2. (Molana) Naeem Shahid CEO Halaal Foundation Presented by: MBA IT
Post-Graduation Course in Islamic Studies
(Kuliyat-ush-Shariah, Jamia-Tur-Rasheed)
Halal Lead Auditor Training Course (IHI Alliance, Malaysia)
CEO Halaal Foundation

3. GENERAL CRITERIA FOR THE OPERATION OF HALAL CERTIFICATION BODIES
PS:4992
DRAFT
PAKISTAN STANDARD
FOR
GENERAL CRITERIA FOR THE OPERATION OF HALAL CERTIFICATION BODIES
(1ST REVISION)

4. 0. FOREWORD
This Pakistan Standard was adopted by the Pakistan Standards & Quality Control Authority; Standards Development Centre on ___________after the draft finalized by the Halal Food Standards Technical Committee had been approved by the National Standards Committee for Agriculture & Food Products.
0.2 In the regulatory sector, government authorities implement laws covering the approval of products (including services) for reasons of safety, health, environmental protection, fraud prevention or market fairness. In the voluntary sector, many lines of food industry have both within an economy as well as globally, are using non-Halal sources which are not easily traceable by the consumers. For that reason there is an increasing demand for impartial verification of Halal food manufacturing, processing, packaging etc., such verification is done by authoritative certification bodies that are impartial in relation to their clients, and which normally operate in a non-profit distributing manner.

5. 0.3 Pakistan Standards & Quality Control Authority issued a standard for Halal food certification bodies to facilitate both producers and supervising organizations (i.e., certification bodies). A system to certify Halal food manufacturing, processing etc., is aimed to provide confidence to the Muslims. Such a system should facilitate cross-border trade, as pursued by trade authorities and organizations among Organization of Islamic Countries.
0.4 This standard specifies requirements, the observance of which is intended to ensure that certification bodies operate third-party certification systems in a consistent and reliable manner, thereby facilitating their acceptance on a national and international basis and so furthering international trade.

6. 0.5 A “cross border” trade facilitating system on Halal food can work well if certification bodies and Halal food manufacturers operate to globally accepted requirements in an equivalent manner and take into account the interests of all Muslim Sects concerned. This Pakistan Standard is harmonized with OIC countries Halal standards. This means that a certification body in an economy should not need to be accredited more than once for the same scope by different
National Standards Bodies.
0.6 This standard was established in 2010, now the committee felt it to revise in the light of latest development in the industries.
0.7 In the preparation of this standard the views of the consumers, scientists, technologists, Islamic scholars and testing authorities have been taken into consideration.

7. 1. Scope
1.1 This National Standard specifies the general requirements of Halal certification bodies and conditions for its certification. The certification system used by the certification body may include one or more of the following:
a) Halal certificate for specific product for a specific duration—this type of ertificate signifies that the listed product or products meet the Halal standard i.e. PS: 3733 for Halal Food Management Systems-Requirements for any Organization in the food chain. Such a certificate may be issued for certain time period or for a specified quantity (batch certificate) of the product destined for a particular distributor or importer.
b) Yearly certification—may automatically be renewed subject to passing the annual inspection, through Halal compliance in accordance with PS: 3733 for Halal Food Management Systems-Requirements for any organization in the food chain.

8. 1.2 This National Standard specifies requirements to enable an organization to seek accreditation of its Halal certification management system (product certification system) by an external organization.
1.3 This National Standard is applicable to all regardless of the number of personnel or the extent of the scope of Halal food certification activities. When a Halal food certification body does not undertake one or more of the activities covered by this National Standard, such as subcontracting, the requirements of those clauses do not apply.

9. 2. Definitions

10. 2.1 Assessor:
Competent person assigned by a certification body to perform, alone or as part of an assessment team, an assessment of an organization. He shall be competent Muslim person assigned to verify the process relevant to Halal food processing. Assessor must have received adequate training in PS-General criteria for the operation of Halal certification bodies and PS: 3733 for Halal Food Management Systems-Requirements for any organization in the food chain. Such training must be documented.
2.2 Technical Expert:
Person assigned by certification body to provide specific knowledge or expertise with respect to the scope of certification to be assessed. He/She must hold a degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Food Science & Technology or Veterinary sciences as appropriate.

11. 2.3 Shariah
The Islamic jurisprudence (fiqha) or laws.
2.4 Sunnah
Traditions (sayings and actions) of Prophet Muhammad (PuBH).
2.5 Scope of accreditation
Specific tasks for which certification is sought or has been granted.

12. 3. Administrative Requirements

13. 3.1 The certification body shall have a description of its legal status, including the names of its owners or the names of the persons who control it.
3.2 The certification body shall have authority and shall be responsible for its decisions relating to certification, including the granting, maintaining, extending, reducing, suspending and withdrawing of certification.

14. 4. Structure

15. 4.1 The certification body shall document the duties, responsibilities and authorities of top management and other personnel associated with the certification body who could affect the quality of the certification.
4.2 The certification body shall identify the top management having overall authority and responsibility for each of the following:
development of policies relating to the operation of the certification body;
supervision of the implementation of the policies and procedures;
supervision of the finances of the certification body;
decisions on certification;
contractual arrangements;
delegation of authority to committees or individuals, as required, to undertake
defined activities on behalf of top management.

16. 4.3 The certification body shall have access to necessary expertise for advising the certification body on matters directly relating to Halal certification.
4.4 The certification body shall have formal rules for the appointment, terms of reference and operation of committees that are involved in the certification process, and shall identify the parties participating.
4.5 The certification body shall document its entire structure, showing lines of authority and responsibility.

17. 5. Impartiality

18. 5.1 The certification body shall be organized and operated so as to safeguard the objectivity and impartiality of its activities.
5.2 The certification body shall have arrangements to cover liabilities arising from its activities.
5.3 The certification body shall clearly describe its certification activities, referring to the Halal Pakistan Standard, Guides or other normative documents.

19. 6. Management

20. 6.1 The certification body shall establish, implement and maintain a Halal food safety management system and continually improve its effectiveness in accordance with the requirements of this Standard. (What’s about Shariah in its HFSMS…?)
6.2 Where this Standard requires the certification body to have or establish procedures, this means that they shall be documented, implemented and maintained, and shall be based on formulated policies wherever suitable. (What’s about Shariah procedure in its HFSMS…?)
6.3 The certification body shall establish procedures for identification, collection, indexing, accessing, filing, storage, maintenance and disposal of its records.
6.4 The certification body shall establish procedures for retaining records for a period consistent with its contractual and legal obligations. Access to these records shall be consistent with the confidentiality arrangements.

21. 7. Personnel

22. 7.1 The certification body shall have sufficient number of competent personnel (internal, external, temporary, or permanent, full time or part time) having the education, training, technical knowledge, Islamic knowledge, skills and experience necessary for handling the type, range and volume of work performed.
7.2 To ensure that evaluation and certification are carried out effectively and uniformly, the minimum relevant criteria for the competence of personnel shall be defined by the certification body. (In house and external training and development reports must be kept in record) Sharia advisor and his qualification or fit and proper criteria must be mentioned here.

23. 8. Nonconformities

24. The certification body shall establish procedures for the identification and management of nonconformities in its own operations. It shall also, where necessary, take actions to eliminate the causes of nonconformities to prevent recurrence.
(What’s about Shariah procedure in its HFSMS…?)

25. 9. Internal Audits

26. 9.1 The certification body shall establish procedures for internal audits to verify that they conform to the requirements of this Standard and that the management system is implemented and maintained.
9.2 The certification body shall ensure that:
a) internal audits are conducted by qualified personnel knowledgeable in certification, auditing and the requirements of this Standard;
b) internal audits are conducted by personnel different from those who perform the activity to be audited;
c) personnel responsible for the area audited are informed of the outcome of the audit;
d) actions are taken in a timely and appropriate manner;
e) any opportunities for improvement are identified.

27. 10. Management Reviews

28. The certification body's top management shall establish procedures to review its management system at planned intervals at least once a calendar year to ensure its continuing adequacy and effectiveness in satisfying the relevant requirements, including this National Standard and the stated policies and objectives.
(What’s about Shariah procedure in its Management Review…?)

29. 11. Application for Halal Certification

30. The certification body shall require a duly authorized representative of the applicant (i.e., food industry) to make a formal application that includes the following:
general features of the client (i.e., food industry), including corporate entity, name, addresses, legal status and human and technical resources; ( Asking about Shariah resources..?)
general information concerning the food industry such as its activities, relationship in a larger corporate entity if any, and addresses of all its physical location(s) to be covered by PS-4974:2009 the scope of certification;
a clearly defined and requested scope of certification;
an agreement to fulfill the requirements for certification and the other obligations of the client.
(Is there any requirement belong to Shariah included in application…? If yes then plz provide the documents..)

31. 12. Preparation of Assessment and Decision Making

32. The certification body shall formally appoint an assessment team consisting of assessor (s) and technical expert(s). When selecting the assessment team, the certification body shall ensure that the expertise brought to each assignment is appropriate. The certification body shall ensure that team members act in an impartial and non-discriminatory manner.
(is there any oath taking to ensure about this purpose…?)
The certification body shall inform the client of the names of the members of the assessment team and the organization they belong to, sufficiently in advance to allow the client to object to the appointment of any assessor or expert. The certification body shall have a policy for dealing with such objections.

33. The assessment team shall conduct the assessment of the conformity assessment services of the client at its premises from which one or more key activities are performed. To obtain objective evidence of client’s applicable scope to conform the Halal standard(s) and other requirements for certification, the assessment team shall perform witnessing at other selected locations where the client operates.
The assessment team shall analyze all relevant information and evidence gathered during the document and record review and the on-site assessment. This analysis shall be sufficient to allow the team to determine the extent of competence and conformity of the client with the requirements for certification. The team’s observations on areas for possible improvement may also be presented to the client. However, consultancy shall not be provided by any member of the assessment team.

34. The certification body shall ensure that in decision making process at least one Sharia Advisor and Technical expert in food technology be part of the team. The certification body shall, without delay, make the decision on whether to grant or extend certification on the basis of an evaluation of the information received.
12.6 The certification body shall normally undertake the assessment on which certification is based. The certification body shall not subcontract the decision-making. If the certification body subcontracts assessments, it shall have a policy describing the conditions under which subcontracting may take place.

35. Where the certification body uses the results of an assessment already performed by another certification body, it shall have assurance that the other certification body was operating in accordance with the requirements of Pakistan Halal Standard.

36. 12.8 The certification body shall provide a certificate to the certified client. This certificate shall identify (on the front page, if possible) the following:
a) The identity and logo of the certification body;
b) The unique identity of the certified client;
c) All premises from which one or more key activities are performed and which are covered by the certification;
d) The unique number of the certified client;
e) The effective date of granting of certification and, as applicable, the expiry date;
f) A brief indication of, or reference to, the scope of certification;
g) A statement of conformity and reference to the Pakistan Halal standards or other normative document(s), including issue/revision used for assessment of the client.
( How many persons r act as the Signing Authority at the certificate…?)

37. 13. Complaints and Appeals

38. Complaints and appeals brought before the certification body by suppliers or other parties shall be subject to the procedures of the certification body.
(is there any complain against Shariah Expert…? If yes please provide the documents)
For complaints each certification body shall:
a) Keep a record of all complaints and disputes;
b) Take appropriate action;
c) Document the action taken and its effectiveness.

39. 13.3 For appeal the certification body shall:
a) Appoint a person or group of persons who are competent and independent to investigate the appeal;
b) Decide on the validity of the appeal;
c) Advise the client of the final decision(s);
d) Take follow-up action(s) where required.

40. 14. Surveillance and Reassessment

41. The certification body shall establish procedures and plans for carrying out periodic on site surveillance assessments and reassessments at sufficiently close intervals to monitor the continued fulfillment by the client of the requirements for certification.
The certification body may conduct extraordinary assessments as a result of complaints or changes.
The certification body may conduct surprise visits as and when required.

42. 15. Suspending, withdrawing or reducing Certification

43. 15.1 The certification body shall establish procedures for the suspension, withdrawal or reduction of the scope of certification.
15.2 The certification body shall make decisions to suspend and/or withdraw certification when a certified client has persistently failed to meet the requirements of certification or to abide by the rules for certification (when a certified client has persistently failed to meet the Shariah requirements then what will be done….???)

44. 16. Responsibilities of the Certification Body and the Client

45. 16.1 The client shall pay fees as shall be determined by the certification body.
16.2 The client shall commit to fulfill continually the requirements for certification set by the certification body for the areas where certification is sought.
16.3 The client shall provide access to information, documents and records as necessary for the assessment and maintenance of the certification.
(is there any evidence about such commitment is available…? If yes plz provide.)
16.4 The client shall provide access to those documents that provide insight into the level of independence and impartiality of its related bodies, where applicable. The client shall arrange the witnessing of its related bodies’ services when requested by the certification body.

46. 16.5 The certification body make publicly available information about the current status of the certifications that it has granted to clients. This information shall be updated regularly.
16.6 The certification body shall provide the client with information about suitable ways to obtain traceability of Halal products.
16.7 The certification body must have Sharia Advisor on its staff or on a consulting arrangement to provide information about preferred practices, particularly related to slaughtering procedures and ingredient approval or any other Shariah related issues.
16.8 The certification body shall maintain a website in which all its approved clients and organizations must be mentioned

47. 17. Complaints to suppliers

48. The certification body shall require the supplier of certified products to:
Keep a record of all complaints related to a product’s compliance with requirements of the relevant standard (i.e., PS-Halal Food Management Systems-Requirements) for any organization in the food chain and to make these records available to the certification body when requested;
Take appropriate action with respect to such complaints and any deficiencies found in products or services that affect compliance with the requirements for certification;
c) Document the actions taken.

49. Certification Process (Informative)
Annex-A:
Certification Process (Informative)

50. For products to be properly labeled as Halal, the production facility, along with its management, policies, and production practices, must be closely and carefully evaluated by a certification body. Where production practices must be revised to conform to Halal standards, a Muslim Technical expert must assist in implementing the required production practices and changes.
a) Where the same processes are used every day, such as fruit processing plants, little, if any, Muslim supervision is required. Once production practices are documented and established, the trained supervisor does not need to supervise all aspects of production all the time. Future certification body assessors may arrive unannounced during a planned production day to verify that the documented procedures are in place and being utilized. In this case, the plant and all production may be considered Halal all the time, requiring only an annual review and certification letter.

51. b) Where Halal and/or non-Halal meat products are manufactured, the Halal certification body may be informed whenever Halal production is scheduled. The manufacturer has to make sure that the Guidelines are properly followed. Certification bodies may randomly inspect the premises to verify it. A trained Muslim Technical supervisor must be physically on site at the commencement of production. He or she must identify and inspect ingredients to be used, confirm packaging and labeling, check and approve cleanliness of the facility and equipment, and review Halal procedures being followed. An annual certification letter may be issued to the producer, a control listing of lot codes produced under Halal supervision must be maintained by the certification body to attest to the Halal status by lot code. Some customers require every batch be certified. Special cleaning and preparation of equipment and facility are necessary prior to commencing Halal production.

52. c) For slaughtering facilities, an onsite Certification Body assessor/technical expert must be present during all phases of slaughter, segregation of Halal meat, and labeling. Each slaughter is Halal certified individually, unless the slaughterhouse is exclusively a Halal slaughtering facility.

53. Criteria for Shariah Advisors of Certification Bodies (Informative)
Annex-B:
Criteria for Shariah Advisors of Certification Bodies (Informative)

54. 1. Educational Qualification
Shahadat-ul-Aalmia Degree Dars-e-Nizami/ Fil Uloom mil Arabia wal Islamia – Sultan-Ul- Afazil from recognized Board of Madaris with minimum 70% marks or Master’s Degree (Islamic studies, Arabics) with a minimum of sufficient understanding of Halal food standards and procedures.

55. 2. Experience and Exposure
a) Must have at least 4 years experience of giving Shariah rulings about Halal food
including the period of Takhasus fil ifta/ e’ (Mujtahid / Mufti); or at least 5 years post qualification experience in teaching or research and development in Halal food. Reasonable knowledge of Arabic and English languages is necessary. Preference will be given to those who have certificate in Takhassus fil Fiqh/Takhassus fil Ifta/ Dars-e-Kharij.
b) PSQCA’s National Standards Committee that acts as Halal Certification Board, at its sole discretion, can give relaxation in respect of educational qualification and experience in exceptional cases where the person is otherwise qualified for giving Shariah ruling on food related matters.

56. 3. Track Record The Shariah Advisor must:
The Shariah Advisor must:
have an impeccable track record in social, economic and financial dealings;
has not been convicted in any criminal offence involving financial impropriety or moral turpitude;
has not been terminated or dismissed in the capacity of employee or director/or default in payment of any taxes in individual capacity or as proprietary concern;
d) has not been associated with any illegal activity especially related to Halal food

57. Normative References
 The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies:
PS-Halal food management systems-Requirements for any organization in the food chain.
ISO/IEC Guide 2, Standardization and related activities — General vocabulary.
lSO/IEC Guide 53:1988, An approach to the utilization of a supplier’s quality system in third-party product certification.
ISO/IEC Guide 65:1996 General requirements of bodies operating product certification system.
ISO/IEC 17000:2004 Conformity assessment—Vocabulary and general principles.

58. Bibliography
[1] ISO 9001:2000, Quality management systems — Requirements.
[2] ISO 19011:2002, Guidelines for quality and/or environmental management systems auditing.
[3] ISO/IEC 17020:1998, General criteria for the operation of various types of bodies performing inspection.
[4] ISO/IEC 17024:2003, Conformity assessment — General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons.
[5] lSO/IEC Guide 53:1988, An approach to the utilization of a supplier’s quality system in third-party product certification.
[6] ISO/IEC Guide 65:1996, General requirements for bodies operating product certification systems.

59. جزاکم اللہ خیراً حلال فاؤنڈیشن منجانب:
شرعی اصولوں کے مطابق حلال آگہی، تحقیق اور تصدیقا ت کا ادارہ
ای میل:
ویب سائٹ :
حلال فاؤنڈیشن
منجانب: