Halal Certification FAQs - Warees HalalWarees Halal

‘Halal’ is an Arabic word, which means lawful or allowable. Any food or drink which falls under this category is permitted for consumption. Most food and drinks are considered Halal unless they are stated clearly in the Quran (holy book of Islam) and Hadith (prophetic sayings) as forbidden or non-Halal (Haram) such as pork, lard, alcohol and meat not slaughtered according to the Islamic requirements.

‘Halal certification” is a religious endorsement by an independent Muslim organisation or authorised agency that a product/food is suitable for Muslim use/consumption.

Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (Muis), also known as the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, is the sole custodian of Halal certification in Singapore. Established in 1978, the Muis Halal certification mark is widely recognised in key Halal markets such as Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries through the MABIMS and GCC-Singapore Free Trade Agreements, respectively.

Muis issues Halal certificates based on a set of systems-focused Halal certification requirements known as the Singapore Muis Halal Quality Management System (HalMQ). To-date, Muis offers seven Halal certification schemes that span the food supply chain.

In Singapore, Halal certification is voluntary. It is governed under Section 88A of the Administration of Muslim Law Act or AMLA. Muis is vested with the powers to act as the sole authority to administer Halal certification and regulate the Halal industry in Singapore.

WHL originated in 2006 as a division within Muis’ wholly-owned subsidiary, Warees Investments Pte Ltd. On 11 September 2014, the division was corporatised as a not-for-profit public company limited by guarantee (CLG). The corporatisation of WHL was crucial so as to strengthen governance and provide better strategic focus through a specialised management board.

Muis is vested with the powers to act as the sole authority to administer Halal certification and regulate the Halal industry in Singapore. For more information, please visit www.muis.gov.sg.

Muis has authorised WHL as the only agency to provide Halal certification services outside Singapore based on the Singapore Muis Halal standards.

No. As a statutory board, Muis focuses on the issuance of Halal certificates to products and premises in Singapore.

Muis has authorised WHL as the only agency to provide Halal certification services outside Singapore based on the Singapore Muis Halal standards.

To enquire about WHL international Halal certification, please write to:

Warees Halal Limited
International Certification Team
Tel: (65) 6291 2702
Fax: (65) 6396 5827
Email: ic@wareeshalal.sg

HalMQ is Singapore Muis Halal Quality Management System and is pronounced as “Hallmark”. It is a set of systems-based Halal certification requirements benchmarked against internationally-known standards such as ISO and HACCP. HalMQ was first introduced by Muis in March 2008 and is believed to be the world’s first for Halal certification. The main objective of HalMQ is to enhance the standards of compliance by Halal-certified companies for greater public trust and confidence in their products.

• Establish the Halal team.
• Define the product/nature of business.
• Construct a flow chart.
• Identify Halal threats & their control measures.
• Determine Halal Assurance Points (HAPs), their allowable limits & prescribed practices.
• Establish monitoring system for each HAP.
• Establish corrective actions for each HAP.
• Establish documentation & record-keeping system.
• Verify the Halal system.
• Review the Halal system.