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Halal certification confirms that a product or service meets Islamic requirements, from the raw materials to production, storage, transport and sale. It is used mainly for food, but also for cosmetics and for food services such as restaurants and catering. For manufacturers in Turkey and for companies that buy from Turkey, a halal certificate is often the document that opens the door to markets where Muslim consumers expect it.
For halal certification, apply to CE Danışmanı (CE Consultant); we manage the whole process for you.
Is halal certification mandatory?
No. In Turkey there is no legal obligation to hold a halal certificate for food production, food services or cosmetics. It is a voluntary certificate. Companies apply for it because buyers, retail chains and importing countries ask for it.
Types of halal certificate
| Type | Covers | Typical applicants |
|---|---|---|
| Halal food certificate | Food products that meet halal requirements | Meat and dairy producers, ready-meal and confectionery manufacturers, producers of additives |
| Halal service certificate | Every stage of a food service | Slaughterhouses, catering kitchens, restaurants, cafeterias, markets, patisseries, fast-food outlets |
| Halal cosmetics certificate | Cosmetic products applied to the body | Producers of skin, hair and oral care products, make-up, sun care, shaving products and fragrances |
Product groups
Halal food certification is requested for a wide range of products:
- Meat and meat products, fish and fish products
- Milk and dairy products, eggs and egg products
- Cereals, starch, oilseeds, animal and vegetable fats and oils
- Fruit, vegetables and their products, honey
- Non-alcoholic beverages, water, tea, coffee and cocoa products
- Sugar and confectionery, spices and seasonings
- Food additives, enzymes, micro-organisms and food supplements
- Ready meals and foods for special dietary uses
Processed meat products such as sausages and salami receive the closest attention, because they often contain flavourings, preservatives and colourings whose origin has to be proven.
Who issues the certificate?
Halal certificates are issued by halal certification bodies. In Turkey these bodies and the laboratories that support them are accredited by HAK (Helal Akreditasyon Kurumu, the Halal Accreditation Agency), which is the only authority in the country for halal accreditation. Certification is based on the halal standards of SMIIC (the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries), which are published in Turkey by TSE (the Turkish Standards Institution).
Which body to choose depends on the country you sell to, because importing countries do not all recognise the same certificates. This is the first point we clarify with you.
Main criteria
- The whole chain must comply: source of raw materials, how they are obtained, production, storage, transport and sale.
- No pork and no additive derived from pork.
- No blood and no ingredient derived from blood.
- All ingredients and additives must be acceptable under Islamic rules and safe for health.
- The legal permits for food production must be in place.
- Production, presentation and storage must be organised so that halal products are not contaminated.
The auditors also check whether the company has a quality system that keeps these conditions in place after the certificate has been issued.
How the process works
- Choice of certification body according to the product and the target market.
- Application with the application form, the contract and the list of products.
- Document review: ingredients, suppliers, existing analyses.
- On-site audit of production areas and warehouses, with attention to hygiene and to the halal status of each input. Samples may be sent for analysis.
- Decision: the audit reports are presented to the halal certification committee, which decides jointly.
- Certificate and logo: the company may use the halal logo of the certification body on the certified products.
The certificate is issued for a limited period, commonly one year, and the company is audited again for renewal.
Documents usually requested
- Application form and halal certification contract
- List of the products to be certified
- Halal certificates of the suppliers
- Analysis and test results
- Signed halal undertaking of the company representative and the production manager
- Food business registration and operating licence
- Company registration documents and tax certificate
- Purchase invoices for raw materials
- Photographs of production areas and warehouses
Halal and kosher
Halal is based on Islamic rules and kosher on Jewish dietary law. Some products can meet both, but the rules on slaughter, on separating milk and meat and on additives are different, and the audits are separate. Depending on your market you may need one certificate or both. See kosher certification and vegan certification.
How CE Danışmanı helps
- Selecting a certification body that is accepted in your target market
- Reviewing ingredients and suppliers before the application
- Preparing the application file and the company for the audit
- Following the process until the certificate is issued, and at renewal
