The Agency for Halal Quality Certification is an institution of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina established in 2006 with responsibilities for halal certification of products and services, and education, counselling and promotion of halal. The status of an independent legal entity, the Agency acquired in 2007 by registering with the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In accordance with the provisions Law on Freedom of faith and status of churches and religious communities, the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the only and the competent authority for all Islamic issues, including activities in the field of Halal. Consequently, the system of halal certification in Bosnia and Herzegovina is organized within the jurisdiction of the Islamic community, which is the founder and owner of the Agency for Halal Quality Certification, as a specialized institution for Halal affairs.
Activities of halal certification the Agency shall carried out in accordance with the requirements of national Halal standard BAS 1049 - Halal food requirements and measures. The Halal standard defines criteria for implementing the requirements of halal quality, which are identical for all companies irrespective of their size or type of production. These criteria are primarily determined by what the company has to apply to its product / service could get status - halal (permitted).
The registration procedure of the first edition of Halal standard with the Institute for Standardization of Bosnia and Herzegovina was completed in 2007. The second edition of this standard, which was aligned with the requirements of the OIC / SMIIC 1 General guidelines on halal food, was registered in 2010 and used as a reference Halal standard of Bosnia and Herzegovina and other countries of South-East-Europe. When applicable, halal certified products are marked by unique Halal logo that has been registered with the competent authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The use of Halal logo is exclusively approved by the Agency for Halal Quality Certification.
Proceedings for ensuring of halal status of products and services includes the activities of education manufacturers, certification inspection, post certification surveillance and laboratory analysis. Appropriate procedures and guidelines for the implementation and control of Halal products and services are contained in the Halal Quality Certification Scheme. This scheme was developed by the Agency in accordance with the provisions of the international standard ISO / IEC 17065 and ISO / IEC 17067 .For the implementation of the certification activities and supervision of continuous application of halal requirements, the Agency engages experts from the fields of Islamic sciences, food technology, veterinary medicine, agriculture, pharmacy, medicine , economics and others. Reliability of halal status of products is additionally checked by laboratory analysis of raw materials and finished products which are carried out in cooperation with the authorized and accredited laboratories.
The Agency organizes various forms of formal and informal education on the halal and organizing special seminars for students, staff and members of the Islamic community, representatives of industry and various governmental and non-governmental institutions. The Agency supports the work of organizations dealing with the promotion of halal, Islamic values, halal consumer rights and promoting of halal industry.
For the needs of consumers, the public and institutions, the Agency continuously updates information on the halal certified companies and products and publishes them on its own website, and via dedicated applications for mobile devices that allow consumers permanent access to data on halal products.
The Agency cooperates with governmental, non-governmental, scientific, educational and business institutions and individuals in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the neighbouring countries and globally, and participates in international forums, conferences, symposia, roundtables and fairs halal industry. At the international level the Agency represents Bosnia and Herzegovina and actively participate in the process of development and unification of international regulations on halal and in the field of standardization of halal.