In short
- Large and medium companies must build a Halal Assurance System (HAS)
- Small and micro companies must build an Internal Halal Control System (IHCS), a lighter system
- Both are built and implemented under the MHMS 2020 manual, the Malaysian Halal Management System
- HAS needs an Internal Halal Committee of at least four members; IHCS has no committee
- In both cases the test is the same: the documented system must match what happens on the floor
The Halal Assurance System is the term most consultants, and most websites, use for the whole halal management system. JAKIM's manual is narrower. It reserves HAS for large and medium companies and gives small and micro companies a lighter system with a different name. Getting this wrong is expensive in both directions: a small business that builds a full HAS carries documentation it was never asked for, and a medium business that builds only an IHCS will be sent back.
Which one applies to you
| System | Applies to | What it has to include |
|---|---|---|
| Halal Assurance System (HAS) | Large and medium companies | A Halal Executive at each branch premises, an Internal Halal Committee, and a system built and implemented under the MHMS 2020 manual |
| Internal Halal Control System (IHCS) | Small and micro companies | A halal policy, a raw material or customer control procedure, and a traceability procedure, built and implemented under the MHMS 2020 manual |
Source: JAKIM, Manual Prosedur Pensijilan Halal Malaysia (Domestik) 2020, pages 54 and 55 · edition of 2020
The manual uses the same four size names (large, medium, small, micro) in its fee schedule, where they are defined by annual turnover. The staffing and system rules do not restate the thresholds. The cost page shows the turnover bands for product certification, and the staffing guide shows what each band must appoint. If you sit near a boundary, ask the competent authority which band it will assess you under before you build the system.
The Halal Assurance System
The manual defines the HAS as a set of procedures a company uses to maintain halal assurance comprehensively. A HAS is run by people, not by a document. The manual requires a Halal Executive at every branch premises and an Internal Halal Committee for the company and for each branch under separate operational management. The committee has at least four members, and the manual names the four seats. It is appointed formally and in writing by top management, and it is responsible for developing, implementing, monitoring and controlling the HAS.
| Seat | Role |
|---|---|
| Chairperson | Required |
| Halal Executive | Required |
| Procurement or purchasing representative | Required |
| Processing or operations representative | Required |
Source: JAKIM, Manual Prosedur Pensijilan Halal Malaysia (Domestik) 2020, page 55 · edition of 2020
The seats are chosen so that the people who buy ingredients and the people who run production are both in the room. A committee made up of managers who never touch either is the version that fails when an auditor asks the procurement representative how a new supplier is approved.
The elements of the HAS itself are set out in the MHMS 2020 manual, a separate document from the procedure manual this page draws on. We do not reproduce it here.
The Internal Halal Control System
The IHCS is the small-company system and has three required elements. It has no committee, but it does need a Muslim employee on duty, and a Halal Supervisor for small companies.
| Element | What the manual says |
|---|---|
| Halal policy | Understood by, and communicated to, everyone concerned |
| Raw material, supplier and customer control | Able to explain how raw materials, suppliers or customers are determined, describe the work exactly as practised on the floor, and be recorded and open to review at audit or monitoring |
| Traceability | Able to explain how raw materials, suppliers, customers and finished products are traced back, described as practised, recorded and open to review |
Source: JAKIM, Manual Prosedur Pensijilan Halal Malaysia (Domestik) 2020, pages 54 and 55 · edition of 2020
The wording on each row repeats one test: able to explain, described as practised, and recorded. That is the whole design of the IHCS. It asks for fewer documents than a HAS and expects the person you appoint to be able to describe, without notes, how ingredients are controlled and how a finished product is traced back.
What the auditor tests
The field audit covers fifteen areas, and the Malaysian Halal Management System is one of them. Documents and records are another. Auditors can interview any relevant person and take photographs and copies as evidence, so the gap between what the manual says and what the floor does is visible.
| Area audited |
|---|
| Company or applicant profile |
| Documentation and records |
| Raw materials and ingredients |
| Products, menus and services |
| Processing |
| Storage |
| Equipment and utensils |
| Packaging, labelling and advertising |
| Transport and distribution |
| Premises |
| Employees |
| Sanitation |
| Staff facilities and welfare |
| Training |
| The Malaysian Halal Management System (MHMS) |
Source: JAKIM, Manual Prosedur Pensijilan Halal Malaysia (Domestik) 2020, pages 64 and 65 · edition of 2020
For a worked view of where applications fail on this, see the common mistakes guide.
Where consultants help
Writing a system that fits your operation, instead of copying a template that does not, is the main thing outside help is for. We build the procedures from how your site actually works, train the people who will be interviewed, and run a mock audit before the real one. We do not, and cannot, appoint your committee or stand in for your Halal Executive. See what we do, or tell us your size and sector and we will say which system you need.
Next: who you must appoint, or the full certification process.