PALU - The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) of Palu City, Central Sulawesi Province said that the new halal logo issued by the Ministry of Religion did not need to be debated because it was not very substantial.
"What needs to be discussed are matters of substance rather than dialogue about brand issues. The logo was created as a sign that a certain product has been declared halal when the label is attached to the package," said Palu City MUI Chair Prof Zainal Abidin who was contacted in Palu, Friday 18 March.
According to him, the logo issued by the central government through the Ministry of Religion already has meaning, it's just that people are not used to new things, so the public sees the need for improvements to the shape and style on the label.
"The problem is not that the old label is better than the new one, or vice versa. This is just a transfer of authority, of course the relevant agency is also given the authority to make its own logo as agreed as a differentiator," said Zainal, quoted by Antara.
He considered that although there was a change in the logo, the Central MUI was still substantially involved in determining whether a particular product was halal or not, because currently only MUI has the personnel and equipment for testing a food and beverage product.
Since the authority was given to the Ministry of Religion, he said, the relevant ministries have had their own institutions in the matter of guaranteeing halal products which are regulated under applicable laws.
Even so, products that passed the halal test by MUI in the previous year will still be valid until 2026, because based on the rules, the halal label attached to a product has a validity period of 5 years.
"Internally, MUI still processes the halalness of a product. It is true that the government issues a label on the packaging, but the process of producing a halal product is still carried out by MUI. Then, the MUI at the district/city level may not issue a label or process a product," he said.
The former Chancellor of UIN Palu explained that his party was not in a position to support or not the policy, but in terms of authority and regulations there had been a transfer.
"If later it is considered not good, let history decide. We must respect a new product, and hopefully the transfer of this policy is expected to be even better," said Zainal.
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