Jakarta. Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), has urged the government to stand firm on halal certification requirements for imported goods, despite recent criticism from the United States.

NU Chairman Yahya Cholil Staquf said Indonesia has a duty to protect its Muslim-majority population from consumer products, food, and beverages that do not comply with halal standards.

“The United States may voice its concerns, but we have the sovereign right to implement regulations that protect our people,” Yahya said during a news conference in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He stressed that halal certification is a legitimate and necessary policy in a country where the majority of citizens are Muslim. “It’s completely reasonable for the public to demand halal regulations, and the government must respond to those aspirations,” Yahya added.

He also noted that several Muslim-majority countries enforce even stricter halal regimes than Indonesia.

The remarks come after the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) included Indonesia’s halal requirements in its latest report on foreign trade barriers. The USTR categorized Indonesia’s mandatory halal certification as a “technical barrier to trade” for US exports.

Yahya dismissed the US critique as being driven purely by trade interests, without acknowledging the religious values behind Indonesia’s regulations.

“They’re free to sell products here -- as long as they meet our regulations. Products without halal labels can still be sold, but they can’t be marketed as halal. It’s that simple,” he said.

According to the USTR, Indonesia now requires halal certification for a broad range of goods, including food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, medical devices, biological and genetically engineered products, consumer goods, and chemicals.

The regulations are based on Law No. 33/2014 on Halal Product Assurance, which mandates that all business processes -- such as production, storage, packaging, distribution, and marketing -- adhere to halal standards.

The USTR report criticizes Indonesia for finalizing many implementing regulations without first notifying the World Trade Organization (WTO) or seeking input from stakeholders, as required under the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade.

“Indeed, over the past five years, Indonesia has demonstrated a pattern of notifying Halal Law implementing measures to the WTO only after they have already entered into force,” it said.  

The report also raised concerns about a decree issued by the Religious Affairs Ministry, which expanded the range of products requiring halal certification. In addition, the Halal Product Assurance Organizing Agency (BPJPH) has issued separate regulations on the accreditation of foreign halal certifiers and conformity assessments.

According to the USTR, these rules impose redundant paperwork, complex auditor requirements, and rigid scope-to-auditor ratios that are driving up compliance costs and delaying the accreditation process for US exporters.