Halal packaging has its own Gulf document, GSO 2652:2021 Halal Packaging: General Guideline, approved by the GCC Standardization Organization on 1 July 2021. In the UAE, packaging production is certified against UAE.S GSO 2055-1:2015, the same halal regulation food factories are audited to, by a certification body registered with MoIAT.
This guide is for film, laminate, carton, label, closure and container makers, and for the ink, coating and adhesive suppliers behind them, whose customers sell halal food in the Gulf.
Does packaging need to be halal?
Packaging is not eaten, but it touches the food and it carries the halal claim. The Gulf rules treat it as part of the halal chain. The scope of GSO 2055-1:2015 runs through every stage of halal food handling, and packaging and labelling are named in it.
The risk sits in what goes into the material. Polymer additives, coatings, inks and adhesives can contain animal-derived fats, glycerine, gelatine or casein, or be carried in ethanol. If one of those comes from a non-halal source, your customer's product is exposed, even when the food inside is fully compliant.
The pressure usually reaches you from the brand owner. A halal-certified food plant must show its auditor where its packaging inputs come from, so it asks you for declarations, certificates or your own halal certificate.
What is GSO 2652:2021 and is it mandatory?
GSO 2652:2021 is a Gulf Standard, Edition 1, titled Halal Packaging: General Guideline. Its stated scope is the manufacture and handling of halal packaging, as a basic requirement for packaging used for halal products. The listing is on the GSO standards store.
Two points matter in practice. First, GSO classes it as a Gulf Standard and a guideline, while GSO 2055-1:2015 is a Gulf Technical Regulation. Whether a member state makes the guideline binding is a national decision. Bahrain, for example, adopted it as BH GSO 2652:2022 on 28 April 2022.
Second, it does not appear in MoIAT's list of halal-related standards for the UAE. That list names UAE.S 2055-1, UAE.S 2055-2, UAE.S 993, UAE.S 2055-4 and Gulf hygiene and labelling rules. Treat GSO 2652 as good practice your customers may cite, and confirm with your certification body whether it audits against it.
Who certifies a packaging plant for the UAE market?
MoIAT runs the UAE halal system under Cabinet Resolution 10 of 2014. Halal certificates must come from halal certification bodies registered by the ministry, as MoIAT sets out on its UAE Halal System page.
Registered bodies are accredited to UAE.S 2055-2:2021, and MoIAT publishes their accreditation scopes. At least one scope, issued in January 2026, lists production of food packaging and packaging material as category I, certified against UAE.S GSO 2055-1:2015. Not every body holds that category, so ask to see the scope before you sign.
The UAE Halal National Mark is a separate, optional mark issued by MoIAT's Department of Conformity. It can be granted to a product, service or production system. Never print it, or a certification body's logo, on packaging without written approval.
Which packaging materials carry halal risk?
These are the inputs an auditor usually asks you to trace to a supplier declaration or certificate. The list is AGS's interpretation, not GSO wording.
- Slip and anti-block agents such as fatty acid amides, which can be made from tallow or plant oils.
- Metal stearates used as lubricants and stabilisers in plastics, from animal or vegetable stearic acid.
- Glycerine and glycerol esters in films, coatings and anti-fog additives.
- Adhesives based on gelatine, casein or animal glue, common in labels, cartons and paper laminates.
- Waxes and release agents, including lanolin derivatives.
- Inks, varnishes and solvents that contain ethanol. How ethanol is treated is a ruling to get from your certification body in writing.
Food-contact and migration rules still apply alongside halal. Other halal kits are in our food safety and halal collection. For pharmaceutical packaging, our guide to ISO 15378 covers the GMP side.
What records will auditors and customers ask for?
A halal audit of a packaging plant follows a job from raw material to delivered pallet. Expect requests for:
- An approved material and supplier register, with a halal declaration or certificate for every sensitive additive, ink and adhesive.
- A halal risk assessment for each new material, and change control when a supplier changes a formulation.
- Line conversion and cleaning records where halal and non-halal jobs share extruders, presses or laminators.
- Segregated, labelled storage for materials and finished packaging intended for halal customers.
- Artwork approval showing that any halal claim or mark printed for a customer is authorised.
- Traceability from a delivered lot back to resin, ink and adhesive batches.
- Internal halal audits, management review and halal awareness training records.
How do the rules differ in Malaysia, Indonesia and OIC markets?
No single halal certificate covers every market. Each country accepts certificates under its own scheme. The table shows where packaging sits in each.
| Market | Packaging document | Who certifies or recognises | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| UAE | UAE.S GSO 2055-1:2015 in certification body scopes | Bodies registered by MoIAT and accredited to UAE.S 2055-2:2021 | Body holds the packaging category in its scope |
| Other GCC states | GSO 2652:2021 guideline, plus GSO 2055-1:2015 | National authorities. Bahrain has adopted BH GSO 2652:2022 | Whether the importing state has adopted GSO 2652 |
| Malaysia | MS 2565, Malaysia's halal packaging guideline. MS 2738:2023 on halal consumable goods was declared in December 2023 | JAKIM | Which document your JAKIM-recognised body applies to packaging |
| OIC member states | No packaging standard in SMIIC's published list. OIC/SMIIC 1:2019 covers halal food | Varies by importing country | What the food customer's certification body expects of suppliers |
| Indonesia | BPJPH halal product assurance requirements | BPJPH | Staged deadlines by product group. Confirm with BPJPH whether packaging is in scope |
The stated scope of GSO 2652 is almost word for word the scope of Malaysia's MS 2565. For the certification-body rules behind the Gulf scheme, see our guide to GSO 2055-2:2021.
How AGS can help
Each kit below is editable Microsoft Word documents: manuals, procedures, forms, checklists and training material.
- UAE.S HAS - Packaging: 39 documents, including a GSO 2652:2021 halal packaging checklist.
- GSO HAS - Packaging: 41 documents, including procedures for animal-derived additives and for inks, solvents and adhesives.
- Integrated HAS - Packaging (GSO, JAKIM, SJPH, SMIIC, UAE.S): 39 documents, with checklists per scheme.
Frequently asked questions
Can a packaging plant get its own halal certificate?
Yes. In the UAE, a certification body registered by MoIAT can certify packaging production if that category is in its accredited scope.
Is a supplier declaration enough without a certificate?
It depends on the material and on your customer's certification body. Ask the customer which evidence it accepts for each material and keep its answer on file.
Does the halal requirement replace food-contact rules?
No. Halal controls sit on top of food-contact, migration and hygiene requirements. Both sets of evidence are needed.
Can we print a halal logo on a customer's packaging?
Only with the customer's written approval and a valid certificate behind the claim. Keep the approval with the artwork record.
AGS provides independent documentation toolkits. This guide and the referenced documents are prepared to support GSO and MoIAT halal requirements. They are not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by the GCC Standardization Organization, MoIAT, Standards Malaysia, JAKIM, SMIIC, BPJPH or any certification body. They do not guarantee any certification outcome.
Reviewed October 2026. Facts checked against the sources current at publication.
