Halal certification certification in Pakistan

Halal certification certification in Pakistan at a glance

Pakistan has a statute written specifically for halal trade: the Pakistan Halal Authority Act, 2016. It sets up an Authority to approve the halal logo and recommend standards and an accreditation mechanism, and it says a Halal Certificate is issued by an Accredited Halal Certification Body that the Pakistan National Accreditation Council has found competent. Its export, import and marketing provisions take effect on dates the Federal Government notifies, so exporters should check their status. The Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority notifies the Halal Standard, PNAC states that its scheme is based on PS 4992 OIC/SMIIC 2, and the Punjab Halal Development Agency issues domestic certificates and licences in that province. Sterling's Mumbai office prepares the client's halal team, ingredient and supplier evidence, segregation controls and records; the decision on the certificate rests with the accredited body or agency, never with Sterling.

Who needs Halal certification in Pakistan, and what happens without it

For some organisations in Pakistan it is a legal requirement. For most, the question comes from a buyer, a regulator or a partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.

• Food and beverage manufacturers selling at home and abroadThe Pakistan Halal Authority Act, 2016 provides for the halal logo and for certification by accredited halal certification bodies, with export, import and marketing provisions that come into force on notified dates.
• Producers in the Punjab seeking a domestic halal certificate or licenceThe Punjab Halal Development Agency Act 2016 gives the Agency power to issue Domestic Halal Certificates and Halal Licences for plants, premises and abattoirs.
• Cosmetics, personal care, pharmaceutical and leather producersThe Pakistan Halal Authority Act, 2016 covers articles and processes broadly, including services and financial products offered to the public, not only food.
• Exporters to Muslim-majority marketsThe Act ties export of halal-described articles to the halal logo and certification by an accredited body, from a date the Federal Government notifies.
• Abattoirs, meat processors and food premisesThe Punjab Agency licenses slaughterhouses and food premises, and halal controls sit alongside food safety controls.

Halal certification requirements in Pakistan

Strip away the vocabulary and halal certification asks a company to prove six things about how its products meet halal requirements.

In Pakistan these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: Halal certification explained →

How to get Halal certification certified in Pakistan

One team from the Mumbai office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Clients across Pakistan are served from Sterling's Mumbai office, on-site where the work needs it and remotely otherwise.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against Halal certification and the Pakistani requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
3. Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
4. Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
5. Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.

The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.

How long does Halal certification certification take in Pakistan?

There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Pakistan these are the factors that set the timeline.

• Number of products, ingredients and suppliers needing halal evidence
• Segregation of halal and non-halal lines, storage and transport
• Readiness of records, training and the halal team
• Scheduling of the accredited body or agency, including around Ramadan and Eid

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does Halal certification certification cost in Pakistan?

The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the certification body’s audit fees, which are quoted separately. In Pakistan these factors move both.

• Number of products, premises and categories
• Fees of the accredited body or agency, separate from consulting
• Ingredient substitution where supplier halal status cannot be shown
• Cleaning, segregation or layout changes on shared lines

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

Halal certification consultants and certification bodies in Pakistan

Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; an accredited certification body then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.

• Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers Halal certification and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
• Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Pakistan are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
• Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
• Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.

Halal certification in Pakistan: questions clients ask

More on Halal certification for Pakistani organisations

• Halal certification: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement a halal assurance system
• Halal certification certification in Pakistan and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Pakistani businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in Pakistan often combine Halal certification with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 21 standards Sterling delivers in Pakistan →