MUIS Halal Certificate in  Singapore.
  • Typically, halal certificates are effective for 1 or 2 years.
  • Within the 90 days, before it is set to expire, you can update your Halal certificate at no fee.
  • Bear in mind, nevertheless, any renewals submitted less than 30 days until the expiry of your certification will be viewed as a new request and will charge a filing fee.

What Will Happen if You Violate any Conditions of Halal Certification After You Receive it?

In order to make sure that the approved premises comply with the MUIS Halal Criteria after they received the certification and they sustain their quality at best as they promised, random and occasional inspections would be carried out. In case of non-compliance(s) is found, the issuer of the certificate may have to resolve the problem before the given time.

That being said, if it is accused of violating any of the MUIS Halal Certification Criteria, MUIS also holds the right to refuse or withdraw the Halal Certification with official notification to you.

Hiring Halal Certification Consultant: Halal Certificate for Your Products, Places, or Eating Establishment

Getting a Halal certification can be a quite complicated process if you have no idea how to start working and planning your Halal certification process. We as Halal certification consultants in Singapore can help your company to get your products/services, certified from MUIS Halal successfully as long as the company keeps the integrity to meet all Halal requirements. In case, if you target the international market, we can also help you to select the right Halal certification body that best suits your business needs, as some countries have specific requirements that Halal certification body which they recognized for the imported products.

Our consultation consists of several services, such as:

  • Halal consultation and application

Our consultants will give you all the necessary information you need to know about practices that are in accordance with the Islamic Halal rules, to make sure that your products and/or services meet all Halal certification requirements. We will help you to choose the right Scheme, review operations for Halal compliance, facilitate HALMQ principles, prepare Halal documentation, respond to application shortcomings, brief with the Halal team and your company, and review your company’s Halal process before actual Halal certification.

  • Halal implementation and documentation

We can assist your company to implement the 10 HaIMQ principles in order to get Halal certification. The principles are as follows:

  • Formation of Halal Team & Job Scope
  • Define the nature of business/product
  • Construct and verify flow charts
  • Identify Halal threats and control measures
  • Determine Halal Assurance Points (HAPs)
  • Establish a monitoring system for HAPs
  • Establish a corrective system for HAPs
  • Create a Halal File & Record-Keeping System
  • Verify the Halal system
  • Review the Halal system
  • Halal maintenance and renewal services

After getting a certificate, we can help you to maintain the certification in regards to audit and renew it when the time is up for renewal.

  • International Halal certification assistant

We can help local companies verify the Halal label of other international agencies and help get Halal certification when the company wants to go global and needs Halal certification bodies outside of Singapore, such as Malaysia or Indonesia.

In general, the order of applying for a certificate by our Halal-certified Singapore consultant is an inquiry, consultancy, pre-application, application, processing, certification, maintenance, and last is renewal. At each step, we will best guide you to produce the desired results so that your company can get Halal certification.

If your company is interested in obtaining Halal certification via our agency and is eager to export Halal products to other countries, and unsure of Halal market dynamics, feel free to contact us and we are happy to serve you with our best consultant to help you with all of your needs regarding Halal certification matters.

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