Halal Certification and the National Treatment Principle: Challenges in Harmonizing Indonesian Regulations with the WTO

Salsabila Nur Fatikha

Abstract

This paper examines Indonesia’s mandatory halal certification policy under Law No. 33 of 2014 concerning Halal Product Assurance (UU JPH) and its implications within the framework of international trade law. The law requires all products, both domestic and imported, to obtain halal certification before entering the Indonesian market, aiming to safeguard the religious rights of Muslim consumers. However, as a domestic regulatory measure, this obligation may create unintended trade barriers, particularly for foreign producers, by imposing additional procedural and compliance burdens. This raises concerns about Indonesia's compliance with the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles, especially the national treatment obligation under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement. The study highlights the legal and policy tension between protecting public morals and ensuring non-discrimination in global trade. It concludes by stressing the need for Indonesia to reconcile its domestic religious and consumer protection objectives with its international commitments, to avoid potential violations of WTO obligations and to promote a fair and equitable trade environment.

Keywords

halal certification; national treatment principle; WTO

Full Text:

PDF

References

Ahamat, H., & Rahman, N. A. (2018). Halal Food, Market Access and Exception to WTO Law: New Aspects Learned from Indonesia — Chicken Products. Asian Journal of WTO & International Health Law and Policy, 13(2), 355–373. Alissa, E., Bafadhal, F., & Amir, D. (2023). Perlindungan Konsumen Terhadap Produk Makanan Kemasan Usaha Mikro, Kecil, dan Menengah (UMKM) yang Tidak Bersertifikasi Halal di Kota Jambi. Jurnal Ilmiah Universitas Batanghari Jambi, 23(3), 2980. https://doi.org/10.33087/jiubj.v23i3.4487 Al‐Teinaz, Y. R., & Al‐Mazeedi, H. M. M. (2020). Halal Certification and International Halal Standards. In The Halal Food Handbook (pp. 227–251). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118823026.ch15 Amijaya, R. N. F., Asa Prayarsni Korina, Rochmatulloh Alaika, & Hilda Lutfiani. (2024). Risk Assessment of Trade Barriers: The Implications of Indonesia’s Halal Certification Law on International Commerce. International Journal of Islamic Economics, 6(02), 132–145. https://doi.org/10.32332/ijie.v6i2.9028 Bachtiar, F. R. (2022). Halal Certification of Indonesian Cosmetics Products. Nation State: Journal of International Studies, 5(2), 119–139. https://doi.org/10.24076/nsjis.v5i2.828 Bagaskara, G. A. (2021). Kemudahan Menyediakan Sertifikat Halal Bagi Usaha Mikro dan Kecil Ditinjau dari Prinsip National Treatment dalam GATT 1994 dan TBT Agreement. Universitas Gadjah Mada. Bux, C., Varese, E., Amicarelli, V., & Lombardi, M. (2022). Halal Food Sustainability between Certification and Blockchain: A Review. Sustainability, 14(4), 2152. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042152 Callista, J., & Putranto, R. D. (2022). Review on the Importance of Transparency in International Trade Based on the Rules of World Trade Organization. Indonesian Journal of Multidisciplinary Sciences (IJoMS), 1(2), 153–162. https://doi.org/10.59066/ijoms.v1i2.221 Cholil, M. (2024). Exploring the Economic Benefits of the Halal Certification in International Trade: A Literature Review. Sriwijaya International Journal of Dynamic Economics and Business, 8(4), 435–458. Codex Alimentarius Commission. (1997). General Guidelines for the Use of the Term “Halal” (CAC/GL 24-1997). https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/sh-proxy/en/?lnk=1&url=https%253A%252F%252Fworkspace.fao.org%252Fsites%252Fcodex%252FStandards%252FCXG%2B24-1997%252FCXG_024e.pdf Dewi, R. C. K., Anam, M. C., & Nufitasari, D. (2024). Implementation of Halal Certification on Imported Agricultural Food Products and Their Relation to International Trade. YUSTISIA MERDEKA : Jurnal Ilmiah Hukum, 10(2), 38–53. https://doi.org/10.33319/yume.v10i2.298 DinarStandard. (2023). The State of the Global Islamic Economy 2023/24 Report. European Commission. (2020). Reaction from the European Union Regarding Notification G/TBT/N/IDN/123. Fontanelli, F. (2011). ISO And Codex Standards and International Trade Law: What Gets Said Is Not What’s Heard. International and Comparative Law Quarterly, 60(4), 895–932. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020589311000431 Hambali, H. (2020). Pemberlakuan Sertifikasi Halal Secara Wajib Terhadap Produk Asing Menurut Persetujuan Tentang Hambatan Teknis dalam Perdagangan (Technical Barrier to Trade Agreement). Nurani Hukum, 2(2), 48–61. https://doi.org/10.51825/nhk.v2i2.8840 Hamzah, H., Ayodahya, D. T., & Haque, MD. S. (2019). The Effect of Halal Certificate Towards Chicken Meat Import Between Brazil and Indonesia According to Rule of GATT – WTO. IKONOMIKA, 4(2), 171–180. https://doi.org/10.24042/febi.v4i2.5467 Hasan, Z. (2021). Making Indonesia as Integrated Halal Zone and World Halal Sector Hub Through the Implementation of Halal Supply Chain. Journal of Islamic Economic and Business Research, 1(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.18196/jiebr.v1i1.11529 Herdegen, M. (2024). Principles of International Economic Law, 3e. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/law/9780198897835.001.0001 Hidayatun, S., Romadhonia, A., & Janah, M. (2024). Urgency of Implementing Indonesian Halal Certification in International Trade (Case Study of Chicken Meat Imports from Brazil). JUSTICES: Journal of Law, 3(3), 155–174. https://doi.org/10.58355/justices.v3i3.106 Islam, M. M., Ab Talib, M. S., & Muhamad, N. (2023). Challenges of Halal Standards and Halal Certification for Islamic Marketing. Muslim Business and Economic Review, 2(1), 105–124. https://doi.org/10.56529/mber.v2i1.156 Johan, E. (2018). New Challenges in ASEAN Regional Market: International Trade Framework on Halal Standard. Jurnal Dinamika Hukum, 18(1), 93. https://doi.org/10.20884/1.jdh.2018.18.1.809 Johan, E., Plana-Casado, & Jose, M. (2023). Harmonizing Halal in ASEAN: Analysis of Halal Food Guidelines under the ASEAN Way Approach. JAS (Journal of ASEAN Studies), 11(1), 43–67. https://doi.org/10.21512/jas.v11i1.9682 Johan, E., & Schebesta, H. (2022). Religious Regulation Meets International Trade Law: Halal Measures, a Trade Obstacle? Evidence from the SPS and TBT Committees. Journal of International Economic Law, 25(1), 61–73. https://doi.org/10.1093/jiel/jgac003 Karimullah, S. S., & Rozi. (2023). Rethinking Halal: Exploring the Complexity of Halal Certification and its Socio-Economic Implications. Al-Bayan: Jurnal Hukum Dan Ekonomi Islam, 3(2), 102–121. Khan, M. T., Khan, T. I., & Ahmed, S. (2020). Halal Products: Not Restricted to Food and its Marketing Opportunity in the Muslim World. Research Journal of Social Sciences and Economics Review (RJSSER), 1(4), 101–112. https://doi.org/10.36902/rjsser-vol1-iss4-2020(101-112) Kusnadi, Moh. (2019). Problematika Penerapan Undang-undang Jaminan Produk Halal di Indonesia. ISLAMIKA, 1(2), 116–132. https://doi.org/10.36088/islamika.v1i2.213 Marzuki, P. M. (2019). Penelitian Hukum. Kencana Prenada Media Group. Matsushita, M., Schoenbaum, T. J., Mavroidis, P. C., & Hahn, M. (2015). The World Trade Organization: Law, Practice, and Policy (Third Edition). Oxford University Press. Mufida, R. (2022). Penerapan Prinsip National Treatment dalam Kasus Sengketa Impor Daging Ayam Antara Brasil dengan Indonesia. Justitia et Pax, 38(1). https://doi.org/10.24002/jep.v38i1.5053 Mulyana, A., Maulidizen, A., & Julian, F. A. (2024). Barriers and Drivers of Halal Supply Chain Integration: A Qualitative Analysis of Existing Literature Authors Andri Mulyana. Journal of Islamic Law and Legal Studies, 1(2), 63–77. Musataklima. (2021). Self-Declare Halal Products for Small and Micro Enterprises: Between Ease of Doing Business and Assurance of Consumer Spiritual Rights/Self Declare Produk Halal Usaha Kecil Mikro: Antara Kemudahan Berusaha dan Jaminan Hak Spiritual Konsumen. De Jure: Jurnal Hukum Dan Syar’iah, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.18860/j-fsh.v13i1.11308 Negara, T. A. S. (2023). Normative Legal Research in Indonesia: Its Originis and Approaches. Audito Comparative Law Journal (ACLJ), 4(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.22219/aclj.v4i1.24855 Permata Sari, C. D., & Ibrahim, H. (2023). Peran Politik dalam Pembentukan Kebijakan Perdagangan Internasional (Studi Perbandingan Antara Negara Maju dan Negara Berkembang). Jurnal Minfo Polgan, 12(2), 2464–2473. https://doi.org/10.33395/jmp.v12i2.13291 Pietersz, A. K., Adolf, H., & Muchtar, H. N. (2025). Indonesia’s Mandatory Halal Certification: The Potential of a Technical Barrier to Trade as a Trade Promotion Tool. Journal of Law and Regulation Governance, 3(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.57185/jlarg.v3i1.86 Ruhaeni, N., & Aqimuddin, E. an. (2023). Halal Food Certification as an Exception Clause Under the Rule of the WTO-GATT: An Indonesia Experience. Cogent Social Sciences, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2023.2260160 Safa’at, M. A. (2022). The Domination of Indonesian Ulama Council Withhold Law of Halal Product Guarantee. Arena Hukum, 15(2), 257–284. https://doi.org/10.21776/ub.arenahukum.2022.01502.3 Sagita, A. M., & Sasmini. (2024). The Halal Certification Policy in Indonesia and the World Trade Organization. International Journal of Integrated Science and Technology, 2(9), 795–810. Sup, D. F. A., Fahmi, A. S. R., Hilal, F. N., & Firdaus, M. I. (2020). Dinamika Regulasi Sertifikasi Halal di Indonesia. JESI (Jurnal Ekonomi Syariah Indonesia), 10(1), 36. https://doi.org/10.21927/jesi.2020.10(1).36-44 Susilowati, I., Edy Riyanto, E., Kirana, M., Mafruhah, I., & Radam, A. (2018). The Economic and Sharia Value of Moslem’s Awareness for Halal Food in Indonesia. Jurnal Ekonomi Pembangunan: Kajian Masalah Ekonomi Dan Pembangunan, 19(1), 102. https://doi.org/10.23917/jep.v19i1.5859 United States Trade Representative. (2025). Foreign Trade Barriers Report 2025.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.20961/belli%20ac%20pacis.v11i1.106270

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.