Quality, testing & documents

Halal and kosher certification

Certificates showing that food, feed, cosmetic and pharmaceutical ingredients – gelatin, emulsifiers, fatty acids, glycerine, flavours, enzymes, vitamins and so on – are produced in line with Islamic or Jewish dietary law. Halal certificates must come from a body recognised by the importing country (e.g. BPJPH in Indonesia, JAKIM in Malaysia, GAC/ESMA in the Gulf, HAK in Türkiye); kosher certificates are issued by agencies such as OU, OK and Star-K. For ingredients of animal or possibly animal origin, and for Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian markets, they are often a precondition of sale.

Related terms

Feed safety certification (GMP+, FAMI-QS, FSSC 22000)

GMP+ Feed Certification, of Dutch origin, is a HACCP-based safety standard for producing, trading, storing and transporting feed ingredients; European feed buyers often require it of suppliers, and it also requires certified road and sea carriers. FAMI-QS is a quality and safety standard specifically for producers of feed additives such as vitamins, amino acids, enzymes and premixes. On the food side, FSSC 22000, BRCGS and IFS play a similar role. Validity and scope – which products, which site – should be checked in the online databases.

ISO 9001 quality management and related ISO certificates

ISO 9001 is the international quality-management standard, audited by accredited certification bodies, showing that a company defines, controls and continually improves its processes; it certifies the system, not the product. Other certificates frequently requested in raw material supply include ISO 14001 (environment), ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety), ISO 50001 (energy), ISO 22000/FSSC 22000 (food safety), IATF 16949 (automotive) and ISO/IEC 17025 (laboratory competence). Validity should be checked in the certification body’s database or IAF CertSearch.

Explained in the trade handbook

Trade handbook