Legal Harmonization in Indonesia’s Halal Certification Ecosystem: Socio-Educational and Socio-Religious Perspectives on Consumer Protection

Abstract

Background of study: Indonesia’s shift from voluntary and sectoral halal certification toward a mandatory statutory framework has changed the distribution of authority, compliance obligations, and consumer-protection mechanisms within the national halal ecosystem. The transition also creates practical questions for MSMEs and for institutions connecting state regulation with religious legitimacy.

Aims and scope of paper: This article analyzes legal harmonization in Indonesia’s halal certification system through the combined perspectives of Socio-Educational Law and Socio-Religious Law. It focuses on legal certainty, consumer protection, MSME compliance, institutional coordination, and the role of religious authority.

Methods: The study uses normative juridical research supported by qualitative document analysis. The analysis draws on primary legal materials governing halal product assurance and peer-reviewed literature on certification, consumer trust, MSMEs, institutional governance, traceability, and halal supply chains. No human participants or primary field data were involved.

Result: The analysis indicates that the current framework strengthens the statutory basis of halal assurance while redistributing functions among BPJPH, halal examination actors, and recognized fatwa institutions. The self-declare pathway may reduce procedural barriers for eligible micro and small enterprises, but its credibility still depends on facilitation, verification, traceability, and clear institutional responsibility. Consumer protection therefore rests on more than mandatory labeling; it also depends on accessible information and religiously credible determination.

Conclusion: Legal harmonization is most coherent when legal authority, compliance education, religious legitimacy, and consumer-facing transparency operate as connected elements. The combined perspective clarifies why procedural simplification must be balanced with oversight and why institutional coordination remains central to Indonesia’s mandatory halal assurance system.