Core question: is the product actually made halal? Flowchart + facility + records must prove a real, continuous, halal-only operation.
Related: Guide 03 (on-site techniques) · materials criterion · China operating layer
Science primer: unit operations & halal risk — read the flowchart as a risk map (physical vs chemical vs biological transformation).
1. Purpose
Criterion 2 proves the inputs are halal; criterion 3 proves the journey is halal — how materials become products, in which facility, with which records, under what control.
2. Process flowchart disclosure
| Requirement | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Full flowchart/diagram of the production process for each certified product | flowchart document, current |
| Materials disclosed at each step — which material enters which process (incl. processing aids and water) | annotated flowchart |
| Matches reality | floor walkthrough, process documents (工艺文件/作业指导书) |
Notes:
- The company usually already holds a flowchart for its SC license — request that version and annotate materials; do not accept a marketing-style diagram.
- Verification discipline: walk the line; compare flowchart vs reality vs written procedures; challenge each step for halal-criticality (shared fryers/oil, mixing with non-halal lines, rework loops, thawing, drying, CIP); check that every material entering a step is on the approved register (criterion 2).
- Typical NC: flowchart not provided at all (first-cycle China files).
3. Facility and layout
| Requirement | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Production facility layout / site plan (厂区平面图/车间平面图) | plan included in registration & SJPH manual |
| Pork-free statement (company commitment to halal-dedicated facility) | signed statement — verify on site |
| PPH locations & equipment separated for halal vs non-halal | layout + walkthrough |
| PPH locations & equipment clean, free from najis (impurity) and contamination | hygiene records + walkthrough |
| No animal-derived equipment elements without certificate | equipment list (feathers/bristles, fat-based agents → NC) |
On-site verification — China specifics:
- no pork/non-halal products, lines, storage or packaging on site;
- employee canteen (员工食堂) — commonly cooks pork; must not contaminate production/storage (check layout, airflow, doors, cleaning);
- shared or rented warehouses — segregation and cleaning evidence needed;
- outsourced steps — cleaning contractors, pest control, maintenance staff: whose training, whose records?
PPH locations from the internal-audit checklist: slaughtering / processing / storage / packaging / distribution / sales / serving.
4. Records — proving a real operating cycle
The company must show the product is in circulation and the operation continuous:
| Log | What it shows | 中文 |
|---|---|---|
| Material storage in/out + procurement | purchasing + receipts; materials match the approved register | 采购/出入库台账 |
| Production logs | date produced, expiry, batch numbers | 投料/批生产记录 |
| Sales & distribution | quantity sold by date, customer/destination | 销售/发货台账 |
- Receipts/invoices and label samples kept for the certificate validity period (internal-audit item 14).
- Reconciliation test (auditor’s strongest tool): for 2–3 products and a sample window, purchased volumes ↔ batch records ↔ sold volumes must tell one consistent story. Discrepancies = paper compliance or unapproved materials. (Method in Guide 03 §4.)
- Traceability forward/backward per batch (原料→成品→客户) demonstrating halal integrity end-to-end (internal-audit item 26).
5. China traps
- OEM/委托加工: brand owner may hold the license while goods are made at a commissioned factory (受托方), or repacked at another address (分装). Verify the actual production site = the audited site; audit where goods are really made; SC license address + category annex (明细表) must match reality.
- Multi-site groups: certify only the site(s) actually producing the registered products.
- ERP records are acceptable — request read-only exports; sample-check paper trails for a few batches.
6. Typical non-conformities
- Flowchart missing, or not matching the floor reality.
- Facility claim “pork-free/dedicated” contradicted by canteen, shared warehouse, or a non-halal line in the same building.
- Records don’t reconcile (purchases vs batching vs sales).
- OEM/分装 site producing the goods but never disclosed or audited.
- Batching records using materials outside the approved register (links criterion 2).
- No traceability demonstration for sampled batches.
7. Auditor checklist (quick)
- Flowchart per product with materials at each step; matches floor reality & process documents?
- Layout plan on file; walkthrough confirms pork-free, segregation, hygiene (incl. canteen)?
- Storage/production/sales logs complete and reconciling over a sample window?
- No unapproved material found in batching records?
- Actual production site = registered/audited site? no unmanaged OEM/分装?
- Traceability demonstrated for sampled batches?
Map: 32-item internal audit checklist items 15–18 (+14 for records; see template).