Religious Affairs Ministry’s Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) will immediately issue halal certification for Merah Putih vaccine following MUI Food and Drug Analysis Agency’s (LPPOM MUI’s) product audit and MUI’s Fatwa Commission’s halal products’ determination.
“We will immediately issue halal certification for the Merah Putih vaccine by PT Biotis Pharmaceuticals Indonesia,” BPJPH Head Aqil Irham noted in a written statement received here, Monday.
Irham later remarked that the issuance of a halal certificate is the final phase of the halal certification process.
Based on Law Number 33 of 2014 and Government Regulation Number 39 of 2021, halal certificates are issued by BPJPH after going through several stages, including product audits by the Halal Inspection Agency (LPH) and the determination of halal products by the MUI Fatwa Commission.
The Merah Putih Vaccine has been determined as a halal product through the MUI fatwa session on February 7, 2022. Meanwhile, LPPOM MUI, as the LPH, has conducted an audit of the Merah Putih vaccine on January 14.
In issuing halal certificate for a product, BPJPH worked along with the Halal Inspection Agency (LPH) and MUI. Irham noted that Indonesia currently had three LPHs: LPPOM MUI, LPH Sucofindo, and LPH Surveyor Indonesia.
In addition to the three LPHs, nine new LPH candidates are currently in the accreditation process as halal inspectors.
“LPH will conduct an audit of product halal compliance, while MUI conducts a halal fatwa trial if the product has been audited by LPH. The results of the fatwa trial are submitted to BPJPH to issue a halal certificate,” he noted.
Irham remarked that the BPJPH, LPH, and MUI were working as one unit for the process of halal certification services. The three of them form relationships in halal certification services in Indonesia while each of them had different authorities and would not interfere with each other.
Meanwhile, Head of the Halal Registration and Certification Mastuki stated that PT Biotis Pharmaceutical Indonesia had registered the halal certification process for the Merah Putih Vaccine with the BPJPH on November 25, 2021.
“The name of the product registered with the Merah Putih Vaccine is UA SARS-CoV-2 (Vero Cell) Inactivated. After verification by BPJPH officers, the product will be audited by LPPOM MUI. The audit process will be completed on February 6, 2022,” Mastuki explained.
After being audited by LPPOM, the MUI will hold a fatwa session on February 7, 2022, and later issue a halal determination.
Currently, the halal stipulation by the MUI is in the process of being uploaded on to the BPJPH Halal Information System (Sihalal).
“If the audit result from LPH and the halal provisions have been uploaded by the MUI, BPJPH will immediately issue a halal certificate for the Merah Putih Vaccine,” he noted.
Source: Antara News