BANDUNG, unpas.ac.id – Universitas Pasundan, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Food Technology, and Pasundan Halal Centre (PHC) signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Profession Certification Institution of Indonesian Ulema Council (Lembaga Sertifikasi Profesi Majelis Ulama Indonesia, LSP MUI).
The MoU signing took place at the V Hotel and Residence, Jalan Terusan Sutami III, Sukagalih, Bandung, on Monday, 3 October 2022. This collaboration was intended to accelerate the improvement of human resource quality in supporting the implementation of assurance for halal product.
This event was also accompanied by the Forum Group Discussion “Skema Percepatan Sertifikasi Penyelia Halal” for Department of Food Technology students as part of the committee of Competition Program of Kampus Merdeka (Program Kompetisi Kampus Merdeka, PKKM) League 1.
According to the Rector of Unpas Prof. Dr. Ir. H. Eddy Jusuf Sp, M.Si., M.Kom., IPU., accelerating halal certification is quite strategic, because people should consume food and beverages which are not only halal for its products, but also on the process.
“Halal status does not only refer to the final product itself. Maybe we believe that the food or drink consumed is halal, but if the raw materials and processes are not paid attention to, its halal status may be in doubt,” he said.
The Rector added that guaranteeing 100-percent-halal products is indeed a dilemma. For that, there needs to be halal awareness and certified halal product supervisors.
“This is Unpas’ effort to encourage the acceleration of halal reviewer certification. Moreover, in the curriculum of Department of Food Technology, there is content related to halal issues,” he continued.
Providing Opportunity of Halal Reviewer
CEO of LSP MUI Aminudin Yakub stated that currently, the council has only had 3.800 halal reviewers and 200 halal auditors. These number is quite a gap if it is compared to the number of millions of products which need to be halal certified.
This is because of the change of mechanism. Halal certification which was originally voluntary and does not yet have strong legal legitimacy, has now become mandatory for businessmen/women.
“Each product of food, beverages, drugs, cosmetics, biological products, chemical products, and utility products traded in Indonesia must be halal certified. With this order, it is estimated that there are 61 million products that must be certified halal,” he said.
He said the MUI LSP needed a larger number of human resources. This urgency, he said, opens up opportunities for Food Technology students who are equipped with special skills in the field of food management.
“We welcome the MoU and the cooperation that will be carried out with Unpas. We appreciate Unpas because it has gone faster to support the guarantee of halal products,” he said. (Reta)**