OIC/SMIIC 2:2019 sets the requirements that halal certification bodies must meet, not the rules a food producer follows. Producers are audited against OIC/SMIIC 1:2019, the general requirements for halal food, and processed food makers often also against OIC/SMIIC 24:2020 for additives and OIC/SMIIC 22:2021 for edible gelatine.
This guide is for certification bodies seeking accreditation to the OIC/SMIIC standards, and for processed food and gelatine producers who want to know what their certifier must meet and what they will be audited against.
What is OIC/SMIIC 2:2019 and who must meet it?
The Standards and Metrology Institute for the Islamic Countries (SMIIC) is an affiliated institution of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). It was set up in 2010 to harmonise standards between OIC member countries. Its committee on conformity assessment developed OIC/SMIIC 2:2019.
SMIIC's standards catalogue describes the scope in two parts. The standard sets the rules a halal certification body must satisfy, and the requirements for carrying out halal certification activities. So the body that must meet it is the certifier, from its impartiality and staff competence to the way it audits, decides and issues certificates.
A meat plant or a confectionery factory does not hold an OIC/SMIIC 2 certificate. It holds a halal certificate from a body that works to OIC/SMIIC 2. In October 2026 SMIIC lists the 2019 edition as the one in force, with a revision at working-draft stage. Check which edition your accreditation body assesses against.
How do the OIC/SMIIC halal standards fit together?
The OIC/SMIIC halal system works in layers. Accreditation bodies assess certification bodies, certification bodies audit producers, and each layer has its own standard. The table lists the parts that matter for food, as shown on SMIIC's catalogue and project pages in October 2026.
| Standard | Who it applies to | What it covers | Status on SMIIC's site |
|---|---|---|---|
| OIC/SMIIC 1:2019 | Food businesses at any stage of the food chain | General requirements for halal food | Published, under review |
| OIC/SMIIC 2:2019 | Halal certification bodies | Rules for the body and for running halal certification | Published, revision at working draft |
| OIC/SMIIC 3:2019 | Halal accreditation bodies | How they assess and accredit halal certification bodies | Published, revision at working draft |
| OIC/SMIIC 24:2020 | Food producers and ingredient suppliers | Additives and other added chemicals, with a list of those classed as doubtful or non-halal | Published 10 March 2020 |
| OIC/SMIIC 22:2021 | Gelatine producers and users | Requirements and test methods for halal edible gelatine | Published 21 February 2021 |
| OIC/SMIIC 33:2020 | Certification bodies and scheme owners | An example halal product certification scheme, type 5 under ISO/IEC 17067 | Published, under review |
Food service premises have their own part, OIC/SMIIC 6:2019, which applies OIC/SMIIC 1 to places where halal food is prepared, stored and served.
Who accredits bodies to OIC/SMIIC 2?
National accreditation bodies do, and two examples show how it works. In Türkiye, the Halal Accreditation Agency (HAK) is the only body allowed to accredit halal conformity assessment bodies under Law No. 7060. The HAK site states that it accredits against OIC/SMIIC standards, that it does not issue halal certificates itself, and that it is not a fatwa authority.
In the United Arab Emirates, the Emirates International Accreditation Centre (EIAC) accredits halal bodies to OIC/SMIIC 2:2019 alongside GSO 2055-2:2021 and UAE.S GSO 2055-2:2021. A body that wants its certificates recognised in the UAE also needs registration with the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT). Our guide to GSO 2055-2:2021 sets out the EIAC documents and the MoIAT steps.
Accreditation is not the same as acceptance in an importing country. Each country decides which certificates and certifiers it recognises.
What will an accreditation assessor look for at a halal certification body?
The points below are AGS's practical reading of what a body working to OIC/SMIIC 2 is usually asked to show. They are not quotations from the standard.
- Impartiality: a risk register, signed conflict of interest declarations and a committee that reviews them.
- Islamic affairs competence: a named expert or committee whose advice on halal decisions is recorded.
- Separation: the person who decides on a certificate did not audit that client.
- Auditor competence: criteria per food category, training records and witnessed audits.
- Audit time and sampling: a documented basis for audit duration and for when products are sampled and tested.
- Certificates and marks: a register, a public list of certified clients, and rules for suspension and withdrawal.
- Complaints and appeals heard by people who took no part in the decision.
What do processed food and gelatine producers need to prepare?
A producer builds a halal assurance system around OIC/SMIIC 1:2019, which SMIIC describes as the basic and general requirements for any stage of the food chain. For processed foods, the hard part is the ingredient list. Every additive, enzyme, flavouring and processing aid needs evidence of its source. OIC/SMIIC 24:2020 helps here, because it lists which additives are classed as doubtful or non-halal.
Gelatine has its own standard. OIC/SMIIC 22:2021 sets requirements and test methods for halal edible gelatine, and OIC/SMIIC 37:2022 gives guidelines on using animal bone, skin and hair. In practice, an auditor will expect these records:
- An approved raw material register, with a valid halal certificate or declaration for each sensitive input.
- Lot-by-lot verification of gelatine and collagen origin, linked to supplier certificates.
- Control of alcohol used as a carrier or solvent in flavourings and extracts.
- Recorded cleaning between non-halal and halal runs on shared lines.
- Re-approval before any recipe, supplier or label change goes into production.
- Traceability from each finished lot back to every ingredient lot.
A halal committee usually owns these controls between audits. If you also export to Indonesia, compare the BPJPH route in our guide to SJPH for processed foods and gelatin.
Does SMIIC membership mean a country accepts OIC/SMIIC certificates?
No. SMIIC lists 46 member states and three observers, while the OIC itself has 57 members. Membership does not by itself mean a country requires or accepts certificates issued under OIC/SMIIC 2.
Gulf importers are a good example. The UAE recognises halal certificates from bodies registered by MoIAT, and lists UAE.S standards such as UAE.S 2055-1 for food. Our guide to halal processed foods under UAE.S standards covers that route. Before choosing a certifier, ask each target market's authority which accreditations it recognises.
How AGS can help
AGS has two kits for this route, mostly in editable Microsoft Word.
- Halal certification OIC SMIIC 2 2019: 74 documents for certification bodies, including a quality manual, schemes, 27 procedures, OIC/SMIIC 1 and 6 audit checklists and an Excel audit-time calculator.
- SMIIC HAS - Processed Foods & Gelatin: 45 documents for producers, including gelatine and collagen control, alcohol control and additives procedures.
Frequently asked questions
Can a food company be certified to OIC/SMIIC 2:2019?
No. OIC/SMIIC 2 applies to the certification body. The food company is audited against OIC/SMIIC 1:2019 and any product-specific standards, by a body that works to OIC/SMIIC 2.
Is OIC/SMIIC 2 the same as GSO 2055-2?
They are separate standards with the same role, one from SMIIC and one from the GCC Standardization Organization. EIAC accredits halal bodies to either.
Does HAK issue halal certificates?
No. HAK accredits the bodies that issue halal certificates. Its site lists the bodies it has accredited.
Will buying documents get a product certified halal?
No. Certification depends on how the system runs and on the certification body's audit and decision.
AGS provides independent documentation toolkits. This guide and the referenced kits are prepared to support OIC/SMIIC, HAK, EIAC and MoIAT requirements. They are not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by SMIIC, the OIC, HAK, EIAC, MoIAT or any certification body, and they do not guarantee any accreditation or certification outcome.
Reviewed October 2026. Facts checked against the sources current at publication.
