Already Halal Certified? Adding Kosher
Many Indonesian manufacturers already hold halal certification – for most food and beverage products it is a legal requirement. Kosher is a separate certification, with its own requirements and its own certifying agency — here is how the two relate.
Halal and kosher
Two Separate Certifications
Halal and kosher are different certifications, issued by different bodies under different religious laws. In Indonesia, halal certification is issued by BPJPH, the government’s Halal Product Assurance Organizing Agency, under the Halal Product Assurance Law (Law No. 33 of 2014, as amended); kosher certification under the STAR-K symbol is issued by STAR-K.
One does not stand in for the other: a halal certificate does not make a product kosher, and a kosher certificate does not make it halal. STAR-K does not issue halal certification.
Where the Requirements Differ
Meat and Dairy
Kosher law requires absolute separation of meat and dairy — in the ingredients and on the equipment. Every product is designated meat, dairy or pareve (neither).
Equipment Status
Whether a product is kosher depends on its ingredients and on the status of the production equipment. Lines that also run non-kosher products may need to be kashered under supervision.
Ingredient Sources
Every ingredient, processing aid and supplier is reviewed. Some ingredients need specific kosher attention — for example grape-derived ingredients, and dairy ingredients that change a product’s designation.
Supervision
Kosher certification involves an initial facility inspection and ongoing visits by a STAR-K rabbinic field representative, under a written contract with STAR-K.
What You Can Reuse
The documentation a halal-certified plant already keeps — ingredient lists, supplier specifications and certificates, production flow and cleaning records — is a useful starting point for a kosher application. It does not replace STAR-K’s own review.
Add Kosher to Your Halal Range
Tell us about your products and your plant, and we will explain what kosher certification would involve.