In short
- Every scheme requires permanent Malaysian Muslim employees on duty in the processing area throughout operating hours or shifts
- Large and medium companies need at least two, a Halal Executive per branch and an Internal Halal Committee
- Small companies need at least one and a Halal Supervisor; micro companies need at least one
- Hotels, chains, catering and food courts have their own rules, set out below
- These are your employees. A consultant can train and document, but cannot occupy the roles
The staffing requirement is where many small applications stall, because it is a condition on your payroll and not on your paperwork. It cannot be fixed with a better manual. The requirements below are taken from JAKIM's domestic certification manual, which is written in Malay.
By company size
The product schemes (food and beverage, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, contract manufacturing and medical devices) share one set of staffing bands. The bands scale with company size, and the system you must run changes with them: large and medium companies run a Halal Assurance System, small and micro companies run an Internal Halal Control System. That difference is explained here.
| Company size | Muslim employees | Appointment | Committee | System |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large and medium industry | Minimum two permanent Malaysian Muslim employees on duty in the processing area throughout every operating period or shift | Halal Executive at every branch premises | Internal Halal Committee for the premises and for each branch under separate operational management | HAS developed and implemented per the MHMS 2020 manual |
| Small industry | Minimum one permanent Malaysian Muslim employee on duty in the processing area throughout every operating period or shift | Halal Supervisor at the premises | Not separately required | IHCS developed and implemented per the MHMS 2020 manual |
| Micro industry | Minimum one permanent Malaysian Muslim employee on duty in the processing area throughout every operating period or shift | Not separately required | Not separately required | IHCS developed and implemented per the MHMS 2020 manual |
Source: JAKIM, Manual Prosedur Pensijilan Halal Malaysia (Domestik) 2020, Prosedur 19, page 31 · edition of 2020
Note the wording on the Muslim employee: permanent, Malaysian, and on duty in the processing area throughout operating hours or shifts. A Muslim employee in the office does not satisfy it, and neither does one on a contract of service that has no permanence. If you run two shifts, the requirement applies to each.
What the roles are
Halal Executive. Required for large and medium companies, one for each branch premises. The Executive also sits on the Internal Halal Committee. The manual sets formal qualifications for the post, shown below. The practical point is the last one: the certificate has to come from a training provider registered with JAKIM's Halal Professional Board, so check the provider's registration before you book a course.
| Role | Definition in the manual |
|---|---|
| Halal Executive | The individual responsible for halal compliance at a company or premises. Must be Muslim, a Malaysian citizen and in a permanent post, hold at least a Diploma in Halal Management or an equivalent qualification or have at least five years of halal management experience, and hold a Halal Executive Certificate from a Halal Training Provider registered under the JAKIM Halal Professional Board (HPB) |
| Halal Supervisor | A Muslim Malaysian citizen in a permanent post who supervises the product or service processing area and/or the management section, meeting the requirements set by the competent authority |
| Muslim employee | A Muslim individual, Malaysian or not, other than the Halal Executive and Halal Supervisor, hired by the employer under a contract of service. The number required depends on the industry category and the certification scheme |
Source: JAKIM, Manual Prosedur Pensijilan Halal Malaysia (Domestik) 2020, pages 3 to 6 · edition of 2020
Halal Supervisor. The small-company equivalent, appointed at the premises. Restaurants, cafes, canteens and bakeries appoint a Supervisor as well.
Internal Halal Committee. Large and medium companies set one up for the company and for each branch with separate operational management. The manual requires at least four members.
| 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
By type of food premises
Food premises have their own rules, and they differ more than most owners expect. A single restaurant needs one Muslim employee and a Supervisor. A hotel kitchen needs two Muslim employees per kitchen, an Executive and a committee. A food court run by a central management company needs the management to appoint the Executive and seat a tenant on the committee.
| Premises type | Muslim employees | Appointment | Committee and system |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant, cafe, canteen or bakery | At least one permanent Malaysian Muslim employee per premises, on duty throughout operating hours or shifts | A Halal Supervisor at the premises | IHCS built under MHMS 2020 |
| Hotel kitchen or restaurant | At least two permanent Muslim employees per kitchen, on duty throughout operating hours or shifts | A Halal Executive for each hotel branch | An Internal Halal Committee for each hotel branch, and a HAS under MHMS 2020 |
| Food chain premises | At least one permanent Malaysian Muslim employee per premises | A Halal Executive at company management or central kitchen level | An Internal Halal Committee at that level, and a HAS developed at management level and implemented at every premises |
| Catering, food service and convention centre kitchens (large and medium) | At least two permanent Muslim employees per kitchen or food preparation area | A Halal Executive at each food premises | An Internal Halal Committee, and a HAS under MHMS 2020. The application must cover every kitchen on the premises |
| Catering, food service and convention centre kitchens (small) | At least one permanent Malaysian Muslim employee per premises | A Halal Supervisor at the premises | IHCS under MHMS 2020. The application must cover every kitchen on the premises |
| Mobile premises | At least one permanent Malaysian Muslim employee in the processing area | None specified | IHCS under MHMS 2020. Preparation must be fully done on the mobile unit or at a central kitchen, and a dedicated storage place is needed for ingredients and equipment |
| Food court cafeteria (centrally managed) | At least one permanent Malaysian Muslim employee in the processing area | A Halal Executive at management level | An Internal Halal Committee that includes a food court tenant representative, and a HAS developed at management level and implemented at each premises |
Source: JAKIM, Manual Prosedur Pensijilan Halal Malaysia (Domestik) 2020, pages 35 to 38 · edition of 2020
If you run three or more restaurants, cafes, canteens or bakeries under one brand, the manual makes you meet the food chain requirements above. The same threshold applies to three or more mobile premises. The sector pages go into the rest of what each premises type needs: restaurants and cafes, hotels and catering, and small and micro businesses.
Slaughterhouses
Slaughterhouses add roles that no other scheme has: slaughtermen holding a valid credential and a halal inspector. Large and medium operations need at least two slaughtermen and one inspector; small operations need one of each. The slaughterhouse page covers the rest.
Where a consultant fits
We are independent consultants. We cannot supply a Muslim employee, act as your Halal Executive or sit on your committee, and a certification that depends on someone from outside the company will not survive an audit that interviews your staff. What we do is prepare the people you appoint: training them to explain their control points unprompted, writing the procedures they will be asked about, and rehearsing the audit.
If you are not sure which band you fall into, or whether your current team meets it, send us your headcount and shift pattern and we will tell you before you apply.
Next: the system each band must run, or how long the certificate lasts once you have it.