Viral! Wine Products Get Halal Certificate, Here’s the Truth

Some time ago, there was a lot of discussion about a red wine product from the Nabidz brand that was said to have a halal certificate.

The issue stems from the upload of the Instagram account @adityadwiputras on July 8, 2023, which shows a photo of a bottle of Nabidz “Chateat de Java” and a glass of red drink. “Wine is halal? How come? Yes! With biotechnology and termed fiqh science, Alhamdulillah, it has been made in such a way that it is tested and certified halal by MUI,” wrote the account statement. Apparently, the product made by Professor Beni Yulianto has received a halal certificate from the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) with the product name Fruit Juice and certification number ID31110003706120523. This suddenly invited public attention because wine, which is known as an alcoholic beverage, is included in the category of non-halal products. Then, if it really is red wine, how can the Nabidz brand drink get a halal certificate? Check out the full chronology in the following article.

Ministry of Religious Affairs’ Response to Halal Wine

Regarding this issue, the Ministry of Religion’s Halal Product Guarantee Agency (BPJPH) emphasized that it has never issued a halal certificate for wine products. “Regarding information on online sales of wine products under the Nabidz brand that are claimed to be halal certified, we need to emphasize that BPJPH has never issued a halal certificate for wine products,” said Head of BPJPH, Muhammad Aqil Irham on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. “Based on the data in the Sihalal system, we confirm that there is indeed a beverage product with the Nabidz brand that has received a halal certificate from BPJPH. However, the product is not wine or red wine, but a fruit juice drink product,” continued Aqil. He continued, the Nabidz brand fruit juice product was submitted for halal certification on May 25, 2023 through a self-declaration mechanism with the assistance of the Halal Product Process (PPH) carried out by the PPH Facilitator. BPJPH then deployed the Halal Product Guarantee Supervision team to explore the facts in the field. Most recently, Aqil stated that there were unscrupulous business actors and PPH who were suspected of deliberately manipulating Nabidz’s halal certificate application data.

“For violations committed by business actors with the initials “BY”, BPJPH has imposed sanctions in the form of revocation of halal certificates with the number ID31110003706120523 with Grape Fruit Juice products starting from August 15, 2023,” Aqil explained in his statement on Wednesday, August 23, 2023.

PPH Facilitator Did Not Perform Verification

Juice or fruit juice is one type of product that can be certified through a self-declaration mechanism. This is because fruit juice is included in one of the non-risk products. Based on the provisions, this must then be verified by the PPH Facilitator to ensure the halalness of the product. “However, based on the results of the supervisory team’s investigation, the verification process through this assistance was not carried out by brother AS as a PPH Facilitator,” Aqil explained. In fact, according to him, AS knew that the process of making Nabidz fruit juice through fermentation should have stopped the process and advised business actors to apply for regular halal certificates, not self-declaration. “Because if there is fermentation, it means that there is a chemical process carried out that requires a lab test that must be carried out by the Halal Examining Agency (LPH),” he explained. But instead of stopping the process, AS is known to have manipulated the halal certificate registration data. Regarding this, the Ministry of Religion revoked the registration number of the PPH Facilitator.

Then How are the Conditions for Granting Halal Certificates Actually?

As we know, wine is a drink made from fermented fruits that have been crushed beforehand to produce natural alcohol with a level of around 12-15 percent. According to Minister of Health Regulation No. 86 of 1977 concerning Liquor, alcoholic beverages are drinks with alcohol content, which are made from the fermentation of various types of vegetable raw materials containing carbohydrates, by distillation of fermentation results. When associated with Islamic law, wine is included in haram drinks because it contains intoxicating elements, namely alcohol. So, legally the product cannot get a halal certificate from MUI. As mentioned in Article 1 of the Halal Product Law, halal products are products that have been declared halal in accordance with Islamic law. Now, to get a halal certificate, there are provisions that have been regulated in MUI Fatwa No. 4 of 2003 concerning Standardization of Halal Fatwa where the product is sold:

It is not permissible to consume and use names and/or symbols of food/beverages that lead to kufr and falsehood.
It is not permissible to consume and use names and/or symbols of food/beverages that refer to the names of haraam objects/animals, especially pork and alcohol, except for those that have been traditionalized (‘urf) and confirmed not to contain haraam elements.
It is not permissible to consume and use ingredients for food/beverage components that cause the taste/aroma of haraam objects or animals, such as pork-flavored instant noodles, bacon flavor, etc.
It is not permissible to consume food/beverages that use the name of haraam food/beverages such as whisky, brandy, beer, etc.

With these provisions, it can be seen that the parameters of the halalness of a product are not only about the raw materials, but also pay attention to the naming of the product whether there are elements of products that are prohibited or not.

Terms and Procedures for Halal Certificate

To apply for a halal certificate, business actors need to prepare the following required documents:

NIB/SIUP/SIUP/IUMK
Business ID card
Copy of halal provider certificate and copy of halal provider decision
Product name and type
List of products and ingredients used
Product management process

After completing the above requirements, business actors can apply for a halal certificate through the ptsp.halal.go.id page. BPJPH will check the completeness of the data and the examination is forwarded to LPH. Furthermore, the examination report will be submitted to MUI for a fatwa hearing and the issuance of a halal certificate by BPJPH. After obtaining a halal certificate, business actors are responsible for maintaining the halalness of the product by:

Include halal labeling;
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 has expired; and
Report changes in ingredient composition to BPJPH.

The validity period of a halal certificate is four years and three months before the validity period expires, business actors are advised to extend it. For business actors who obtain a halal certificate but do not maintain the halalness of the product will be subject to a maximum imprisonment of five years and a maximum fine of IDR 2 billion.

KH Contact

This is an explanation of the issue of ‘wine’ being called halal certified. It can be concluded that a halal certificate is an important and crucial document for businesses, consumers, and government agencies to ensure the halalness of products. Therefore, it is important for all parties to understand the importance of halal certificates and make sure to follow the applicable provisions and procedures to avoid any negligence or fraud in obtaining halal certificates.

Well, for KH Pals who are still confused about halal certificates or want to take care of them but are afraid of the wrong steps, you can just consult with Kontrak Hukum. As a digital legal platform, we have been trusted by thousands of companies and businesses in Indonesia in meeting their business needs, including those related to halal certificate management. In addition to consultation, we can also help you to fulfill business legality documents such as NIB, NPWP, IUMK, SIUP which must be completed first as a condition for obtaining a halal certificate. For more information, visit the KH Services – Licensing page. If you have any other questions, please contact us at Ask KH or via direct message (DM) to Instagram @kontakhukum.