Nonexistence of pig fat in Halal certified milk powder: HAC

Monday, 11 February 2019 00:56 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The recent controversy purporting the possible existence of pig fat amongst other adulterants in imported milk powder marketed in Sri Lanka, has seemingly caused a great deal of angst and distress amongst many consumers. A majority of these milk powder brands are certified by the Halal Accreditation Council (Guarantee) Limited (HAC), Sri Lanka.

The HAC, through its process of pre and post certification audits, has verified the products in question, from the very source of origin i.e. New Zealand and Australia, up to the point of manufacturing/repackaging in Sri Lanka.

HAC has an internationally recognised, robust and reliable certification audit system. The certification process of HAC involves detailed testing and auditing conducted by internationally accredited and recognised foreign certification bodies and laboratories.

HAC’s standards and audit processes for imported milk powder essentially emphasises on the need for traceability of all raw material considered critical to Halal conformity. Consequent to such careful evaluation, HAC responsibly reaffirms that the products certified to be Halal and are free from any non-Halal material (including but not limited to pig fat).

HAC is the only entity certifying and conducting professional and internationally accepted compliance audits for Halal standards in Sri Lanka. HAC, through its certification, has facilitated Sri Lanka’s exports in food and beverages worth $1.6 Billion (estimated avg. 2012 -2016). The HAC has alliances with and recognised by over 80 Foreign Halal Certification Bodies (FHCB), established in over 56 countries spread across the globe.

Halal Accreditation Council (Guarantee) Ltd. is a not-for-profit organisation duly incorporated under the Companies’ Act No. 7 of 2007. The organisation is certified for ISO 9001: 2015 Quality Management System (QMS) issued by the Sri Lanka Standards Institute, ISO 27001:2013 Information Security Management System issued by Bureau Veritas Certification and GSO 2055-2:2015, accredited by GCC Accreditation Centre (GAC) based on ISO/IEC 17065:2012 – ‘Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies certifying products, process and services.