Food and drug safety ministry secures Indonesia's halal concessions for K-beauty

The food and drug safety ministry said it had reached agreements with Indonesian regulators to ease halal certification burdens for South Korean cosmetics companies before a halal-labeling requirement takes effect Oct. 18.

The ministry's public-private delegation met Indonesia's Halal Product Assurance Organizing Agency, or BPJPH, and the Indonesian Food and Drug Authority, or BPOM, from July 20 to 22. BPJPH agreed that people who complete BPJPH-recognized training and hold the required qualifications may serve as halal supervisors, responding to difficulties hiring Muslim halal supervisors at certification bodies in non-Muslim countries such as Korea. It also agreed to waive factory inspections where a cosmetics manufacturing site already holds halal certification, even when a different responsible seller seeks certification for products made there. The agreed standards will be applied through an official notice before the regulations are amended.

BPOM will pursue talks with BPJPH on a regulatory revision extending the grace period for products legally cleared through customs and already being sold before the rule begins. It also outlined procedures allowing each person to carry up to 20 noncommercial samples for market research or research.

Seo Kyung-bae, chairman of the Korea Cosmetic Association, welcomed the results of the delegation. "The government took the lead in representing companies' customs-clearance and regulatory difficulties and preparing concrete solutions, which was practical help for companies seeking to enter Indonesia," he said.

The ministry and Indonesian regulators also agreed to operate a hotline and working-level group, and to expand cooperation to areas including pharmaceutical reference-country designation procedures.