Halal Certification of Domestically-produced Food Products and Export Support

The Japan Halal Standards LLC (Head Office: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka; Representative Executive Officer: Masahiro Toyofuku; hereinafter, “JHS”) have concluded a memorandum with Sumitomo Corporation Kyushu Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka; President and Director: Tsuneaki Maeda; hereinafter “Sumitomo Corporation Kyushu”) on the export of halal food products produced in Japan and certified by The Japan Halal Unit Association (Head Office: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka; Representative: Muhammad Mateen Bin Nik Sulaiman  (hereinafter, “JHUA”), with Sumitomo Corporation Kyushu serving as the export liaison. (*1)
 
Halal means “permissible” according to Islamic law, and Muslims are only allowed to eat food products that have been deemed halal. The food and beverage market for Muslim consumers has grown to $1.292 trillion, about three times the size of Japan’s food and beverage market. With the worldwide Muslim population presently at around 1.6 billion and with Muslims expected to make up approximately 30% of the world’s population in 2050, the halal food market continues to expand.
 
Malaysia is the first country in the world to have a government institution providing halal certification. The Department of Standards Malaysia (hereinafter, “DSM”)has standardized the halal rules set by shariah committee of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (hereinafter, “JAKIM”) as Malaysian Standards (hereinafter, “MS”),and JAKIM’s Halal Hub Division provides halal certification for products distributed within Malaysia. The MS established by DSM together with the procedures established by JAKIM are some of the most stringent in the world, and are held in high regard by neighboring Muslim countries; indeed, MS are used as the basis for most countries’ halal certification.
 
JHUA have recently received official recognition as a halal certification body from Malaysia’s certification authority, JAKIM, after being assessed based on Malaysian standards. This recognition means that food products certified by JHUA can now be exported to Malaysia with full confidence to the consumer that the products have been stringently audited by JHUA according to a halal certification process recognized by JAKIM.
Sumitomo Corporation Kyushu will be exporting JHUA-certified products and introducing potential sales destinations.
 
Exports of Japan’s high-quality food products worldwide are expected to accelerate. With JHUA suitably certifying Japanese food products and logistics as halal, and with JHS providing consulting and educational services, and Sumitomo Corporation Kyushu supporting export operations and overseas sales of halal foods processed in accordance with Islamic law, Japanese products should make even greater inroads into the global halal food market.
 
(*1) JHS serve as the certification business liaison of JHUA in Japan
 
 [Reference]
■ Japan Halal Unit Association (JHUA)
A halal certification body in Japan, officially recognized by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM), a governmental halal certifying organization. JHUA certification and audit procedures are based on Malaysian Standards (MS) established by the Malaysian Government’s Department of Standards Malaysia (DSM), which sets out halal and other standards in Malaysia. JHUA has been given permission to apply MS related to Halal established by DSM, in JAPAN.
 
■ Japan Halal Standards LLC
A limited liability company set up to support JHUA that offers consulting and educational services to parties seeking to acquire halal certification, import/export services for goods and services after certification has been obtained, etc.