How does halal certification work for a supplement brand in Malaysia?
In Malaysia, halal certificates and the halal logo are issued only by JAKIM and the state Islamic religious councils. Health supplements registered with the Drug Control Authority are certified under JAKIM's pharmaceutical scheme, and food and drinks under the food and beverage scheme. If a contract manufacturer makes your product, the manufacturer needs its own certificate under the OEM scheme, and your product needs its own certificate before it can carry the logo.
Who can certify a product as halal?
Only JAKIM and the state Islamic religious councils issue halal certificates and the halal logo in Malaysia; JAKIM's 2026 circular names them as the competent authorities. Under the Trade Descriptions (Definition of Halal) Order 2011, it is an offence to mislead anyone into thinking a food is halal. A company can be fined up to RM5 million, or RM10 million for a repeat offence; an individual up to RM1 million, up to three years in prison, or both.
Which scheme fits your product?
JAKIM's certification manual, MPPHM 2020, sets out nine schemes. Its amended edition took effect on 1 April 2026. For a health product, the scheme follows how the product is regulated:
| Your product | JAKIM scheme | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Health supplement registered with the Drug Control Authority | Pharmaceutical | MS 2424:2019, halal pharmaceuticals |
| Food or drink | Food and beverage | MS 1500:2019, halal food |
| A product between food and supplement | Food and beverage, with an NPRA classification letter | MS 1500:2019 |
| Skincare | Cosmetics | Set out in the manual for that scheme |
Not sure whether your product is a supplement or a food? Read Does my product need NPRA registration? first, because the answer decides the scheme.
What changes when a contract manufacturer makes it?
Most new brands use a contract manufacturer. The manual and JAKIM's OEM circular set two rules:
- The manufacturer is certified first. A manufacturer must hold its own certificate under the OEM scheme before it makes products for other companies, and the brand owner must check that it does.
- Your product needs its own certificate. The manufacturer's OEM certificate does not certify the products it makes. Each product that will carry the halal logo needs its own certificate, applied for by the brand owner under the right scheme.
So a halal-certified factory is the starting point, not the finish line: the logo goes on your pack only once your product has its own certificate.
Where Athena fits
Our manufacturing facility holds halal certification from JAKIM, alongside ISO 22000. For a private-label product, we work out with you which scheme your product falls under and what its own certificate needs, so the application runs alongside formulation instead of after it. Copies of our certificates are shared with clients on request.
Sources
- JAKIM, Manual Prosedur Pensijilan Halal Malaysia (Domestik) 2020, paragraphs 4, 17(17), 18(1), 18(3) and 18(8). halal.gov.my
- JAKIM, Pekeliling Pensijilan Halal Malaysia Bil. 1/2026 (amended manual, in force 1 April 2026). halal.gov.my
- JAKIM, Pekeliling Pensijilan Halal Malaysia Bil. 2/2026 (JAKIM and the state councils as competent authorities). halal.gov.my
- JAKIM, Pekeliling Umum Bil. 1 Tahun 2018, Skim OEM (contract manufacturing). halal.gov.my
- Trade Descriptions (Definition of Halal) Order 2011, P.U.(A) 430, paragraphs 3 to 5. kpdn.gov.my
- Department of Standards Malaysia, MS 1500:2019 Halal food: General requirements (third revision). mysol.jsm.gov.my
- Department of Standards Malaysia, MS 2424:2019 Halal pharmaceuticals: General requirements (first revision). mysol.jsm.gov.my