Indonesian Seafood Halal Certification: 2025 Guide

A 2025-ready, pass-the-audit checklist tailored to Indonesian shrimp processors applying for BPJPH halal certification via SIHALAL—exact files to prepare, how to verify additives and suppliers, and what auditors expect.

If you’re preparing a shrimp plant for BPJPH halal certification in 2025, this is the checklist we actually use on the ground. We’ve sat in audits where a single missing supplier certificate or vague process flowchart delayed approval by weeks. Here’s the exact sequence that gets shrimp processors through SIHALAL with minimal back-and-forth.

The 3 foundations that make or break your audit

Documentation that matches reality. Auditors don’t just read your SJPH. They walk the line and expect to see your SOPs, records and labeling in lockstep with what you uploaded to SIHALAL.
Materials control. Shrimp is halal by default, but additives, processing aids, cleaning chemicals and packaging can derail you. We maintain a live “approved list” with halal certificates, COAs and MSDS for every item that can contact product.
Floor discipline and traceability. From receiving to glazing, every lot needs to be traceable in two directions within minutes. Auditors often ask for a cold-box to finished-goods mass balance on the spot.

Weeks 1–2: Build your SIHALAL core file

What documents do shrimp processors need to upload to SIHALAL in 2025?

Here’s the short list we’ve found auditors expect, based on recent BPJPH/Lembaga Pemeriksa Halal (LPH) reviews:

Legal entity & licensing: NIB/OSS, NPWP, deed of incorporation, plant address and coordinates.
SJPH manual: company halal policy, scope, halal team, risk assessment, document control, training, supplier control, internal audit, corrective actions, recall/withdrawal.
Process documents: process flow diagram from receiving to dispatch, plant layout with product and people flows, water and ice sources, equipment list, CCPs and halal critical points.
Product dossier: product list and product matrix (SKU, ingredients, processing aids, packaging, labels), draft labels, HS codes for export SKUs.
Materials file: full ingredient list with specs and COAs, halal certificates for additives and processing aids, supplier halal certificates for outsourced processing/packing if any.
Cleaning & sanitation: chemical lists with halal status, SSOPs, dilution logs, sanitizer contact times, verification records, allergen and fragrance controls.
Training & competence: halal team training, penyelia halal certificate, induction records for operators and cleaners.
Traceability & records: receiving logs, batch coding system, stock movement, production worksheets, glazing/brining logs, release records.
Quality & food safety: HACCP plan, GMP/CPPOB, calibration list and certificates, environmental monitoring (if applicable).
Internal audit & management review: last internal halal audit report, corrective actions, management review minutes.

Need a pre-audit eyes-on review of your SIHALAL folder or a second opinion on your SJPH? If it saves you a resubmission, it’s worth it. You can Contact us on whatsapp.

Weeks 3–6: Close gaps, validate suppliers, freeze the matrix

Do frozen shrimp plants need an SJPH manual or is HACCP enough?

HACCP isn’t enough. BPJPH requires an SJPH that covers halal-specific controls. The easiest path is to integrate: keep HACCP as the food-safety backbone and embed halal points into supplier approval, receiving, sanitation, and labeling. In our experience, auditors accept a single integrated manual if halal controls are explicit and cross-referenced.

Which shrimp additives must have halal certificates for BPJPH approval?

Everything that can contact product or processing water. Typical items in shrimp plants:

Additives and processing aids: STPP/mixed phosphates, sodium metabisulfite, citric acid, sodium bicarbonate, ascorbates, carrageenan, de-foamers. Provide halal certificates and specs.
Glazing aids and ice: if any agents are added to glaze water, show halal certificates and concentration/use SOP.
Packaging that may contain lubricants or slip agents: request declarations on stearates and anti-blocks.
Lubricants and release agents near open product: use food-grade, halal-certified where possible, and document no product contact.
Cleaning and sanitizing chemicals: for product-contact surfaces, either use halal-certified products or ensure validated rinse until no residue remains.

For imported additives, use certificates from foreign halal bodies recognized by BPJPH. As of late 2024, recognition lists were expanded again. Keep each certificate valid, legible, and matched to supplier name, plant address, and exact product grade.

Weeks 7–12: Floor discipline, mock audit, submit

What does a halal product matrix look like for shrimp SKUs?

Keep it simple but complete. Columns we use:

SKU/brand: e.g., Vannamei PD tail-on IQF 26/30
Ingredients: shrimp 100% or shrimp + STPP 0.3% + SMBS 0.1%
Processing aids: de-foamer, water treatment, glazing water
Packaging: inner bag, master carton, labels
Halal documents: list certificate numbers and expiry dates for each component
Process steps: receiving, grading, peeling/deveining, rinsing, soaking, dewatering, IQF, glazing, packing, cold storage
Markets: domestic or export destinations

If you produce multi-species seafood alongside shrimp, document separation and sanitation changeovers. For reference, our Frozen Shrimp (Black Tiger, Vannamei & Wild Caught) range follows the same matrix structure across sizes and formats so audits go faster.

Who can be the halal supervisor (penyelia halal) in a seafood factory?

We recommend a full-time QA professional with documented halal training approved by BPJPH/LPH. They should be independent of production scheduling, empowered to stop lines, and involved in supplier approval. Keep their certificate, job description, and authority letter in the SIHALAL file. Back them up with at least one trained deputy for nights and weekends.

Are alcohol-based sanitizers allowed in a halal-certified shrimp plant?

For hands and non-food-contact surfaces, alcohol-based sanitizers are generally acceptable when formulated from permissible sources and fully dried before contact with product. For food-contact surfaces, use halal-certified sanitizers or apply a validated rinse step to remove residues. Document sources of ethanol or prefer IPA-based products with halal certificates to avoid debates during audits.

Halal-critical points in shrimp blanching and freezing

Water and ice: potable and microbiologically verified. If treated, list all chemicals and halal status.
Brining/soaking: declare exact additives and concentrations, control soak times, and prevent cross-batch carryover.
Blanching (if used): record temperatures and times. Ensure no shared blancher with non-halal products. Validate cleaning if the blancher handles different recipes with additives.
IQF and glazing: confirm no cross-lubrication from conveyors. If a glazing aid is used, keep its halal certificate and usage SOP.
Labels and cartons: use correct halal logo only after certificate issuance. Keep proofs and approval screenshots.

Practical takeaway: build a one-page “Halal CCP/Critical Point Map” that overlays your process flow. Auditors love it because they can see controls at a glance. Isometric cutaway of a shrimp factory floor showing the line from receiving to packing, with colored highlights at water and ice systems, brining tanks, a blancher, an IQF freezer with glazing, and the packing area to illustrate halal‑critical points.

Why SIHALAL applications from seafood processors get rejected

SJPH doesn’t match plant reality. The biggest red flag is a generic template with no shrimp-specific risks, no glazing details, no additive specs.
Incomplete supplier files. Missing halal certificates for a single processing aid can force resubmission.
Ambiguous product matrix. If an SKU can be packed with or without STPP, spell out both variants, or the auditor will ask you to split SKUs.
Sanitizer confusion. No proof of halal status or no rinse validation for food-contact surfaces.
Traceability gaps. Inability to show mass balance for a random day’s production and glaze yield.

Fixes: run a mock audit, assign one owner per document cluster, and don’t upload until each line in your matrix has matching certificates and SOP references.

Timeline and fees in 2025

Preparation: 2–4 weeks to compile documents, depending on supplier speed.
Audit scheduling and site audit: typically 2–3 weeks, depending on LPH availability.
Post-audit corrective actions: 1–2 weeks if findings are minor.
Fatwa decision and BPJPH issuance: commonly 2–4 weeks after a clean audit.

Realistically, well-prepared shrimp plants finish in 6–10 weeks. Fees vary by scope, number of SKUs, and chosen LPH. Medium-sized processors should budget a low tens-of-millions IDR range for audits, excluding internal preparation costs and any lab tests.

Internal audit and management review that actually helps

Use an internal audit checklist that mirrors your SJPH chapters. We include:

Inputs: updated supplier list with certificate expiries, additive COAs and MSDS.
Facilities: segregation checks, sanitizer stations, label control, ice room hygiene.
Records: two-way trace test, glaze yield verification, sanitation logs, calibration.
People: penyelia halal competency, operator interviews, training attendance.
Outputs: nonconformities, root causes, and close-out dates. Roll up to management review every six months.

Resources and next steps

Here’s the thing about 2025. SIHALAL screens are cleaner, but they expect cleaner uploads too. Use descriptive filenames, keep a certificate expiry tracker, and lock your product matrix before audit. If you want a sanity check on your additives or a quick review of your SJPH, Contact us on whatsapp. And if you’re planning new SKUs or markets and want to see how we specify formats and documentation, you can also View our products.

In our experience, the plants that pass on first try do three things well: they upload exactly what auditors expect, they control every material that touches shrimp (including ice and labels), and they prove traceability in minutes. Do those three, and your halal certificate stops being a hurdle and starts being a sales asset—especially with buyers in the Middle East and Southeast Asia who scrutinize documents as closely as quality.