When to use: after the certificate is issued (step 7 of the workflow) — and to explain to clients before certification what they are signing up for.
Related: criterion 5 · criterion 2 §5 (change management) · templates
1. The certificate is a living obligation, not a trophy
Issuance does not end the file. The holder must keep running a compliant SJPH, or the certificate’s next renewal (and its current validity) is at risk. Typical validity is 4 years 🔎 — but compliance is continuous.
2. Standing duties of the certificate holder
| Duty | Frequency | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Maintain the SJPH (policy, team, records current) | continuous | manual updates, records |
| Halal supervisor stays registered & competent | continuous | SIHALAL status, training records |
| Internal audit of all 5 criteria | ≥ 1×/year | checklist (32 items) |
| Management review answering all 5 criteria | ≥ 1×/year | review report |
| Corrective actions on findings | as found | CAPA register |
| Monitor material-certificate validity | continuous | material register expiry radar |
| Report changes (materials, process, products, facility) | before/at change | change report |
| Renew/extension planning | before expiry | application file |
Most of those duties are routine; the one that actually puts certificates at risk is managing change.
3. Change management — the make-or-break duty
Chinese suppliers switch vendors constantly; reformulation is frequent. The rule:
- Any new or alternate material, supplier, process step, or product must be pre-approved — a change report first, then approval, then use.
- Unapproved changes found during an audit are NCs even if the new material is itself halal — the SJPH was not followed.
- Depending on the change, BPJPH/LPH review or re-audit may be triggered (significant material/process/facility changes 🔎). Advise clients: ask before changing, not after.
For the auditor: at every surveillance visit, ask “what changed since the last review?” and verify against the register — this question catches more NCs than any checklist item.
4. Annual internal audit & management review (client’s own)
- The company runs its own internal audit ≥1×/year (32-item checklist) and a management review answering all 5 criteria — this is Criterion 5 and a standing duty.
- The review inputs must reflect the year: audit findings, complaints, changes, material-cert expiries; outputs are decisions with owners.
- The auditor’s surveillance role: verify these cycles happened with records, and that NCs have corrective actions (see criterion 5).
5. Surveillance visit (auditor)
Typical surveillance scope:
- Walkthrough — did the facility/lines change? any pork/non-halal creep (canteen, new tenants in shared buildings)?
- Material register vs actual purchases — sample invoices vs approved matrix; certificates still valid & issuers still recognized (re-check the live LHLN list — recognition can lapse).
- Records reconciliation sample (see Guide 03 §4) — is the operating cycle still real?
- Label check — any new products/designs not in the certificate appendix?
- Internal audit + management review records and CAPA closure.
- Changes reported? If significant changes were not reported → NC + possible re-audit trigger.
6. Renewal
- Start the renewal file well before expiry (typically months ahead; confirm rules 🔎) — supervisor competency, material certificates and records must be current at renewal.
- Renewal is a fresh look, not a rubber stamp: expect the same evidence standard as the first audit.
7. Client briefing (one paragraph to reuse)
“Your halal certificate obliges you to keep running the halal assurance system: annual internal audit and management review, records kept, material certificates valid, and — most importantly — tell us before you change any material, supplier, process or product. Changes without approval put your certificate at risk even when the new material is halal.”
8. Auditor checklist — surveillance file
- SJPH manual & team documents current (decrees updated to current HR)?
- No unapproved material/supplier/process/product changes found?
- Material certificates valid, issuers still on live LHLN list?
- Internal audit + management review conducted with records; CAPA closed?
- Certificate appendix still matches actual production & labels?
- Renewal timeline communicated to client?