Trust when choosing a product is a key factor for any consumer. It is no longer enough for it to be safe or tasty: many look for guarantees regarding how it has been produced, from the origin of the ingredients to the manufacturing process. In this context, halal certification has become a seal of reassurance and compliance for those who follow Islamic dietary laws and requirements.
Furthermore, considering that the Muslim population in Europe is currently between 25 and 30 million, producing food with halal certification opens new opportunities for your business.
From Cosmos Aromática, we tell you everything you need to know about this certification so that you can begin to incorporate it into your products, reach a wider audience, and guarantee that you meet the standards of quality and trust.
What is Halal Certification?
“Halal” is an Arabic word meaning “lawful” or “permitted”, and it is used in an Islamic context in contrast to “haram”, which refers to what is not permitted. Although many people immediately associate it with food, the concept also applies to products, processes, and services.
When we talk about halal certification, we refer to an evaluation and verification scheme that reviews documented evidence through audits, whether a product (or an associated industrial process) complies with the halal requirements defined by the certification body and its reference framework.
Halal: Beyond the Final Product
In a business context, the focus is usually placed on the entire chain that impacts the result:
- Ingredients and raw materials
- Processing aids
- Suppliers and traceability
- Formulation and recipe changes
- Cleaning, segregation, and control of cross-contamination
- Storage, transport, and labelling (where applicable)
This full-chain approach is especially relevant in categories where a small detail (for example, the origin of a functional ingredient or an additive) can change the conformity of the product.
What Does Halal Certification Mean?
Halal certification means that a third party (a certifying entity) has reviewed evidence and verified compliance with halal requirements through a structured process.
In practice, certification processes usually combine two types of audit:
- Documentary audit: review of ingredients, raw materials, processes, suppliers, facilities, and products, with requests for additional information if necessary.
- On-site audit: a visit by an auditor to verify compliance on site the fulfillment of technical and religious requirements.
Afterwards, a report is issued and a decision is made by a certification committee which, depending on the scheme, must be independent of the audit work.
What a Certificate Usually Includes
Depending on the scheme and the scope, the certification can cover:
- Specific products
- Production lines
- Locations (plant/warehouse)
- Authorised suppliers
- Labelling conditions and use of the brand
An important point for quality teams: the scope must be kept updated when raw materials, processes, or suppliers change, because those changes may require a review or extension of the certificate.
Validity and Monitoring
The validity of the certificate is between one and three years, with annual follow-up audits during its term.
What is Halal Certification For?
For a B2B company, halal certification usually covers four very specific objectives: commercial access, reduction of friction in purchasing, operational consistency, and reputation.
Access to Clients and Markets Where the Requirement is Explicit
In many international operations (and also in agreements with distributors), the halal certificate is requested as a prior condition for selling, approval, or participating in private tenders.
Besides being a requirement, it is a strong commercial asset for brands looking to grow in competitive markets. With more than 1.9 billion consumers worldwide, the global Halal food sector is moving steadily towards the one-trillion-dollar threshold, making it a key area of interest for major international companies such as Nestlé, Danone and Unilever.
Trust and Clarity for the Professional Buyer
When a purchasing department evaluates suppliers, what it seeks is stability:
- That the supplier maintains consistent criteria
- That they can justify the origin of ingredients
- That they have change control
- That they can respond quickly to a non-conformity
The certification provides a common framework for dialogue with clients from different countries and profiles.
A Reality of Growing Global Demand
Interest in products compatible with halal criteria is also supported by global demographic evolution. For example, an analysis by the Pew Research Center shows that the number of Muslims increased by some 347 million between 2010 and 2020, reaching around 2 billion. Likewise, the report highlights that it is the religious group growing the most in absolute terms during that period, above any other.
Without turning this into an automatic commercial promise, it does explain why more and more international chains are requesting halal criteria in their specifications.
How Can I Obtain Halal Certification?
The “how” matters as much as the “what,” because obtaining halal certification is a project of coordination between quality, purchasing, production, legal, and, sometimes, logistics.
Below we explain a typical flow for obtaining certification:
Application and Preliminary Analysis
The company completes a technical questionnaire with information about the product, process, and requested scope. The entity analyses the information and prepares a quote.
What is advisable to have ready internally?
- List of products to be certified
- Technical data sheets for raw materials
- Process diagram (per line)
- List of suppliers and auxiliary materials
- Cleaning procedures and change control
Documentary Audit
Here, what actually makes up the product and how it is manufactured is reviewed with evidence: ingredients, raw materials, processes, suppliers, facilities, and products.
This phase is usually the most delicate for two reasons:
- Supply complexity: the same ingredient may have several origins or specifications depending on the batch or supplier.
- Incomplete documentation: sometimes the upstream supplier does not provide sufficient details (due to confidentiality or because they do not have them structured).
The documentary audit seeks to close those gaps with verifiable data.
On-site Audit
The auditor visits the facility to verify that what appears on paper is fulfilled in the plant: segregation, storage, internal labelling, cleaning, workflows, and real control of inputs/outputs. In some schemes, the visit may include a religious representative.
Report and Certification Committee
After the visit, the audit team prepares a report that is submitted to a committee which makes the decision. Here, non-conformities are resolved (if any), the final scope is validated, and the use of the seal on labelling or commercial documentation is defined.
Issuance of the Certificate and Monitoring
If the result is favourable, the certificate is issued with a defined validity and follow-up audits.
During the term of validity, companies may need additional actions such as batch certificates, label validation, or scope extensions when products, processes, or suppliers change.
How Long Does it Take?
The time depends on the type of product, the complexity of the process, and the documentary preparation. As a reference, it usually takes an average of 1 to 3 months to obtain the certificate, depending on these factors.
Accreditation and Trust: The European Framework
In Europe, Regulation (EC) 765/2008 establishes accreditation requirements and the model by which each Member State designates a national accreditation body.
In Spain, ENAC is defined as the National Accreditation Body designated by the Government in application of that regulation. This matters because, in many sectors, supply chains value that evaluation systems work with principles of independence, impartiality, and mutual recognition within the European accreditation scheme.
Where Halal Certification Gets Complicated in Industrial Companies
Without turning it into a list of warnings, there are points that, based on common experience in conformity audits, concentrate the real work:
Ingredients with Variable Origin
Additives, enzymes, gelatines, and stabilisers may require finer control of origin and process, because they are used in multiple industries and with long supply chains.
Cosmetics: “Sensitive” Ingredients
In cosmetics, materials such as alcohols, collagen, or other components are frequently discussed regarding their origin and how they are integrated into manufacturing.
Logistics and Traceability
Once the product is already halal, maintaining that integrity during transport and storage usually relies on segregation and traceability, especially if it coexists with non-compatible goods.
Export Your Products to the World!
Halal certification is a way of speaking the language of certain buyers, countries, and supply chains. For B2B companies in Spain, France, or the United Kingdom, it makes a difference by opening doors to international markets, generating trust among distributors and clients, and demonstrating a real commitment to quality and compliance with religious standards.
If your company is considering halal certification (or if a client has already requested it), the next step is to consider which products, which raw materials, which plant, and which target markets are included in the project.
Contact Cosmos Aromática so that we can review your case and define the most direct path to obtaining and maintaining a halal certification aligned with your operations and your clients’ requirements.