The Global Halal Standard is developed in accordance with the conventions set forth by the International Standards Organisation (ISO) and that the overall framework is developed in line with ISO guide 65:1996 “General requirements for bodies operating product certification systems”.
References were also made to the relevant standards under the direct purview of the Committee on Conformity Assessment (CASCO). These include ISO/IEC 17011:2004 “Conformity assessment – General requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies, ISO/IEC 17020:1988 “General Criteria for the operations of various types of bodies performing inspection”, ISO/IEC 17021: 2006 “Conformity assessment for bodies providing certification of management systems”, and ISO/IEC: 17040:2005 “Conformity assessment for peer review”.
IHI Alliance has also been referring to other relevant standards as and when required such as ISO 22000:2005, Food safety management systems; a requirement for organisation in the food chain, designed to ensure safe food supply chains worldwide. The standard also incorporates existing industry food standards such as Hazards Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) and Good manufacturing Practice (GMP) required by both government and industry.
For an international Halal standard to be universally accepted by the Ummah at large, the necessary overlying modules need to be developed by reputable countries, primarily those from the OIC. IHI Alliance’s Global Halal Standards has been broken up into ten modules covering the entire value chain of Halal.
Terms of reference (TOR) have been formulated to ensure that the module is developed with two key drives in mind. The first being that the country tasked to develop the module has a clear “value proposition” in doing so. The second element would address the needs of the end consumer and industry alike. IHI Alliance will develop each module with the assistance and support of key countries, to formulate a holistic certification framework.
The development of the Global Halal Standard had gone through various technical meetings from every corner of the world. From the regions of Europe, Middle East and Africa, and the Asia Pacific, these modules were deliberated and discussed among the major industry players, government bodies and non-profit establishments. On 2 May 2009, IHI Alliance’s framework on the development of the Global Halal Standard was duly approved at the Islamic Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) General Assembly held in Cairo, Egypt.
And finally, at the World Halal Forum 2009 in May, four of the modules namely Food Service, Logistics, Animal Welfare, Animal Slaughter – Poultry and Animal Slaughter – Bovine and Ovine were released for the first time for public review.
