The issue of halal status has never escaped the spotlight. Recently, celebrity Jovi Adhiguna became a topic of conversation for eating a bowl of meatballs mixed with pork crackers while at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport, Bali. This action succeeded in making Jovi attacked by Muslims in Indonesia. The meatball restaurant where he ate, Baso A Fung, has long claimed its products with halal labels. As a result, Baso A Fung threw away and destroyed all the equipment they had, including the one used by Jovi – at the I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport outlet. So, was this action necessary? How important is a restaurant’s commitment to halal status and certification in the eyes of the law and Indonesian society? Check out the full explanation below.
Baso A Fung Case Overview
The problem began when Jovi filmed himself eating meatballs at the Baso A Fung restaurant located at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport, Bali on Sunday (07/16/2023). After the dish was delivered, Jovi was seen opening a packet of pork crackers and pouring them into the meatballs. In less than 24 hours, the video has reached viral status. Jovi admitted that he was surprised and did not think that the pork crackers mixed in the Baso A Fung bowl could harm the restaurant. He also apologized for the incident via his Instagram. In response, Baso A Fung restaurant uploaded a video showing the staff at the I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport outlet updating their tableware, through their Instagram account @basoafung. To follow up on public unrest, Baso A Fung also apologized and said that the pork crackers eaten by Jovi at the restaurant were not Baso A Fung products and came from outside the restaurant. In fact, the manager of Baso A Fung at Ngurah Rai Airport destroyed 88 bowls as a result of Jovi’s actions. This was done in order to maintain the halal certificate of the meatball restaurant. “A total of 88 bowls (destroyed),” said A Fung Bali Operations Manager, Moch. Alran Nabillah to detikBali via WhatsApp, Thursday (07/20/2023).
Indonesian Society and the Importance of Halal Certificates
What Baso A Fung is doing is clear evidence of the importance of halal certificates and status in the eyes of the Indonesian people. How could it not be, in 2021, as many as 231 million Indonesians adhere to Islam. This means that in the niche market presented to the food and beverage industry, the largest portion is Muslim. For them, nothing is more important than the halalness of a dish. Halal certificate itself is a form of recognition of the halalness of a product issued by the Halal Product Guarantee Agency (BPJPH). Based on Article 4 of the Halal Product Guarantee Law (JPH Law), halal certificates can be given for goods and / or services related to food, beverages, drugs, cosmetics, chemical products, biological products, genetically modified products, and goods used, used, or utilized by the public. However, this is excluded for non-halal products such as alcohol, food ingredients containing pork and other similar products (Article 26 paragraph (1) of the JPH Law).
Terms and Procedures for Applying for a Halal Certificate
It is not easy for a business to get a halal certificate from BPJPH. Based on Article 7 of Law 33/2014 concerning Halal Product Guarantee, BPJPH cooperates with relevant ministries and / or institutions, Halal Examining Institutions (LPH), and the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), in carrying out its authority. To obtain a halal certificate, business actors need to prepare the following required documents:
- Business Actor Data: NIB/NPWP/SIUP/IUMK, ID card of the business actor, and curriculum vitae.
- Copy of Halal Supervisor Certificate and Copy of Halal Supervisor Decision
- Product name and type
- List of products and ingredients used
- Product management process
The process of making a halal certificate involves testing the product or service by a trusted halal certification body in Indonesia. They will conduct rigorous inspection and testing of the ingredients used in these products and services, as well as the way they are produced and processed.
What are the commitments for restaurants that have received a Halal Certificate?
From a legal point of view, Baso A Fung’s actions are worthy of thumbs up. What they did was in accordance with the rules in the Halal Product Management System Manual (SJPH) from BPJPH, that: “Every business actor whose business has been certified halal, is obliged to maintain halal commitment by maintaining and ensuring that all tools of the halal production process, remain clean, and hygienic, free from unclean, and not halal.” This is also in accordance with Article 25 of the JPH Law which states that with a halal certificate, there are several commitments that must be fulfilled by the certificate holder which include:
- Include halal labels on products that have received halal certificates;
- Maintain the halalness of products that have obtained halal certificates;
- Separating the location, place and slaughter, processing equipment, storage, packaging, distribution, sale and presentation between halal and non-halal products;
- Renewing the halal certificate if the validity period of the halal certificate expires; and
- Report changes in composition to BPJPH.
There are strict sanctions for business actors whose products have been certified halal but are proven to be contaminated by non-halal ingredients or products in their business activities. Where according to Article 48 number 24 of Law 6/2023, business actors who violate will be charged with a maximum imprisonment of five years or a maximum fine of IDR 2 billion. Therefore, Baso A Fung’s decision to immediately remove all tableware that may have been contaminated by the pork crackers brought by Jovi is the right action.
READ ALSO: Halal Certificate, Its Benefits and Procedures
They also understand that tableware can be easily replaced, but not reputation and customer trust.
KH Contact
This is an explanation of the Baso A Fung case involving celebrity Jovi Adhiguna. From some of the descriptions above, it can be concluded that business actors not only need to obtain halal certificates but are also required to maintain the halalness of the product, in this case, they must ensure that the product is not contaminated with prohibited ingredients. So, is your business ready to get a halal certificate and maintain this commitment? Or are you still confused and hesitant because you are afraid of taking the wrong steps in taking care of it? Don’t worry, just consult with Kontrak Hukum! In addition to consultation, we can also help KH Friend to fulfill business legality documents such as NIB, NPWP, IUMK, SIUP which must be completed first as a requirement for making halal certificates. For more information, please visit KH Services – Licensing. If you still have other questions about obtaining halal certificates and other legality documents, do not hesitate to consult with us for free at Ask KH or via Direct Message (DM) to Instagram @kontrakhukum.
