           Responding to the delay in the ratification of the Halal Certification Bill by the House of Representatives (DPR), Professor of Pharmacy, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Prof. Dr. Achmad Mursyidi, Apt., urged the House of Representatives to immediately endorse the Bill.
           In foreign countries, the importance of halal (lawful) certification is actually thought of, although the goal is for business interests, namely in order to market their products to Muslim countries. "It is sad for us, until now the House has not endorsed the halal certification bill," said Mursyidi to reporters in Fortakgama Room, Thursday (15/10). The statement associated with the plan which will be brought up at the International Seminar on ‘Global Prospect of Halal Product Safety and Analysis’ on October 19, at the Auditorium Magister Management, UGM.
           According to Mursyidi, the halal certification is related to the public’s needs. Up to 35 percent of cosmetic products that come from overseas have been using halal label and have been marketed in the Muslim countries. Nevertheless, to acknowledge the halal label, the halal certification is required. It aims, among others, to know the content of pigs and its derivatives. "The use of pork, skin, enzymes, fats, and all kinds of pig derivatives are checked. Our obligation is to avoid it by doing chemical analysis to determine whether there is pig DNA, "he explained.
           Mursyidi explained that so far the meaning of Halal has often only been identified by its lack of pork content in a product. In fact, the real purpose includes many things, ranging from the production stage until the final product. This fact shows that things associated with the halal issues and various policies regarding halal products should be immediately implemented. Moreover, the Muslim community in Indonesia and some other countries, like Malaysia and Thailand, are still often confronted with such issues, particularly about some food and other products circulating in the community.
"That’s why we support the bill so that certification can be enacted to help handle the various polemics that are happening," he concluded.