OIC and SMIIC Halal Standards Explained

The global halal industry is fragmented across dozens of national certification bodies, each operating under their own standards. A product certified halal by Malaysia's JAKIM may not be automatically accepted by Saudi Arabia's SASO, which may differ from Indonesia's MUI or the UK's HFA. This lack of harmonisation creates real costs for exporters, importers, and manufacturers operating across multiple Muslim-majority markets.

Two international bodies — the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and its standards arm the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC) — have been working to address this through the development of a unified international halal standard. Here is what you need to know.

What Is the OIC?

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is an intergovernmental organisation with 57 member states — the largest intergovernmental body after the United Nations. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, it represents the collective voice of the Muslim world across political, economic, cultural, and scientific affairs. Member states include all of the world's major Muslim-majority countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Nigeria, among others.

The OIC does not itself certify products or operate laboratories. Its role in the halal space is to facilitate coordination among member states, provide a political and institutional framework for harmonisation, and mandate the work of SMIIC.

What Is SMIIC?

The Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC) is the standardisation body of the OIC, established in 2010 and headquartered in Istanbul, Turkey. SMIIC's mandate is to develop international standards applicable across OIC member states in areas including food safety, quality, and halal.

SMIIC operates similarly to ISO (International Organization for Standardization) in structure — it develops voluntary standards that member countries can adopt, adapt, or reference in their national regulations. SMIIC standards are developed through technical committees with participation from member state delegations.

OIC/SMIIC 1:2019 — The Core Halal Standard

The flagship halal standard developed by SMIIC is OIC/SMIIC 1:2019 — "General Requirements for Halal Food." This standard covers:

• Prohibited substances: Pork and pork derivatives, blood and blood products, animals not slaughtered according to Islamic rites, alcohol and intoxicants, carnivorous animals, birds of prey, land animals without external ears (certain insects and reptiles), and food that has been dedicated to other than God
• Slaughter requirements: The animal must be alive at the time of slaughter, slaughtered by a Muslim (or a person of the Book under certain conditions), the name of God must be pronounced, the jugular vein, carotid artery, and windpipe must be severed, and blood must be fully drained
• Processing requirements: Facilities must be free from prohibited substances, equipment must be dedicated or thoroughly cleansed, cross-contamination prevention protocols must be in place
• Storage and transport: Halal products must be stored and transported separately from non-halal goods, with clear labelling and traceability
• Labelling: Halal-certified products must display the certification body's mark and be traceable to the certifier

The 2019 edition updated the earlier 2011 version to reflect developments in food processing technology, new ingredients categories, and improved alignment with international food safety standards (Codex Alimentarius).

Companion SMIIC Standards

OIC/SMIIC 1 is the core food standard, but SMIIC has developed a family of related standards:

• OIC/SMIIC 2 — Halal cosmetics requirements
• OIC/SMIIC 3 — Halal pharmaceuticals
• OIC/SMIIC 4 — Requirements for halal certification bodies
• OIC/SMIIC 24 — Halal slaughterhouse requirements

The existence of standards for certification bodies (OIC/SMIIC 4) is significant — it provides a framework for accrediting the certifiers themselves, not just the products they certify.

How OIC/SMIIC Differs from JAKIM, MUI, and HFA

JAKIM (Malaysia)

JAKIM (Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia) operates under Malaysian government authority and is one of the world's most widely recognised halal certification bodies. JAKIM's MS 1500 standard is Malaysia's national halal standard. OIC/SMIIC 1 and MS 1500 share most core requirements but differ in specific technical details — for example, JAKIM's standard has detailed provisions on permitted food additives and E-numbers that reflect Malaysia's market context. JAKIM's certification is government-backed and carries weight with Malaysian import regulations that SMIIC certification alone does not automatically replicate.

MUI (Indonesia)

MUI (Majelis Ulama Indonesia) is the Indonesian Islamic scholars' council that operates Indonesia's halal certification programme through its LPPOM MUI division. Indonesia's Halal Product Assurance Law (Law No. 33/2014) has moved halal certification toward a government-mandatory model (implemented progressively since 2019). MUI's standard overlaps substantially with OIC/SMIIC 1 but has distinct requirements — particularly on stunning (MUI permits certain reversible stunning methods under specific conditions) and on additive substances.

HFA (UK)

The UK's Halal Food Authority operates in a market without government-mandated halal standards. HFA's standard permits pre-slaughter reversible stunning, which OIC/SMIIC 1 does not explicitly endorse — the OIC/SMIIC standard requires the animal to be alive at slaughter but does not directly address the permissibility of reversible stunning, leaving this to member state interpretation. This creates ambiguity when HFA-certified products are presented to markets that reference OIC/SMIIC 1 strictly.

Which Countries Recognise OIC/SMIIC Standards?

Recognition of OIC/SMIIC 1:2019 as a national reference standard varies by country:

• Turkey: As SMIIC's host country, Turkey has integrated OIC/SMIIC standards into its national halal framework and TÜRKAK (accreditation body) recognises SMIIC-aligned certifiers
• Gulf States: Saudi Arabia (SASO), UAE (ESMA), and Qatar (QS) have each adopted elements of OIC/SMIIC 1 in their national halal regulations, though each maintains additional country-specific requirements
• Pakistan: PSQCA (Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority) has adopted OIC/SMIIC 1 as a reference standard
• Central Asian OIC Members: Several Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan) are integrating SMIIC standards as part of broader food safety harmonisation efforts
• Malaysia and Indonesia: Both maintain their own highly developed national standards (MS 1500 and SNI 99001) that predate OIC/SMIIC 1 and remain the operative standard domestically; OIC/SMIIC 1 is referenced but not substitutable for JAKIM or MUI certification for their respective market access

Practical Import/Export Implications

For manufacturers and exporters, OIC/SMIIC 1:2019 provides a useful benchmarking framework but is not a market access key in the way that individual national certifications are. Practically:

• A product certified by a SMIIC-accredited certification body may find smoother acceptance in Turkey and some Gulf markets than a product with no internationally recognised certification
• For Malaysian and Indonesian market access, JAKIM and MUI certification respectively remain mandatory and OIC/SMIIC certification does not substitute for them
• OIC/SMIIC 1 provides useful documentation for manufacturers demonstrating that their production process meets an internationally recognised halal standard — useful in B2B negotiations and tender processes
• The development of OIC/SMIIC 4 (certification body requirements) creates a pathway for mutual recognition agreements between OIC member state certifiers — a long-term harmonisation goal that is still in progress

For businesses navigating multiple halal certification requirements for export, our halal certifier directory lists major national and international certification bodies with scope and contact details. Our business directory can help identify compliant supply chain partners across OIC member states.

The Harmonisation Outlook

Full mutual recognition of halal certification across OIC member states remains a long-term aspiration rather than a current reality. National standards bodies have invested decades in their own systems, and domestic political economies (certification fees, domestic industry protection, religious authority) create resistance to wholesale harmonisation. OIC/SMIIC 1:2019 is, however, a meaningful step toward a common language — and for manufacturers entering multiple Muslim-majority markets simultaneously, aligning internal production standards with OIC/SMIIC 1 provides a solid foundation on top of which country-specific certifications can be built.