Streamlining of Halal Certification Process for Meat and Meat Products

STREAMLINING OF HALAL CERTIFICATION PROCESS FOR MEAT AND MEAT

PRODUCTS

Government of India

Ministry of Commerce & Industry

Department of Commerce

Directorate General of Foreign Trade

Udyog Bhawan

Public Notice No. /2015-20

New Delhi, Dated

2023

Subject: Streamlining of Halal Certification Process for Meat and Meat

Products

In exercise of the powers conferred under Paragraph …… of the Foreign Trade

Policy (FTP) 2015-20, the Director General of Foreign Trade

(DGFT)………………………………. with immediate effect.

2. Meat and meat products shall only be allowed to be exported as “Halal

certified”, if produced, processed and/or packaged in a facility having a valid

certification under the “India Conformity Assessment Scheme (i-CAS) – Halal” of the

Quality Council of India (QCI), issued by a Certification Body duly accredited by the

National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) as per the enclosed

guidelines.

3. Products covered for the purpose of this Public Notice are as under:

No.

Code

Commodity

0201

MEAT OF BOVINE ANIMALS, FRESH AND CHILLED

0202

MEAT OF BOVINE ANIMALS, FROZEN

0204

MEAT OF SHEEP OR GOATS, FRESH, CHILLED OR FROZEN

0206

EDIBLE OFFAL OF BOVINE ANIMALS, SHEEP, GOAT, FRESH

CHILLED OR FROZEN

0207

MEAT AND EDIBLE OFFAL OF THE POULTRY OF HEADING

NO.01.05, FRESH CHILLED OR FROZEN

0210

MEAT/EDIBLE MEAT OFFAL, SALTED, IN BRINE, DRIED/ SMOKED;

EDIBLE FLOURS AND MEALS OF MEAT/MEAT OFFAL

1601

SAUSAGES AND SIMILAR PRODUCTS OF MEAT, MEAT OFFAL,

FOOD PREPARATION BASED ON THESE PRODUCTS

1602

OTHER PREPARED OR PRESERVED MEAT, OFFAL

4. However, the export consignment(s) to countries where there is a Regulation

on Halal and where the i-CAS - Halal scheme is yet to be bench-marked or recognized,

the producer/supplier/ exporter shall meet the importing country’s

requirements/regulations, as applicable, and shall hold valid certificate(s) issued by

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Halal certification bodies approved under the national halal system of the importing

country. In such cases, the Halal certification under i-CAS – Halal shall be voluntary

on the part of the producer/supplier/exporter.

5. All existing Halal Certification Bodies and Export Units shall have six months’ time

from the date of issue of the final notification to get registered with the Accreditation

Body and APEDA under the proposed i-CAS Scheme.

6. The export of products indicated in para 3 above, will, however, be subject to the

Foreign Trade Policy, as issued/amended by DGFT from time to time.

......................

Director General of Foreign Trade

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Guidelines for Certification of Halal meat products

Content

1) Overview

a) About Halal

b) About Guidelines

2) Accreditation Procedure for Halal Product Certification Bodies

3) Application for Certification of Halal Meat Exporters

a) Existing Exporters

b) New Exporters

4) Monitoring Mechanism

5) Digital Exchange of Information APEDA-NABCB-QCI

6) Annexure-

1. India conformity assessment scheme i-CAS for Halal Products

2. NABCB Accreditation Procedure for Halal Product Certification Bodies

3. Timelines for Accreditation Process (Annex 4 of Accreditation procedure)

4. Obligation of the Halal Applicant/Accredited Certification Bodies (Annex 5 of

Accreditation procedure)

5. APEDA Online Registration Procedure for Registration of Halal Meat Export

Units

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1. Introduction

With an objective to streamline the certification of meat and meat products as Halal from the

country, a scheme titled, India Conformity Assessment Scheme (i-CAS) has been developed. The

scheme shall be notified by the DGFT for export purpose. In the initial phase, meat and meat

products shall be covered under the scheme for implementation.

2. Guidelines for Accreditation

There is no mandatory Halal certification system in India regulated by the Government as India does

not have a National Regulation for Halal certification. However, certification is undertaken in India

through private organizations who have been accredited/recognized by the importing countries.

Hence, a control system shall be implemented complying with the international requirements for

accreditation and certification.

The accreditation of Halal Certification Bodies shall follow ISO 17011, while the Halal Certification

Bodies shall be accredited as per ISO 17065. A guideline shall be developed for the accreditation and

certification procedure followed under i-CAS.

3. Accreditation Procedure for Product Certification Bodies

This document defines the procedure that has to be followed by organizations seeking accreditation

and also accredited organizations operating as Product Certification Bodies (PCBs). The general

information is contained in this procedure. The NABCB, on request, will provide any specific

information required by the organizations. (please refer Accreditation Procedure for Product

Certification Bodies, PCB-March 2020)

The other applicable procedures and information that are mandatory for the new applicant and the

accredited organizations like Use of Accreditation Symbol, Complaints and Appeals procedure, Fee

schedule etc. are available on NABCB website http://nabcb.qci.org.in .

3.1 Application for accreditation

• NABCB has decided to provide accreditation services to any PCB established as legal entity or

identifiable part of larger legal entity in its own economy such that it can be held legally

responsible for its certification services, while at the same time following principles of cross

frontier accreditation laid down by International Accreditation Forum/ Asia Pacific

Accreditation Cooperation (IAF/APAC).

• In legal terms, it shall be an organization which can sue and be sued in its own name as per

the legal interpretation in the relevant economy. In India, it could be a public or private

limited company, LLP, a trust or a society. Partnership firms and proprietary companies do

not fit into this. Any exception regarding legal status would be made only by a specific

decision of the Board keeping in view the legal provisions in the economy in which the PCB is

established as a legal entity.

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• PCBs interested to get accredited by the Board for their certification system should submit

application online on NABCB accreditation portal using the link nabcbportal.qci.org,in The

application form, BCB: F001 (P), (BCB:F001 (P)R for renewal of accreditation) and other

related documents are available on the NABCB website for reference.

The applicant should review the following documents prior to submitting the application

online

i. Application Form BCB:F001 (P)

ii. Fee Schedule BCB:F002 (PRDT)

iii. Criteria for accreditation – BCB 120

iv. Procedures for Accreditation, Use of Accreditation Symbol & Complaints and Appeals

v. A copy of the accreditation agreement BCB:F003 (PCB)

vi. A blank copy of the Document review cum Cross reference matrix for ISO/IEC 17065

covering the specific scheme requirements if additional

vii. Policy and Criteria for determination of Suitability and acceptance of conformity

assessment schemes (BCB 002)

• The application is reviewed by the NABCB secretariat for completeness, clarity of

accreditation requirements and the capability of NABCB to provide the services in timely

manner.

• The complete application will be recorded or registered and the assessment team is

appointed.

• Appointment of the Assessment Team:

The assessment team, consisting of a Team Leader and the members, is identified from the

pool of assessors and experts. The assessment team for each stage of the initial assessment

normally consists of two members and the team for witness assessment will normally have

as many members as the audit/evaluation team of the applicant body. Technical Expert, if

required, could be additional to the number of team members. In case the PCB has applied

for more than one product certification scheme, proportionate increase in number of

assessors may be done based on the man days decided for the assessment.

• All NABCB assessors have declared that they have no conflict of interest and committed to

disclose if such a situation arises so that NABCB can take appropriate decision.

• On receipt of acceptance of the proposal from the applicant and the assessment fee as per

the contract as well as the appointment of the assessment team, further processing of

application is done.

3.2 Granting of Accreditation

• The accreditation is granted to an applicant PCB on completion of assessment as per the

provisions of section 4 Accreditation Procedure of Product Certification Bodies and after the

following conditions are met by the applicant PCB:

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• The applicant meets the criteria of accreditation and all non-conformities and concerns

found against the criteria of accreditation during assessment have been closed to the

satisfaction of the Board in accordance with the guidelines on the subject.

• There are no adverse reports/information/complaints with the Board about the applicant

regarding the quality and effectiveness of implementation of certification system as per the

criteria of the Board. There is also no evidence of fraudulent behaviour.

• The client organizations certified by the applicant PCB are satisfied by the conduct of the

applicant PCB and its certification system. NABCB may request feedback from selected client

organizations certified by the PCB / publicize receipt of application and seek a feedback from

stakeholders

• The applicant body has paid all the outstanding dues.

• The Initial accreditation shall be for a period of 3 years. Subsequent reaccreditations are for

a period of4 years. If the PCB does not issue reasonable number of certificates, NABCB

reserves the right not to reaccredit the PCB even if it applies for the reaccreditation of the

same.

3.3 Maintaining of Accreditation

• The PCB shall comply with the following requirements. Subject to the PCB meeting the

conditions given below, the accreditation given to a PCB shall be maintained for three years

(first cycle) / four years (subsequent cycles)

i. The accredited PCB continues to meet the criteria of accreditation and all non-

conformities found against the criteria of accreditation during surveillance and witness

assessments have been closed to the satisfaction of the Board as per laid down

criteria.

ii. There are no adverse reports/information/complaint with the Board about the

accredited PCB regarding the implementation of certification system as per the

criteria laid down by the Board. There is also no evidence of fraudulent behaviour.

iii. The client organization certified by the accredited PCB are satisfied by the conduct of

PCB and its certification system

iv. The accredited PCB has organized witnessing as required by NABCB

v. The accredited PCB has paid all the outstanding dues

• In the event of any adverse issue arising from the reasons specified at points ii and iii at Cl

3.2.1 or if there is evidence of fraudulent behaviour or if the PCB intentionally provides false

information or if the PCB conceals information, the accredited PCB will be given an

opportunity to explain its position in writing to the Board and present its case in person to

the accreditation committee before a decision is taken in respect of maintaining of the

accreditation. The final decision shall be taken in respect of maintenance of the

accreditation on the basis of facts and the results of such presentation.

Suspension of Accreditation (Partial or full)

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The PCB shall be subject to suspension of accreditation either fully or partially, both in terms

of scope within a scheme or for one or more schemes in case the PCB has been accredited

for more than one scheme. It shall be based on the following conditions individually or

severally

a) No/ineffective corrective actions in response to the non-conformities observed during

surveillance assessments (including witness assessments) or reassessment.

b) Non-payment of outstanding dues.

c) Not organizing assessments including witness assessments in time.

d) Any significant/major changes in the legal status, ownership, impartiality, use of sub-

contractors, documentation, etc., which have not been informed to the Board within 30

days.

e) Any wilful misuse of the accreditation symbol of the Board.

f) Any wilful mis-declaration in the application form, which is discovered after the grant of

accreditation/ reaccreditation.

g) Wilful non-compliance to the accreditation agreement.

h) Wilful misuse of accreditation conditions by certifying and issuing NABCB accredited

certificate for scopes not covered under scope of accreditation.

i) Inability or unwillingness to ensure compliance of the client organization certified by the

accredited PCB, to the applicable standards.

j) Fraudulent Behavior and intentionally providing false information or concealing

information.

k) Excessive and or serious complaints against the certification system of the accredited

PCB

l) Evidence of lack of control over the certification process/wilful bypassing of certification

procedures.

m) Evidence of unethical certification practices including providing incorrect information to

NABCB; misrepresentation by sales personnel of the PCB; faking of certification records;

inappropriate relationship with consultants; etc.

n) Non-availability of resources in some of the technical areas/schemes covered

under accreditation.

o) Inability or unwillingness to organize office/witness assessments due, in time

p) Critical or major non-conformity which may bring into question the PCB’s ability to

provide certification in compliance with the accreditation norms

q) Any other condition/situation deemed appropriate by the accreditation committee.

• A notice citing reasons and intention to suspend shall be sent to the PCB inviting response

within 15 days.

• The accredited PCB shall be given an opportunity to explain its position in writing to NABCB

and present its case in person to the accreditation committee. The final decision shall be

taken in respect of Suspension of Accreditation (Partial or full) on the basis of facts and the

results of such presentation.

• Notwithstanding the above provision for a representation by the PCB, the accreditation

committee may decide to suspend accreditation if there is sufficient evidence of wilful

misrepresentation of facts or wilful non-compliance to accreditation criteria. The period of

suspension shall be formally communicated as per the criteria laid down by the Board

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• The information about suspension (partial or full) of the accreditation of the PCB shall be

published on NABCB website for information to all and feedback from the industry / other

stakeholders.

3.4 Withdrawal of Accreditation

The PCB shall be subject to withdrawal of accreditation based on the following conditions

individually or severally.

i. If an accredited PCB voluntarily relinquishes its accreditation status.

ii. If the non-conformities are not appropriately addressed in spite of

suspension/withholding of reaccreditation for a period not more than six months.

iii. If no action is taken by the accredited PCB in response to the suspension on any

other grounds.

iv. Complaints are received about the certification process/certified client organization

and established to be based on facts.

v. Critical or major non-conformity which may bring into question the CB’s ability to

provide certification in compliance with the accreditation norms.

vi. Any serious non-compliance to Terms and Conditions of accreditation especially any

fraudulent behaviour which may warrant withdrawal in line with IAF MD 7.

vii. Any other condition/situation deemed appropriate by the accreditation committee

• A notice of the intention to withdraw accreditation citing reasons shall be sent to the PCB.

The PCB shall respond within 15 days. The accredited PCB shall be given an opportunity to

explain its position in writing to the NABCB and present its case in person to the

Accreditation Committee. The final decision shall be taken in respect of Withdrawal of

Accreditation on the basis of facts and the results of such presentation

• The withdrawal of accreditation shall be formally communicated as per the criteria laid

down by the NABCB.

• NABCB shall publish information about any withdrawal of accreditation on its website, in its

newsletter as well as in newspapers, if necessary, for information of the industry / other

stakeholders and inform IAF/APAC, if required.

3.5 Assessment

The assessment shall be for generic competence of the applicant body in operating a sound

certification/ system in compliance with the accreditation criteria.

Preparation for the Assessment:

• The NABCB Secretariat prepares a draft accreditation assessment plan for the initial

accreditation process, covering three stages, as follows:

a) assessment of the documents. This shall cover all levels of documents of the PCB for

the accreditation scheme applied for.

b) assessment of office of the applicant PCB including any branch offices/ locations from

where the PCB is offering its services /sub-contractors as applicable.

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c) witnessing of on-site audits being carried out by the applicant PCB based on the

scopes of accreditation / certification schemes applied for.

• The draft accreditation assessment plan shall be discussed with authorized personnel of the

PCB to ensure an effective assessment plan at each stage.

Assessment Process:

Accreditation Assessment plan

• Based on the draft accreditation assessment plan, NABCB secretariat prepares a detailed

schedule for the following three stages of the assessment.

a) Assessment of the documentation of the PCB.

b) Assessment of the office of the PCB including branch offices/locations / sub-

contractors.

c) Witness of the audit / evaluation being carried out by the PCB (At least two

audits/evaluations (initial /recertification) are witnessed for initial accreditation of a

PCB – if the PCB has applied for more than one Scheme, it would be one witness per

Scheme. NABCB shall decide on how many witnesses would be needed to cover the

entire scope of accreditation sought by the applicant PCB.

• The programme shall be agreed by the NABCB Secretariat and by the applicant PCB.

Initial Assessment

The initial assessment is carried out in three steps as per the assessment programme, as described in

as described in accreditation assessment plan above. (refer NABCB accreditation procedure for

product certification body.

• NABCB Secretariat reviews the Document review report (DRR) and forwards a copy of the

DRR to the applicant PCB for their comments and compliance. Depending on the nature of

comments and changes made to the documentation, decision regarding a second review of

documents shall be taken. The applicant PCB would be informed if a second review is

needed. If significant changes are needed, the second review may be charged. Any review

beyond second document review would be charged by NABCB.

• NABCB may decide to conduct a preliminary visit in case the documentation does not meet

requirements after two reviews, to give an opportunity to the PCB to clearly understand the

accreditation criteria and other requirements. The visit shall be charged to the PCB and the

duration shall be decided by NABCB Secretariat based on the work involved. The preliminary

visit will generally be carried out for one-man day by the appointed leader of the assessment

team that carried out the DR.

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If the documentation is determined to be generally meeting the accreditation criteria, after

review of the changes made, NABCB Secretariat may seek evidence of implementation of

changes to the system by the applicant body

• For all witness audits /evaluation under ISO/IEC 17065, the PCB shall provide details of

contract review, and reports of any prior evaluation/audits, if applicable and any other

document as required for completing the process of witness assessment. During the process

of conduct of witness assessment, the NABCB witness assessment team may also ask for the

documentation of the evaluated/audited client organization and other evidence seen by the

PCB’s audit/evaluation team without causing undue disturbance to the audit/ evaluation

process. For the purpose of review, on completion of the witness assessment, the PCB

evaluation / audit team shall provide the NABCB AT, the findings of evaluations / the

witnessed audits.

The PCB shall provide at least one week in advance before the witness assessment, the

following details:

i. Brief of client organization.

ii. Application received.

iii. Contract review along with evaluation / audit man-days estimation.

iv. Record of evaluator / auditor qualification for the scope/scheme along with

supporting documents like CVs, knowledge & skills defined and evaluation record

etc. and information on how team competence is built up for the scope/scheme.

v. Last audit report for the same client organization, if any

vi. audit plan

vii. audit programme, if applicable

viii. CB's procedures.

The evaluation/audit report along with the documented findings shall be provided to the

NABCB AT as soon as the same is prepared and released for PCB’s technical review process

(please see Annex – 4 for timelines).

Assessment Report

The assessment team shall prepare a report at each stage of the assessment – office assessment,

branch office assessment, and witness assessments. Non- conformities and concerns, if any, shall

normally be handed over to the PCB representative at the end of each assessment.

Time Period for assessment process

A typical time line for the accreditation process is given in Annex 4 of NABCB procedure for

certification of product certification body (attached). The assessment process for any applicant PCB

must be completed within a maximum of one year. In the event that the process is not completed

within one year, NABCB will take a decision and the application may then be kept active for one

more year and applicant PCB may be given one chance to completely restart the assessment process

afresh without paying any additional application fee. In such cases the assessment process must be

completed in one additional year.

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In the event of delay in scheduling of witness assessments for different scope sectors applied for, as

per NABCB procedure, the applicant PCB may apply in writing to the Director/CEO of the Board for

consideration of their application for part of the scope, for which the assessment process including

witness assessments as per NABCB procedure has been completed. The Director/ CEO NABCB shall

have the right to accede to that request or differ. Grant of accreditation for part of the scopes shall

be done subject to completion of CAs for all the non- Conformities and concerns raised during the

earlier stages - office assessment and the witness assessments conducted and their

acceptance/closure as per the laid down criteria of the Board.

3.6 Accreditation Decision

• The Accreditation Committee is responsible for taking decision on granting, maintaining,

suspending, reducing or withdrawing of Accreditation and also withholding of

reaccreditation as well as extension of validity of accreditation. It also ensures that the

members of the Accreditation Committee were not involved in the assessment and also

have had no relationship for the last two years with the applicant PCB under consideration

that can influence their decision on accreditation.

• The reports are forwarded to the accreditation committee along with recommendations of

NABCB secretariat for the decision of accreditation.

• The decision of accreditation is taken by the Accreditation Committee unanimously and is

generally not put on vote. The Head of the Committee shall be responsible for coordinating

and addressing the issues raised by the members. The Head of the committee shall have the

right to call for any other assessor/experts/personnel for clarifying any of the issue that is

under discussion. The persons so called for clarifications, shall not take part in the decision

of the accreditation. It shall be ensured that the persons so called for clarifications shall not

have taken part in the assessment of the concerned PCB and shall be free from any conflict

of interest, except when clarification from the assessment team is needed.

• The decisions of the accreditation committee are based on the assessment report,

recommendations of the assessment team and the NABCB secretariat, any other relevant

information about complaints, the market reputation obtained by the Board, etc. It may

also involve interaction with the Director/CEO NABCB, assessment team and the applicant

PCB. The accreditation committee in its capacity shall have the right to ask for any further

clarifications on the report and information submitted on the applicant’s certification

process and the applicant shall not refuse to present such information.

3.7 Accreditation Information/Documents

• The accreditation committee shall decide to grant accreditation to the applicant PCB, only

after the applicant PCB has met all the conditions specified by the Board,

• Two copies of the accreditation agreement shall be signed by the applicant PCB and the

applicant PCB shall ensure that the relevant fees are paid.

• On receipt of the signed agreement and the fee as per the invoice, a set of accreditation

documents is issued to the applicant PCB.

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• The accreditation certificate in the standard template would include the NABCB

accreditation symbol, the name of the PCB, address of the premises of the PCB from where

key activities are performed, unique accreditation number, the scope of accreditation,

effective date of grant of accreditation and the date of expiry of the certificate (BCB F018).

In addition to this, the following details are also included:

a) Certification scheme

b) Standards/Normative documents and/or regulatory requirements to which

organizations are certified

c) IAF Scope sector

• The initial accreditation certificate is valid for 3 years and the date of issue and validity is

indicated on the certificate.

• The Scope of accreditation granted to a PCB is indicated on the Accreditation Certificate or a

Schedule which accompanies the accreditation certificate. Whenever there is a change in

scope (extension or reduction) which calls for a revision of the schedule and / or

accreditation certificate, the revised schedule and / or accreditation certificate will carry the

revision no. (such as Rev 1) with a disclaimer as follows: “This certificate / schedule

supersedes the earlier version of the certificate / schedule dated ……..”. In addition, the PCB

will also be asked to return the earlier version of the certificate and / or schedule.

In case of scope reduction, the revised certificate and / or schedule will be issued only after

receipt of earlier version of the certificate and / or schedule from the PCB.

3.8 Maintaining Accreditation and Accreditation Cycle

Surveillance Assessment

• To ensure that each PCB accredited by the Board continues to comply with the accreditation

requirements, a surveillance assessment shall be carried out annually at the main office of

the PCB; other offices may be covered as per the assessment programme. The first

surveillance assessment shall be completed within 9 months from the date of grant of

accreditation. However, the accredited PCB, for valid reasons may seek a postponement of

the assessment for a maximum period of three months. For deferring the surveillance, the

PCB shall give written justification and shall obtain the consent of CEO, NABCB. It shall be

ensured that the first surveillance takes place within 12 months and gap between

surveillance assessments shall not exceed 15 months.

The subsequent assessments shall be every 12 months. The surveillance assessment shall be

consistent with the initial assessment and include office assessment, other locations

performing key activities as defined in section 4.1.1 above, including foreign locations and

witness of the audit of the organizations certified by the accredited PCB. The number of

locations included in the surveillance assessment would be based on the. . Locations where

highest and lowest number of certifications are undertaken, will be chosen, if applicable.

• The witness assessment programme would take into account the audit resources available

to the PCB, number of accredited certificates issued, spread of locations and the extent of

control demonstrated by the PCB and observations of the office assessment. Specific

schemes/audits or auditors may be chosen for witnessing (please see Annex - 6). A plan for

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witness assessments would be communicated to the accredited PCB. The provisions of

clause 4.2 would apply as regards the number of NABCB assessors/ experts for witness

audits. NABCB will try to cover maximum schemes under the scope of accreditation during

its surveillance activities including both office and witness assessments. In selecting schemes

to be witnessed, and specific scopes in the schemes, a risk based approach will be used.

Complex Scopes within a scheme and complex schemes will be chosen for witnessing. Also

scopes/schemes under regulatory oversight will be chosen for witnessing more often.

Similarly, scopes having highest as well as lowest number of certifications will be chosen.

• The non-conformity reports and concerns if any and the assessment report of each of the

surveillance assessments shall be forwarded to the accredited PCB for taking corrective

action as per the laid down criteria for the maintenance of accreditation

• In the event of any critical and/or major non-conformity that can affect the certification

process, the NABCB Secretariat informs the accredited PCB and seeks a time bound

corrective action plan. The decision for an additional follow up visit to verify the

implementation of the corrective action plan as committed by the accredited PCB is taken by

the Director/CEO, NABCB in consultation with the Team leader of the assessment team.

Such decision shall be binding on the accredited PCB. The cost of the follow up visit shall be

borne by the accredited PCB. In the event, that the accredited PCB has not shown evidence

of completion of the corrective action agreed as per committed time period, NABCB

Secretariat shall prepare a status report and submit it along with the assessment report to

the accreditation committee along with recommendations of NABCB secretariat for further

decision on suspension or reduction or withdrawal of accreditation. Critical/major non-

conformity may lead to suspension/withdrawal of accreditation depending on the

seriousness.

• The surveillance assessment reports shall be reviewed and presented to the accreditation

committee for consideration and decision regarding any suspension (partial/full) of

accreditation or scope extension or scope reduction of the accredited PCB.

• The frequency of surveillance assessments may be increased based on the type of non-

conformities observed, complaints received, market feedback etc. The PCB shall be informed

of the reasons for any change in the frequency.

Other Surveillance activities

• NABCB Secretariat shall call for information on new certificates issued on a quarterly basis

and based on the same may decide to seek audit reports on a random basis. The Secretariat

would have the reports reviewed and seek any clarification. If a clear deviation from the

requirement of the standard is established, then such findings would be raised as non-

conformities requiring the accredited PCB to respond. The cost for such reviews shall be

charged to the PCB.

• Based on concerns noticed during the office assessment / market feedback / complaints or

otherwise, Director/CEO, NABCB may decide to arrange direct interaction with or visit client

organizations certified by the PCB and the cost of such interactions/visits carried out if any

shall be borne by the accredited PCB. PCBs shall, in their contract with their certified

organizations provide for such activities. PCBs shall be informed of any such activity and may

join the NABCB assessor/AT for such activities if required. PCBs would be informed of the

duration of such activities and the information planned to be collected, if felt necessary.

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• If such activities indicate satisfactory operation of accredited certification, then a reduction

in normal witnessing could be considered. If, however, the activities reveal unsatisfactory

operation of the accredited certification scheme, then NABCB Secretariat would advise

actions to be taken which could include a special office assessment and intensified

witnessing,

• The PCB would have to bear the assessment charges in all such cases.

Reaccreditation

• Normally six months prior to completion of the accreditation term, the accredited PCB shall

be informed through an alert generated by the accreditation portal about the

reaccreditation process The PCB shall apply at least 5 months in advance of the expiry date

and ensure that office assessment is carried out normally 3 months before the expiry date.

In case of delays, the reaccreditation is liable to be withheld till the reaccreditation process

is completed.

• For the purpose of reaccreditation, the reassessment shall be carried out in accordance with

process detailed in sections 4 – 6 of this procedure as applied to initial accreditation process

and assessment.

• In case during the accreditation cycle preceding the reaccreditation, witness

assessments have been carried out as part of surveillance assessments exceeding the

number of mandatory minimum witness assessments needed for reaccreditation, then no

separate witness assessments are required as part of reaccreditation process. It is the

responsibility of the PCB to ensure that it offers at least the minimum number of witness

assessments required for each accreditation. These could also be certificates granted under

accreditation by other ABs. The mandatory minimum number for the purpose of

reaccreditation shall be the same as that for initial accreditation.

• On completion of the re-accreditation process, the accredited PCB shall initiate the relevant

activities to take corrective actions on the observed non conformities and concerns, if any,

and complete all actions as per the criteria of the Board to close all critical & major non-

conformities and ensure that corrective action plan for minor non conformities are accepted

by the assessment teams, before the reaccreditation decision can be taken.

• The assessment team shall prepare a report of all the aspects of the assessment of the office

and witness assessments, if undertaken for the purpose. The final assessment report shall be

made which clearly identifies the activities undertaken as part of reassessment process and

includes the following:

a) The level of conformity of the PCB’s management system against the NABCB

accreditation requirements.

b) The non-conformities and concerns observed during various stages of the assessment

and details of corrective actions taken by the PC on the non-conformities/concerns

and whether these are accepted by NABCB.

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c) Recommendations by the NABCB assessment team with details of recommended

scopes and justification for not recommending any scopes.

d) Recommendations for special conditions like early surveillance, witness of any scope

sector etc, NABCB team leader shall provide appropriate justifications for

recommending the special conditions to be imposed.

• The report shall be prepared as per the laid down guidelines and criteria by the team leader

/ team members in the established formats listing the level of compliance to the

requirement of the accreditation criteria of the Board. The reports of the re-assessment, and

witness assessments if undertaken, and the corrective actions taken by the accredited PCB

along with recommendations of NABCB secretariat shall then be presented to the

accreditation committee for a decision.

• If the decision by the accreditation committee is to continue the accreditation, a fresh set of

accreditation documents shall be issued to the accredited PCB.

• The reaccreditation shall be for a period of4 years.

• All reassessment activities shall be completed prior to the expiry of accreditation. In case

there is a delay in decision-making, the accreditation shall continue, if the report of the

assessment team is satisfactory. The decision of the accreditation committee shall be

binding on the accredited PCB.

• If the accreditation committee is not able to take a positive decision for any reason, the

reaccreditation may be withheld and communicated to the accredited PCB for initiating

appropriate actions including any corrective actions. The PCB shall complete all actions

within 6 months failing which the reaccreditation may not be agreed to. The period from the

date of previous expiry to reaccreditation shall be deemed to be suspension and

reaccreditation effected from the original date of expiry.

3.9 Suspension & Withdrawal of Accreditation

Decision on Suspension and Withdrawal of Accreditation

Accreditation Committee is authorized to decide about the suspension or withdrawal of

accreditation or revoking of suspension.

Suspension of Accreditation (Partial/full)

In addition to the requirements specified under section 3.3 Suspension of Accreditation

(Partial or full) the following shall further apply

i. The PCB may seek on its own suspension of accreditation citing reasons for the same

with justification.

ii. The period of suspension will not be more than six months. If the accredited PCB does

not take suitable corrective action to the satisfaction of the Board and its assessment

team within six months, the Board reserves the right to withdraw the accreditation.

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iii. In the event of partial / full suspension, in terms of scope within a certification scheme

or the certification scheme itself or the accreditation scheme, the accredited PCB shall

be informed. The PCB is then barred from issuing accredited certificates for the scopes

for which the accreditation has been suspended till the suspension is in force.

iv. It is allowed to take on surveillance assessment only with the permission of the CEO,

who will ensure that adequate resources are provided by the PCB such that the

surveillance process is not compromised. Where the CEO of the Board is not sure of

the adequate resources, the PCB under suspension will be asked to take support of

another PCB accredited by the Board.

v. For revoking suspension, the accredited PCB shall formally apply to NABCB as per the

established guidelines. The suspension shall be revoked after an assessment has been

carried out to verify that the corrective actions have been implemented and are

effective in eliminating the reasons of suspension.

Withdrawal of Accreditation (refer above)

i. The reasons for withdrawal are already specified at clause 3.4 Additionally, the Board

may decide to withdraw accreditation based on market feedback, complaints about

the certification process etc. after due investigation and providing the PCB with an

opportunity to respond to the findings.

ii. In the event of the decision to withdraw the accreditation, the PCB is asked to return

the original accreditation certificate and the enclosure of scopes to NABCB and to stop

using the accreditation symbol of NABCB with immediate effect. The Director/CEO

NABCB shall also notify the legal course for initiating any penalty of such misuses if it is

reported and found supported by facts and evidences

iii. In case a PCB is found using NABCB accreditation symbol after withdrawal of

accreditation supported by facts and evidences, NABCB may initiate legal action.

iv. Withdrawal of an accreditation has consequences on the organizations certified by the

PCB. The CB shall provide the organization it has certified, with information on the

withdrawal of its accreditation and on its consequences. Any Accredited certificates

shall be considered as unaccredited, once accreditation is withdrawn and NABCB may

require the PCB to publicize this on its website and may place this information on

NABCB website also. The PCB may, in consultation with NABCB arrange for the

transfer of such accredited certificates to another accredited PCB, if possible.

v. Following withdrawal of accreditation, the PCB may seek fresh accreditation as a new

applicant only after a cooling period of minimum one year. NABCB shall have the right

to satisfy itself if the reasons which led to withdrawal have been addressed

adequately before accepting the application. Any visits needed for such a check would

be charged to the PCB.

3.10 Public Information of Suspension or Withdrawal of accreditation

The information of the suspension or withdrawal shall be placed on the NABCB website in

the register of the accredited bodies and NABCB may make a public declaration in the

newspapers. The charges for making the information public through newspapers shall be

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recovered from the PCB involved before revoking the suspension or renewal of the

accreditation.

Change in the status of the Certification Body

• As part of the application for accreditation, the applicant body / accredited PCB undertakes

to inform NABCB within 30 days if any change takes place in any of the aspects of its status

or operation that affects its:

a) Legal, commercial or organizational status

b) The organization, top management, and key personnel

c) Significant changes in policies and/ or documented procedures, premises, personnel,

equipment, facilities, working environment or other resources, where significant and

relevant.

d) Capability of certification or scope of accredited activities, or conformity with the

requirements of the accreditation criteria.

e) Addition/closure of any branches/ foreign locations where clients organizations are

located / operations related to certification are performed.

f) Changes in certifications scheme that may effect the certification process.

g) Other such matters that may affect the ability of the PCB to fulfil requirements for

accreditation.

• On receipt of the information of change in any of the above parameters, the Director/CEO

decides whether an extraordinary visit is necessary or the change shall not affect the

operation of the certification system within the accredited scope. If the Director/CEO

decides on a visit, such a visit shall be charged as per prevailing fee structure. The invoice

for such a visit is sent to the PCB. Further action shall be initiated only on timely payment of

fee for the visit.

• During regular surveillance the accredited PCB is asked to confirm that no change in the

parameters mentioned above or any other aspect that will affect the certification system has

taken place since the last assessment.

• In case an accredited PCB is found to have given a willful wrong declaration, the Board may

take suitable action and also reserves the right to suspend/withdraw the accreditation.

Extension/Reduction of the Scope

Please refer to accreditation procedure for certification of product certification body.

3.11 Fee payable for the accreditation process and Annual Fee

The fee structure shall be approved by the NABCB. The current approved fee schedule is

available on NABCB website

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i. The total fee shall depend on the actual assessment days and other parameters as specified

in the fee schedule.

ii. Each accredited body shall pay annual operating fee as identified in the current approved

schedule

iii. The NABCB shall have the comprehensive right to revise the fee schedule as and when

necessary.

iv. The NABCB shall take the following actions if any applicant or accredited PCB fails to pay the

fee as invoiced:

a) Stop further processing of the application/extension of scope/reaccreditation.

b) Do not offer accreditation

c) Suspend and/or withdraw the accreditation

v. All invoices are to be paid within one month. Any failure to pay the invoices timely may

result in penal action like rejection of application or suspension of accreditation. If any PCB is

found to be defaulting on payments repeatedly, NABCB may decide to ask for payment in

advance for one year at a time.

vi. Fees for any assessment on foreign locations carried out by the local accreditation body shall

be charged at the current rates of the local accreditation body.

3.12 Complaints and Appeals

The detailed procedure for complaint handling and appeals please refer NABCB Complaints and

Appeals Procedure which is available on NABCB website.

Disputes

A dispute is a disagreement between the PCB and NABCB AT (such as non- acceptance of NC by PCB,

non-acceptance by NABCB AT of CAs proposed / implemented by the PCBs) or PCB and NABCB

Secretariat. Representation on such disagreement should be made to CEO in writing by the PCB.

NABCB will handle disputes in accordance with its internal procedure for the same.

3.13 Publishing of the Information for Public & availability of accreditation schemes

(Please refer to Accreditation procedure for product certification bodies BCB-201 March

2020)

The NABCB shall make public announcement of the accreditation schemes, criteria of accreditation,

application for accreditation, fee schedule and other related documents on its website and on

specific request.

3.14 Confidentiality and Disclosure

• The information obtained regarding the certification system of the applicant and accredited

PCBs that are not of the nature of public information shall be kept confidential by all NABCB

Personnel, members of the NABCB, panel of assessors, experts and the committee

members.

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• If the NABCB has to share any confidential information due to any legal situation, the

concerned PCB shall be informed of the extent of disclosure and the body to whom the

disclosure has been made.

3.15 Obligations of the certification body and NABCB

The general obligations of the applicant / accredited PCB sand NABCB are given in Annex 5

attached.

4. Requirements for Halal Certification

i-CAS

Please refer i-CAS scheme document which describes requirements which are defined in Part B of i-

CAS for producers/suppliers of Halal Products, Part C of i-CAS for Halal Certification Bodies (Annex -

5. Registration of FBO for export of Halal meat products

APEDA Process for Registration of Facilities / Business Operators for Halal Meat Products. Please

refer registration procedure dated 1 July 2021 attached Annex -5

The APEDA has an established procedure for registration of member exporters. The exporters shall

obtain Registration Cum Membership Certificate (RCMC). APEDA also issues unique identification

number by issuing Certificate of Registration Integrated– Cum – Meat Processing Unit to Halal meat

export unit.

6. Monitoring of Export of Halal Products

• As the Monitoring Body for Halal meat and meat products, APEDA shall have the mechanism

to ensure that the certification and export of Halal products has followed the i-CAS

requirements. Though the accreditation of the Certification Bodies for Halal products shall

be granted by the NABCB, the export of Halal products undertaken under these Certification

Bodies shall be monitored by APEDA.

• The monitoring plan shall be based on the quantum of the export of Halal products. The

Certification Bodies who have certified the Food Business Operators exporting Halal meat

and meat products shall be covered under the monitoring plan. The shipments made by

these Food Business Operators (FBOs) shall be taken into consideration for monitoring

purpose.

• The monitoring shall be done in following two ways:

a) Offsite document review as an when required and Onsite monitoring through

combined witness assessment by NABCB and APEDA

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b) Digital exchange of information on the various stages of accreditation-The digital

exchange of information shall be continuous process between NABCB and APEDA. The

information related to receipt of application for accreditation, grant of accreditation,

reaccreditation, suspension, withdrawal, appeal etc shall be shared with APEDA as and

when it occurs. This ensures updated information on the accreditation status of the

Certification Bodies and degree of compliance by each Certification Body.

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National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies

INDIA CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT SCHEME (i-CAS)

for

HALAL PRODUCTS

Summary Report and Proposed Requirements for

Halal Certification in India

Submitted by

QUALITY COUNCIL OF INDIA

2nd Floor, Institution of Engineers Building

2, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg

New Delhi – 110002, INDIA

www.qcin.org

Version 1, August 2022

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Executive Summary 2

2. Introduction 2

3. Global Practices 3

4. Global Market Scenario 5

5. Halal in India 6

6. Halal Regulations across the Globe 8

7. Halal Standard across the Globe 10

8. Comparison and harmonization between Standards 13

9. Certifications bodies across Globe for Halal 17

10. Bilateral Agreements 18

11. Challenges with Halal in India 19

12. Way Forward for Halal Certification in India 20

13. Conclusion 21

14. India Conformity Assessment Scheme (i-CAS) – Halal 23

15. Abbreviations 70

16. References 71

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1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1.1. Globally profitable business opportunities have emerged as a result of Muslim awareness of

halal lifestyles. Furthermore, the Halal industry has expanded its scope to include apparel,

finance, travel and tourism, media and recreation, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics, among other

things.

1.2. There are currently no globally recognised halal standards to serve as a guideline for the

establishment of a global halal system. The lack of a global halal standard limits the expansion

of halal industries. There are currently more than 100 active halal certification bodies around

the world, according to estimates. All countries want to be the global centre for halal

certification because it opens the door to economic and financial activities.

1.3. The biggest challenge, however, is the lack of consistent global halal standards, which makes

it difficult for organisations looking to export halal foods to different countries.

1.4. This report assesses the need for having harmonised guidelines for halal in order to globalize

halal products. The purpose of this study is to identify and compare the halal standards applied

in some countries as well as to propose a global halal standard for harmonization.

1.5. A comparative analysis methodology was applied by conducting an in-depth review on the

following halal standards frequently used as references in some countries:

1.5.1. GCC Region (The GCC region covers the countries Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar,

Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) - GSO 2055-1:2015

1.5.2. Malaysia - MS 1500:2009

1.5.3. Singapore - MUIS-HC-S001

1.5.4. Indonesia - HAS 23000

2. INTRODUCTION

2.1 Demand for Halal food products from around the world has grown, increasing the Halal food

market.

2.2 Halal products include both food and non-food products some of the examples are mentioned

below:

Food

Non-Food

Meat and poultry

Cosmetics

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Dairy Products

Perfumes

Bakery Products

Pharmaceuticals

Herbal Products

Leather Products

Confectionary

Toiletries

Canned and Frozen food

Beauty Products

Beverages

Nutraceuticals

3. GLOBAL PRACTICES

3.1 At the international level, Halal Guidelines for the use of the term ‘Halal’ were adopted by the

Codex Alimentarius Commission. Consequently, a multitude of other halal standards are used in

international trade flows. Some are international standards, e.g. issued by international

organizations such as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC/The Standards and

Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC) or regional/intergovernmental organizations

such as Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) guidelines on Halal food. In addition,

certain domestic standards acquired international importance (e.g. The Halal Assurance System

(HAS) Indonesia and The Malaysian Standard (MS) Malaysia).

3.2 While there is no internationally harmonized standard for halal foods, the Codex Alimentarius

(Codex) Guidelines for Labelling (CAC/GL 24-1997) provide a general overview of what is

considered halal. Halal Food means food permitted under the Islamic Law and should fulfil the

following conditions:

a) does not consist of or contain anything which is considered to be unlawful according to

Islamic Law;

b) has not been prepared, processed, transported or stored using any appliance or facility that

was not free from anything unlawful according to Islamic Law; and

c) has not in the course of preparation, processing, transportation or storage been in direct contact

with any food that fails to satisfy a and b above.

3.3 Definitions of Halal

Standards/Associations

Definitions

OIC/SMIIC

Halal food is the food including drinks, which is allowed

to be consumed according to Islamic rules and that

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comply with the requirements mentioned in OIC/SMIIC

1: 2011 standard.

ASEAN

Halal is defined as following:

a. Halal is defined as the food or its ingredients that do not

contain any components or products of animals that are

unlawful as food to Muslim by Shariah Law or of lawful

animals which are not slaughtered according to Shariah

Law;

b. The food does not contain any ingredients that are

considered as “najis” by Shariah Law

c. The food is not prepared, processed or manufactured by

using equipment that is contaminated with things that are

“najis” according to Shariah Law;

d. During its preparation, processing, storage or

transportation, the food should be fully separated from

any other food that does not meet the requirements stated

in items (a), (b) or (c) above or any other things that have

been decreed as “najis” by Shariah Law.

Malaysian Standards (MS 1500:

2009)

Certain domestic halal guidelines also acquired

international importance. Following are the definitions of

halal as present in the different standards:

Halal food means food and drink and/or their ingredients

permitted under the Shariah law and fulfil the following

conditions:

a. does not contain any parts or products of animals that are

non-halal by Shariah law or any parts or products of

animals which are not slaughtered according to Shariah

law;

b. does not contain najs according to Shariah law;

c. safe for consumption, non-poisonous, non-intoxicating or

non-hazardous to health;

d. not prepared, processed or manufactured using

equipment contaminated with najs according to Shariah

law

e. does not contain any human parts or its derivatives that

are not permitted by Shariah law; and

f. During its preparation, processing, handling, packaging,

storage and distribution, the food is physically separated

from any other food that does not meet the requirements

stated in najs by Shariah law.

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GSO Standards (GSO 2055-

1:2015)

Halal food and drinks, which are allowed to be consumed

according to Islamic rules by eating, drinking, injecting

or inhaling, and that should comply with the requirements

mentioned in this standard.

Singapore Standards, MUIS-HC-

S001

An Arabic term which means “permissible” or “lawful”.

Halal food refers to food that is permissible for Muslim

consumption.

4. GLOBAL MARKET SCENARIO

4.1 The global halal food market reached a value of US$ 1978 billion in 2021. Looking forward, the

market is projected to reach US$ 3,907.7 billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 12% during

2022-2027 (Figure 1). The halal market is no longer limited to the boundary of the food sector,

rather it has extended its scope to cosmetics and pharmaceuticals and so on.

4.2 The halal food and beverage (F&B) sector is also the largest in the industry. It is anticipated that

by 2022, Muslims will spend $1.94 trillion on food and beverages, growing at a rate of 6.2 percent.

By2050, the demand for food is anticipated to increase by more than70%, indicating a significant

increase in the demand for halal food.

4.3 Healthcare products and pharmaceuticals are also potential lifestyle offerings by the halal

industry, which has shown impressive growth performance. This sector has a huge opportunity to

tap into the global pharmaceutical industry, which is expected to reach $1170 billion by2021,

growing at a 5.8 percent annual rate. Cosmetics and personal care are an integral component of

lifestyle which is expected to reach $82 by 2022.

Figure 1 Market forecast of the global halal food market

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5. HALAL IN INDIA

5.1 India’s large Muslim population, represents huge opportunities for halal-based entrepreneurs.

However, in India, despite the large size of the Muslim minority population, the country’s halal

industry is still in its infancy. There are no specific labelling requirements for halal food products

imported into India. For all U.S.-origin meat and non-meat-based food products shipped to India,

halal certification is strictly voluntary.

5.2 In India, FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) certification can be seen on

almost all the processed foods but the government neither mandates halal certification nor does it

provide a unifying regulatory law hence it is important to have halal regulations in place in India.

5.3 Halal certification is given by many private companies in India which marks the food or products

permissible. The three major Halal certifying organisation (HCO) in India are:

5.3.1 Halal India Private Limited-Halal India is one of the established Halal certification bodies

in India. They provide services like consultation, issuing, Halal compliance certification,

independent auditing & monitoring system and promoting other acceptable products and

services as per sharia law. Types of Halal Certifications provided by Halal India

a) Under Restaurant Scheme

b) Under Industrial Scheme

c) Under Food, beverage and catering scheme

d) Under Warehouse and storage scheme

e) Under Product endorsement scheme

f) Under Halal friendly tourism

5.3.2 Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Halal Trust

In order to streamline, unify and standardize its Halal certification procedure and operation

all over India Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Halal Trust was established. It is accredited by JAKIM

(Malaysia).

Halal Trust is a globally renowned and a leading Halal certification body from India. Halal

trust has a distinct and patented Halal logo which is widely recognized all across the world

and it helps in certifying restaurants, hotels, hospitals, processed food manufacturing units,

slaughter houses and other Halal certification related services.

5.4 NABCB – The National Accreditation Body

5.4.1 The National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB), a constituent Board of

Quality Council of India (QCI), [an autonomous Body under Department for Promotion of

Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry Govt. of India] is

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the National Accreditation Body, which provides accreditation to Certification, Inspection,

and Validation & Verification Bodies in accordance with international guidelines and

ISO/IEC standards requirements.

5.4.2 NABCB is a signatory member and has signed Multilateral Mutual Recognition

Arrangements (MLAs) with the International Accreditation Forum’s (IAF) for Management

Systems (ISO/IEC 17021-1), Product Certification (ISO/IEC 17065), Personnel Certification

(ISO/IEC 17024), the Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC) MRAs for the same

and Inspection (ISO/IEC 17020) and Validation & Verification Bodies (ISO 14065). NABCB

is also signatory to the MRA of International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC)

for Inspection. This confers worldwide equivalence to NABCB’s accreditation programs for

these areas, and facilitates global acceptance of NABCB accredited conformity assessment.

5.4.3 The National Accreditation Board for Testing & Calibration Laboratories (NABL), another

constituent Board of QCI, provides accreditation to Testing & Calibration laboratories

(ISO/IEC 17025), Medical testing laboratories (ISO 15189), Reference Materials Producers

(ISO/IEC 17034) and Proficiency Testing Providers (ISO/IEC 17043), and is signatory to the

MRAs of International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and Asia Pacific

Accreditation Cooperation (APAC).

5.4.4 Further NABCB is recognized internationally by various international conformity assessment

scheme owners such as GlobalG.A.P, Global Seafood Alliance-Best Aquaculture Practices

(GSA-BAP), International Featured Standards (IFS), FSSC 22000 Foundation, FAMI-QS,

ICAO-CORSIA, Verra, SERI, GOTS etc. with whom NABCB works very closely.

5.4.5 IHAF – The International Halal Accreditation Forum

IHAF is an international network of accreditation bodies mandated to enforce halal standards

in their economies. IHAF strives to harmonize halal accreditation practices among member

bodies to facilitate the trade of halal goods and services, and operates a multilateral

recognition arrangement.

It comprises 38 accreditation bodies from over 35 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe

and the America including India. India is the founder member of IHAF. It aims to develop

and operate system(s) for member accreditation bodies to accept each other’s halal conformity

results in order to eliminate halal trade barriers.

IHAF’s aims are to harmonize conformity assessment practices in the halal sector by

eliminating all the trade barriers for halal products throughout the world. IHAF has further

aimed to support the Halal industry by:

a. Constructing a solid foundation and platform for the global Halal accreditation;

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b. Verifying the halal conformity assessment practices of each country reaching an acceptable

and common international agreement;

c. Being the voice to support manufacturers and producers worldwide by connecting them with

our members (Accreditation Bodies) to gain a more significant market share in the Halal

market;

d. Facilitating Halal trade worldwide to contribute to world economies according to the free trade

system adopted by the World Trade Organization

5.4.6 IHAF membership is open to all governmental and non-governmental entities that work in the

field of Halal accreditation and as specified in Article 11 in the IHAF Bylaw. Full and

Associate Memberships are open for accreditation bodies only.

5.4.7 NABCB is also the full-time member of IHAF since 2016.

While regional groups of accreditation bodies, relevant parties that have objectives similar to,

and compatible with IHAF can be an Associate Member of IHAF, these parties could consist

of Associations of Laboratories and Inspection Entities, Sharia and Regulatory Authorities,

Consumer Associations, Trade Organizations and Standardization Bodies, National

coordinating bodies that handles the management of accreditation activities in some countries.

A regional cooperation body in the accreditation field that consists of accreditation bodies

representing at least four States with the condition that one of its members holds recognition

from IHAF.

6. HALAL REGULATIONS ACROSS THE GLOBE

All the major importer countries for Halal products have their own regulations for importing Halal

products.

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6.1 Malaysia Halal Regulations: Foreign beef, lamb, and poultry plants and dairy manufacturers

intending to export to Malaysia must be accredited halal by JAKIM. For any foreign country that

wants to export its Halal product to Malaysia must ensure that their products are in compliance

with halal requirements stipulated in the Malaysian standard and storage of halal food must be

verified through site inspection, as deemed necessary by JAKIM or the particular country

certifying body that is entrusted by the Malaysian government to carry out specified work

according to the prescribed requirements.

6.2 GCC Countries Halal Regulations: The GCC nations, including KSA, the UAE, and Qatar,

generally have their own separate, additional, and distinct Halal compliance requirements. For

any country that wants to export its Halal product to Saudi Arabia requires Halal certification

bodies to be accredited by an SFDA recognized accreditation body to be registered with SFDA.

6.3 Singapore Halal Regulations: If a producer wants to export to Singapore and target the Muslim

community, the process would entail the following steps: As with other exporters, he must make

sure his products meet Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) import

requirements and procedures The exporter must make sure his products are certified halal by

MUIS approved halal agencies in the particular country.As the products are intended for the

Muslim community in Singapore, MUIS would conduct surveillance checks periodically.

6.4 Indonesia Halal Regulation: The Halal Products Certification Agency (BPJPH) under the

Ministry of Religious Affairs issues Halal Certificates. Foreign companies looking to export their

products to Indonesia must first be Halal-certified by a certification body from their own country

and that certification body must be registered with the Product Halal Assurance Organizing

Agency (BPJPH). If the export company complies with the requirements, the religion of its

management team is irrelevant.

6.5 Halal Regulation in the United States of America: In the U.S.A the Department of Agriculture

(USDA) oversees federally regulated plants and also inspects exporters to ensure that they meet

the importing country requirements.

6.6 Halal certification in the Philippines

There is national legislation which mandates the government to regulate halal certification of

goods in the Philippines as well as the promotion of halal-certified goods for export, which is

known as the Philippine Halal Export Development and Promotion Program Act of 2016

(Republic Act 10817). The law took into effect on July 26, 2017 after its implementing rules and

regulations was approved.

The law established the Halal Export Development and Promotion Board, an inter-agency body

led by the Department of Trade and Industry along with the National Commission on Muslim

Filipinos, the Departments of Agriculture, Department of Health, Department of Foreign

Affairs, Department of Tourism, Department of Science and Technology, the Bangko Sentral ng

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Pilipinas (the country's central bank), and the Mindanao Development Authority, along with two

Muslim Filipino professionals to facilitate its implementation.

The DTI's Philippine Accreditation Bureau (PAB) is the sole agency which deals with the

accreditation of halal-certification bodies, inspection bodies and testing and calibration

laboratories.[3] The PAB is the representative organization for the Philippines in the International

Halal Accreditation Forum since 2017.[6] The Department of Science and Technology has set up

a network of one-stop laboratories dubbed as OneLab which also conduct halal testing.

7. HALAL STANDARDS ACROSS THE GLOBE

7.1 All the major importer countries for Halal products have their own regulations for importing

Halal products. The most popular and well – recognized halal standards globally are:

a) Malaysian Standard by JAKIM

b) Halal Standard of Singapore by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS)

c) Halal standard of Indonesia by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI)

d) Halal Standard by the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic countries (SMIIC) with the

participation of Organizations of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries.

7.2 Countries across the globe including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, UAE, Pakistan and

others have their own Halal standards; however, so far there has been no global halal standards.

7.3 Amongst all standards SMIIC is the only initiative that ensures the participation and contribution of

multiple OIC member states and the International Islamic Fiqh Academy of the Organization of

Islamic Cooperation (IIFA) with the aim of establishing a harmonized halal standard accepted

globally. The rest of the countries on different continents like Europe and America use these existing

standards as references for Halal certification which is done by the Halal Certification Bodies (HCBs)

accredited by one or more than one internationally accrediting body for halal standards.

7.4 As each country claims its own standards. The result of a product may already have a Halal certificate

in the country but in the country of destination export it can be declared not kosher. This is because

there is no global Halal standard that regulates it.

7.5 Brief details of Halal Standards for various countries is provided as below:

Malaysian Halal Standard: Malaysian halal standards are governed by the Department of Islamic

Development Malaysia (JAKIM). The Malaysian Standard entitled ‘Halal Food: Production,

Preparation, Handling and Storage – General Guide (MS 1500:2009) was developed under the

Malaysian Standard Development System, under the wing of Department of Standardization

Malaysia (DSM), Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. This standard contains practical

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guidelines for the food industry on the preparation and handling of halal food. Currently, JAKIM is

the only authorized entity allowed to issue halal certification for the domestic food industry. The

Malaysian standard defines all the critical terms relevant to halal matters, e.g., halal, haram, najs,

halal slaughtering, the halal competent authority, premise, processing area etc. The general

requirements of the standard are outlined under eight main aspects of halal compliance.

GSO Standard: The GCC region which covers the countries Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi

Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates is one of the largest halal food markets, importing US$ 33.8

billion of halal food in 2019. The primary halal standards setting body in the GCC is the GCC

Standardization Organization (GSO), and these halal standards are adopted by all of the relevant

standards setting bodies in the GCC countries.

Singapore Halal Standard: In Singapore, Muslim matters including halal food, fall under the

purview of the Majelis Ugama Islam (MUIS). According to MUIS, halal certification is NOT

compulsory in Singapore but rather voluntary for all businesses. Thus, in general, businesses apply

for a halal certificate if they intend to target Muslim consumers.

In Singapore, the halal certifying body (Majelis Ugama Islam/MUIS) serves the country’s minority

Muslim population. The MUIS Halal services started in 1973, and MUIS set up its Halal Certification

Standard Unit to regulate the halal sector. To continuously enhance the credibility of MUIS Halal

certification, MUIS implemented several initiatives including the MUIS e-Halal System (2007), Halal

Quality Management System (HalMQ; 2008), and MUIS Halal audits / inspections (2009 – 2012).

Indonesia Standard: The Halal standards and certification are governed and managed by the

Assessment Institute for Food, Drugs and Cosmetics (LPPOM) of the Indonesian Council of Ulama

(MUI) (Majelis Ulama Indonesia). The Halal Standard by the Indonesian Council of Ulama (MUI) is

called HAS-23000 which is applicable for business owners, manufacturers as well as producers. The

standard consists of two parts where the first part (HAS 23000-1) is for the criteria and general

guidelines of Halal Assurance System (HAS) and the second part (HAS 23000-2) is for policies and

procedures of Halal certification. The role of the Indonesia Ulema Council or Majelis Ulama

Indonesia (MUI) is issuing fatwas (legal decisions) in the certification process.

MUI Standard is flexible for the company that has no Muslim personnel to appoint as IHU

Coordinator. Such companies can appoint one staff who knows Islamic Law based on LPPOM

guidance

7.6 Halal Standards in European Countries are similar to other non-Muslim majority countries

European Union don’t have any halal standard and mostly depend on the standards developed by the

Muslim majority countries. The European Institute of Halal Certification (Germany) and Halal

Certification Service (Switzerland) is the Halal institution in Europe.

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The Halal Certification Europe (HCE) is an independent non-profit Organisation. It was established

to formalise the investigation and Halal Certification of food, Cosmetics and pharmaceutical

products. HCE has a Halal Certification Scheme which comprises of two different schemes: 1-year

scheme for Non-GSO & 3 year GSO Scheme

Scheme Type

GSO SCHEME

NON-GSO SCHEME

Countries

UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar,

Bahrain, Oman and Yemen

Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore,

Europe, America, Africa etc.

(countries other than Gulf Countries)

Certification

Process

1. Application

2. Certification Agreement

3. Application review

4. Raw material vetting

5. Stage one Audit/ Document Review

6. Stage two On-site audit

7. Lab test where necessary

8. Certification Decision Committee

9. Final Stage – Issue Halal certificate

and HCE Halal Logo

10. Surveillance audit in year 1 and year

1. Application

2. Raw material vetting / Document

review

3. On-site audit

4. Issue Halal certificate and Halal logo

Certification Period

Three-year Certification duration

(Subject to annual validation)

One year certification duration

Renewal

Renewal in the third year

Renewal after one year

HCE is accredited by SFDA, GAC, JAKIM, MUI, MUIS and World Halal Food Council and Halal

certification (Switzerland) by MUI (Indonesia).

7.7 Halal Standards in the United States of America: The non-Muslim majority country follows

standards developed by Muslim majority countries such as Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, GCC

countries and SMIIC as the reference standards. The certification in these countries is done by Halal

Certification Bodies accredited by one or more than one internationally accrediting body for halal

standards.

The halal certification market in the US is completely free of charge, except for New Jersey,

Minnesota, Illinois, California, Michigan, Texas and Virginia states with halal food laws. In these

states, slaughter according to Islamic procedures is labelled as halal under conditions approved by

state governments. There are also implementation differences between states. For example, while

there is a halal law (AB-1828 Halal food) in the State of California, kosher and halal terms are not

included in the New Jersey model. Instead, the state monitors the suitability of products based on the

definitions developed by the retailers themselves.

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The certification process in the U.S.A is majorly dominated by three major HCBs all of them issuing

certificates according to different Halal standards. The three certification bodies are:

i. Islamic Society of Washington Area

ii. Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA)

iii. Islamic Services of America

All of the above certification bodies grant certification according to different Halal Standards for e.g.

– ISWA according to GSO 2055-2:2015, ISA according to MUIS-HC-S001 & S002 & HAS 23000

(MUI).

7.8 Halal Standards in United Kingdom:

Similar to other non-Muslim Countries U.K also follows the standard opted by major muslims

countries as the reference standards. A 2012 UK House of Commons Standard Note revealed that

there was no legislative requirement in the UK for products to be labelled as halal. This meant that

no effort had been made to collect data on halal products, the extent to which halal products are sold

without being labelled as halal, and the quality of products labelled as halal.

The absence of UK legislative obligation required an alternative robust means to assure halal integrity

and quality. All HCBs must comply with UK laws for food production as well as Islamic dietary

compliance laws. The Food Standards Agency (FSA), an independent government agency, works

with local authority enforcement officers to make sure food law is applied throughout the UK’s food

chain, including halal products. It has a Muslim Organisations Working Group that advices it on halal

practices and policies. Licencing of Muslim slaughterers is done by the FSA and not by independent

halal authentication and certification bodies.

7.9 Halal Standards in Russia: Halal certification according to the Law of Russian Federation is the

voluntary certification which is done to confirm that products and services comply with the

requirements of the Council of Muftis of Russia. In Russia there is no mandatory application of any

standard in the field of Halal, the standard named "Halal – PPT – SMR" which was prepared by the

Council of Muftis of Russia is the only standard in the country.

8. COMPARISON & HARMONIZATION BETWEEN STANDARDS

8.1 Comparative analysis of five major Halal Standards i.e. (HAS, MUIS, MS, SMIIC & GSO) HAS:

Indonesian Standards, MUIS: Singapore Standards, MS: Malaysian Standards, SMIIC, GSO:

GCC regional Standards

8.2 On the basis of material:

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S. No.

Comparison

Clause

Similarities

Differences

Inference

Origin of material

Product must not be

produced from material

that are haram (impure),

toxic, intoxicating or

harmful

Halal materials

The halal-ness (purity) of

plants, halal animals (e.g.

aquatic animals) and

animals slaughtered

according to Islamic law.

HAS and UAE

contain the fewest

halal materials.

SMIIC contains the

most complete

halal materials.

Haram Material

The haram-ness (impurity)

of materials from pork,

khamr (by product of

yeast), blood, carrion and

animals that are not

slaughtered according to

Islamic law.

HAS and MUIS

contain the fewest

haram materials.

UAE and MS

contain the most

complete haram

materials.

Alcohol

SMIIC

prohibit

products

containing

alcohol, while

other standards

prohibit

alcohol

derived from

khamr

Istihalah of khamr

(Conversion of

Yeast from one

form to another)

Only HAS

stipulated the

istihalah of khamr

is halal.

By-products of

the khamr (Yeast)

industry

SMIIC

prohibit yeast

from the

khamr

industry, while

HAS23000

allow it.

UAE, MS and

MUIS do not

stipulate this

clause.

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Microbial

Material

SMIIC, UAE, MS and

HAS allows microbes

except those that are toxic

and harmful

SMIIC, UAE,

MS require

halal

culture

medium, while

HAS

allows haram

culture

medium

with

conditions.

MUIS does not

stipulate this

clause.

GMO Material

HAS prohibit

the origin of

GMO genes

from pigs or

humans.

SMIIC, UAE,

MS prohibit

the origin of

genes from all

haram

materials.

MUIS does not

stipulate this

clause.

Packaging

Material

Not be made from haram

and hazardous materials

HAS and MUIS do

not stipulate

this clause.

Adequacy of

material

documents

UAE and HAS stipulate

that there must be halal

material documents.

SMIIC, MS, MUIS

do not stipulate this

clause.

Material Change

Procedure

Only HAS stipulate

that material

change must be

approved by HCB

before use.

Incoming material

Inspection

procedure

Only HAS stipulate

that every

incoming or

purchased material

must be checked to

ensure the halal

conformity.

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8.3 Comparative analysis of the differences among the standards against different certification

requirements:

Requirements under different

component of Halal certification

Considered as a

Mandatory

requirement

Not considered as

a Mandatory

requirement

A. Business Profile

Each Subsidiary or branch would require

separate certification

JAKIM, MUIS

MUI, SMIIC, GSO

B. Premises

Muslim Workers

JAKIM, MUIS,

MUI, SMIIC, GSO

GMP and GHP

JAKIM, MUI,

SMIIC, GSO

MUIS

Special factory attire and clean clothing

JAKIM

MUI, SMIIC,

MUIS, GSO

C. Workers

Staff Training on roles and responsibilities

JAKIM, MUIS,

SMIIC, GSO

MUI

Good Personal Hygiene

JAKIM, SMIIC

MUIS, MUI, GSO

Smoking, drinking, and food stores are

prohibited in the production area

JAKIM

MUIS, MUI,

SMIIC, GSO

Only assigned area of staffs

JAKIM

MUIS, MUI,

SMIIC, GSO

Good health of staffs

JAKIM

MUIS, MUI,

SMIIC, GSO

D. Equipment

Safekeeping of tools and equipment

JAKIM, MUIS,

GSO

MUI, SMIIC

E. Raw materials

Avoid high-risk ingredients

JAKIM, MUIS,

MUI, GSO

SMIIC

Random testing of raw materials by an

approved laboratory

JAKIM, MUIS,

MUI, GSO

SMIIC

F. Packaging and Labelling

Disclose all list of ingredients

JAKIM, MUIS,

SMIIC, GSO

MUI

Clear, Prominent and long-lasting printing

JAKIM, MUIS,

MUI, GSO

SMIIC

Mention name of manufacturer, and

country of origin as a trademark

JAKIM, MUIS

SMIIC, MUI, GSO

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A complete prohibition on the use of the

word ‘halal’ with the product name

JAKIM

MUIS, MUI,

SMIIC, GSO

No use of misleading and non shariah

compliant signs, symbols, design, picture,

or logo.

JAKIM

MUIS, MUI,

SMIIC, GSO

G. Management and Documentation

Halal file

JAKIM, MUIS,

MUI

SMIIC

An internal halal committee with at least

one Muslim Halal executive

JAKIM, GSO

MUIS, MUI,

SMIIC

Inspection to all certified store including

the suppliers of raw material

JAKIM, MUIS,

GSO

MUI, SMIIC

Consistency in the listed items as

mentioned in the application form

JAKIM, MUIS,

GSO

MUI, SMIIC

9. CERTIFICATION BODIES ACROSS GLOBE FOR HALAL

Currently there are 100+ Halal certification bodies across the globe that certify products according to

various Halal standards. As there is no single global Halal standard these HCBs have accreditation or

recognition from Halal regulatory authorities of different countries which make it suitable for

businesses certified by these HCBs to transport their products into importing countries easily. A detail

list of HCBs across the globe and their accreditation or recognition can be found from the table below:

S. No.

Name of Certification Body

Country

Accreditation/Recognition

American Halal Foundation

U. S. A

 World Halal Food Council

 MUI

 JAKIM

 MUIS

 Association of American Halal Certifiers

(AAHC)

Islamic Society of

Washington Area

U. S. A

 World Halal Council

 GCC Accreditation Center

 ESMA

 EIAC

 SFDA

Islamic Services of America

U. S. A

 JAKIM

 MUIS

 MUI

 World Halal Food council

Halal Monitoring Committee

U. K

 GCC Accreditation Center

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 ESMA

Halal Food Authority

U. K

 JAKIM

 MUI

 MUIS

 Korea Food and Drug Administration

Halal Certification Services

Europe

(Switzerland,

France,

Germany,

Spain/Portugal,

Greece)

 World Halal Food Council

 MUI

 JAKIM

 MUIS

 The Central Islamic Committee of

Thailand

 Gulf Cooperation Council

International Halal

Certification Center

Russia

 GCC Accreditation Center

Instituto Halal

Italy

 JAKIM

 IMANOR – Morocco

 EIAC

 MUIS

 MUI

 SFDA

 CICOT – Thailand

 MFDS – South Korea

Japan Halal Association

Japan

 GCC Accreditation Center

 JAKIM

10.

Halal India Private Limited

India

 JAKIM

 MUIS

11.

Jamiat Ulama-E-Maharashtra

India

 JAKIM

 MUI

12.

Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Halal

Trust

India

 JAKIM

 MUI

10. BILATERAL AGREEMENTS

10.1 The agreements, signed with trade hubs and jurisdictions around the world, will support efforts

to establish a global halal trade network based on common standards, allowing regional and

international businesses to capitalize on the growing global interest in halal products. The

bilateral agreements formed by various countries for the export and import of halal products

are as follows:

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10.2 Global halal trade network between Dubai and Malaysia -Dubai and Malaysia have signed a

number of memorandums of understanding and agreements to establish a global halal trade

network, with the goal of increasing investment opportunities and strengthening multilateral

trade among halal-based industries.

10.3 These hub-to-hub agreements lay a strong foundation for the growth of the halal sector, which

will in turn promote cross-border halal trade and create significant investment opportunities for

major global, regional, and local corporations.

10.4 MoU between Australia Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) and Malaysia’s Halal

Development Corporation (HDC)-The MoU signed in February will pave the way for

Australian exporters to Malaysia’s rapidly growing halal food sector. These agreement will help

to develop increased information exchanges and deepen commercial collaborations, leading to

long-term, mutually beneficial outcomes for businesses in both Australia and Malaysia. The

MoU combines Australia’s high-quality, halal-compliant produce with Malaysia’s global

leadership on halal matters to help strengthen two-way trade between the countries.

10.5 Australia has a well-established regulatory framework for halal certification with seven

Malaysian approved certifying bodies effective 1

December 2020. Through this agreement,

the Australian government and food sector will seek to tap a global and halal goods and services

market.

10.6Korea signs MOU with UAE for Halal - A MoU was signed between Korea and UAE on 24

March 2015 for the development of Korea's halal industry with the aim of doubling the current

Halal food exports valued at US $ 680m to US $ 1,23 bn. Under the agreement, Korean producers

of Halal food will be able to obtain certification from the UAE authorities more easily, thereby

smoothening the import process.

10.7 Brunei Halal Trade Development MOU Signed with Taiwan-Brunei has signed an MOU on

Shariah Compliance Products Development and Trade on 15

December 2020 with Taiwan

with a particular focus on halal export development, promotional programmes and minimising

technical trade barriers to trade.

11. CHALLENGES WITH HALAL IN INDIA

11.1 The rapid growth of Halal Industry has not only led to the halal technologies and Innovations

but also the halal related laws and regulations which is still not harmonised globally.

11.2 In India certification bodies who are certifying the Halal trade being impanelled in country of

export but halal monitoring is still subject of discussion in absence of Authority, regulation and

Monitoring of products under Halal certification.

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11.3 Harmonised standard and awareness for the halal standard Indian exporters only fulfil the

criteria required to fulfil the requirement of the Importing country in staggered way

11.4 The uncertain scope of authority and jurisdictions in India to critically analyse the role of Govt

Authorities in the issuance of Halal certificate and their monitoring, controlling and

enforcement activities with the aim to suggest appropriate reformation to the current

governance practices.

11.5 Due to changed Consumer Perception, the Halal market not only attracts Muslim population

but also non-Muslim consumers. However, the perception towards Halal product and purchase

intention is not quite the same, as Muslim consumers usually consider Halal food product

mainly because of religious issue, while the increasing demand from non-Muslim consumers

in globe is influenced by the growing concern of health-conscious community that request for

well-prepared product in terms of slaughtering process, cleanliness and other reasons.

Furthermore, culture assimilation in a multiracial country like India has shaped the purchase

intention of non-Muslim consumers towards Halal food products.

12. WAY FORWARD FOR HALAL CERTIFICATION IN INDIA

Recommendations:

12.1 Role Clarity of Institutions Involved: Defining the overarching structure for implementation

of the i-CAS Halal in India, and the role clarity of the institutions involved especially relating

to Scheme Ownership, Standards formulation, and Implementation of scheme, and to avoid any

potential conflicts of interest.

12.2 Aligning the i-CAS Halal as per International Requirements / Practices: Establishing &

aligning the scheme in accordance with international standards (ISO) so that accredited

certification under the scheme is harmonized with the international requirements and practices,

and that the i-CAS Halal can be benchmarked with other reputed global schemes. This may also

require developing a new logo/mark for the i-CAS Halal.

12.3 Conformity Assessment through Accredited Third-Party Bodies: Prescribing the NABCB

accredited third-party conformity assessment bodies under the complete oversight of QCI will

facilitate robustness of assessment of the entities certified under the i-CAS Halal, as well as

leveraging the already available internationally recognized accreditation infrastructure within

the country. This will also facilitate international equivalence and acceptance of accredited

certifications under the i-CAS Halal.

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12.4 Monitoring of Certified Organizations under i-CAS Halal: Credibility of the i-CAS Halal

should be assured through a variety of mechanisms, which would include periodic surveillance

& reassessment of certified entities, strong Market Surveillance, and Integrated Information

System & Data analytics.

12.5 Awareness Campaigns: Creating consumer awareness and recognition of i-CAS Halal

certified products for influencing consumer purchasing behaviours. Active awareness

campaigns to educate both consumers and producers about the i-CAS Halal Mark and its

benefits.

12.6 Target Export Markets: The Government should prioritize specific products / sectors with

maximum export volumes contributing to the Indian Economy, specifically looking into the

international trade of Halal certified products and explore the potential markets for Indian

manufacturers. Also, suggesting partner countries with whom India can maximum international

trade for such products.

12.7 Bilateral Trade Agreements: Given India's good relations with Gulf countries and other Halal

importing nations, MOUs and bilateral / multilateral trade agreements with these economies

can be negotiated to facilitate export of Halal products from India certified under i-CAS Halal.

13. CONCLUSION

13.1 The global demand for Halal food products has increased, expanding the Halal food market.

The biggest challenge, however, remains the lack of consistent global halal standards, which

makes it difficult for organisations looking to export halal foods to different countries.

13.2 Additionally, there are numerous government-affiliated organisations producing standards,

along with private firms and HCBs, national and regional organisations, and international

organisations like the OIC initiative or the SMIIC (Standards and Metrology Institute for the

Islamic Countries). With so many standards in use, it can be difficult to determine which will

give exporters access to the market, and in many instances, multiple certificates are required.

13.3 As a result, a standardised halal certification standard is essential for globalising halal products

as well as consumer convenience, which will strengthen the halal industry.

13.4 In addition, Halal food products are one of the main components of the Halal industry

throughout the globe. It is growing more and more every year and contributes largely to

economic growth. However, there are issues and challenges faced by the food industry

operators in order to implement Halal concept in their businesses. The issues and challenges in

Halal Trade In India are Lack of authoritative control , regulation , regular Monitoring ,

enforcement , awareness of the Industries , Changed consumer perception, cost, market

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competitiveness, and supply chain management and By outlining these problems, it is hoped

that this Guideline will give thought to discuss suggestions and identify solutions for the

problems that have been raised so that food business operators in India have solid platform to

implement the Halal concept in their businesses

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14. INDIA CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT SCHEME (i-CAS) - HALAL

Part A: Terms & Definitions

ISO Online Browsing Platform: The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) maintains

database of terms & definitions for use in standardization and which may be referred at the following

web address: https://www.iso.org/obp/ui

In addition to above, the terms and definitions as given in ISO/IEC 17000 standard, and as described

below shall be applicable for the purposes of i-CAS for Halal Products.

(Note: In case of multiple definitions, the definition as given in the latest version of ISO Standard

shall prevail)

A1.1 Islamic Shariah

The revelation on Prophet Muhammad (Allah) in relation to the beliefs, sentiments and acts

of the ordered, whether conclusive or presumptive.

A1.2 Halal

The term Halal is used for products, services or systems which are considered lawful (Tayeib)

or permissible under the Islamic Shariah law that do not consist of or contain any part that is

considered as unlawful (haram) according to Islamic law, and/or the actions permitted by

Shariah law without punishment imposed on the doer.

A1.3 Haram

The term Haram refers to anything that is prohibited or forbidden in the Islamic law.

A1.4 Halal Product

Any product which is allowed to be consumed or used according to Islamic Rules by eating,

drinking, injecting, inhaling, applying or wearing should comply with the requirements

mentioned in this standard.

Note: Products certified for Halal by the Certification Bodies (as defined in A1.12), which are

duly accredited by the official National Accreditation Body (as defined in A1.13), and

approved as Notified Bodies by the Competent Authority of India (as defined in A1.14) shall

only be allowed to be placed in market in India.

A1.5 Halal Food

Halal food means food and drink and/or their ingredients permitted under the Shariah law and

that fulfil the following conditions:

a) does not contain any parts or products of animals that are non-halal by Shariah law or any

parts or products of animals which are not slaughtered according to Shariah law;

b) does not contain najs according to Shariah law;

c) safe for consumption, non-poisonous, non-intoxicating or non-hazardous to health;

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d) not prepared, processed or manufactured using equipment contaminated with najs according

to Shariah law;

e) does not contain any human parts or its derivatives that are not permitted by Shariah law;

f) during its preparation, processing, handling, packaging, storage and distribution, the food is

physically separated from any other food that does not meet the requirements stated in items

a), b), c), d) or e) or any other things that have been decreed as najs by Shariah law.

A1.6 Najis

A term in Arabic language that means impurity or impure, dirty, polluted, contaminated, dirt,

or filth. Najis according to Shariah law are:

a) dogs and pigs and their descendants;

b) halal food that is contaminated with things that are non-halal;

c) halal food that comes into direct contact with things that are non-halal;

d) any liquid and objects discharged from the orifices of human beings or animals such as urine,

blood, vomit, pus, placenta and excrement, sperm and ova of pigs and dogs except sperm and

ova of other animals;

NOTE. Milk, sperm and ova of human and animals, except dog and pig, are not najs.

e) carrion or ha/al animals that are not slaughtered according to Shariah law; and

f) khamal and food or drink which contain or mixed with khamar.

There are three types of Najs:

i) mughallazah which is considered as severe najs which are dogs and pigs (khinzirj including

any liquid and objects discharged from their orifices, descendants and derivatives;

ii) mukhaffafah which is considered as light najs. The only najs in this category is urine from a

baby boy at the age of two years and below who has not consumed any other food except his

mother's milk; and

iii) mutawassitah which is considered as medium najs which does not fall under severe or light

najs such as vomit, pus, blood, khamar, carrion, liquid and objects discharged from the

orifices, etc.

A1.7 Slaughtering (Tazkeya)

According to Shariah law the slaughter act is that severs the trachea (halqum), oesophagus

(mari) and both the carotid arteries and jugular veins (wadajain) to hasten the bleeding to

drain blood and the death of animal.

A1.8 Halal Certification Scheme

Certification system related to specified products, to which the same specified requirements,

specific rules and procedures for Halal apply.

Note: General guidance for the development of schemes is provided in ISO/IEC 17067

standard. The criteria for evaluation of conformity assessment schemes by accreditation

bodies is provided in the mandatory document (IAF MD 25) published by the International

Accreditation Forum (IAF), the Rules Document on the criteria for evaluating the Halal

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Schemes (IHAF/RD 04) published by the International Halal Accreditation Forum (IHAF), or

in similar documents published by the official National Accreditation Bodies.

A1.9 Halal Certification Scheme Owner

An organization responsible for developing and maintaining a specific certification scheme

for Halal products, processes and/or services

Note: The scheme owner can be the certification body itself, a governmental authority, a trade

association, a group of certification bodies or others.

A1.10 Halal Certificate

A Certificate of Conformity that confirms that the product, process or service meets the Halal

standards / regulations and the Halal requirements in the Islamic Shariah law.

A1.11 Scope of Halal Certification

In the Halal certificate issued, the identification of:

a) the product(s), process(es) or service(s) for which the certification is granted,

b) the applicable certification scheme, and

c) the standard(s), regulation(s) and other normative document(s), including their date of

publication, to which it is judged that the product(s), process(es) or service(s) comply

A1.12 Halal Certification Body

A third-party Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) that complies with the requirements of i-

CAS, operates Halal Certification Scheme(s) as per ISO/IEC 17067, is accredited as per

ISO/IEC 17065 standard by the national accreditation body signatory to the IAF MLA and/or

IHAF MRA, performs activities for Halal Certification as per the doctrines of the Islamic

Shariah law, and issues Halal certificates under such accreditation recognized by the

Competent Authority of India.

A1.13 Accreditation Body for Halal Certification Bodies:

The official National Accreditation Body of India, the National Accreditation Board for

Certification Bodies (NABCB), a constituent Board of the Quality Council of India (QCI),

which is authorized by the Competent Authority of India to provide accreditation to the Halal

Certification Bodies. There shall be only one single official National Accreditation Body,

designated the Government, in India, as well as for other economies / regions (see note below)

for the purpose of recognition by the Competent Authority of India.

Note: The Competent Authority may also prescribe rules and procedures to recognize on

mutual reciprocal basis through G2G bi- or multi-lateral trade agreements, the official

National Accreditation Body of other economies / regions, which are signatories to the IAF

MLA and/or IHAF MRA, for imports of Halal Products in India. The Competent Authority, in

such case, may also decide to carry out its own evaluation (and periodic re-evaluations)

before recognizing the official National Accreditation Body of another economy / region on

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mutual reciprocal basis. The recognition granted shall not be valid longer than 5 years, with

a clause to terminate the recognition during the period by giving a 3-months’ notice.

A1.14 Competent Authority of India

The Competent Authority is the ministry / department of the Government of India, or its

designated sub-ordinate body, which is entrusted to establish the i-CAS for Halal Products, to

prescribe the appropriate standards and/or technical regulations for Halal, to authorize the

official National Accreditation Body(ies) for providing accreditation, to approve and notify

the accredited Halal Certification Bodies as ‘Notified Bodies’, to enter into bi- and/or multi-

lateral trade agreements for Halal products, to monitor the certified facilities, products &

services for Halal through Market Surveillance or Surveys, to take legal/punitive actions for

any misrepresentation and/or malpractices, and to carry out any other work related to Halal.

The Government of India has authorized the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce

& Industry as the Competent Authority of India, and has entrusted it with carrying out work

as specified above.

A1.15 Notified Body for Halal Certification

The Notified Body is the Halal Certification Body (as defined in A1.12), which is duly

accredited by the official National Accreditation Body (as defined in A1.13) and approved as

Notified Body by the Competent Authority of India (as defined in A1.14).

A1.16 Halal Certification Mark

The package of each product, and where feasible the product itself, produced by the specific

certified facilities, including the associated documents or brochures, shall bear the

Certification Mark of the accredited Halal Certification Body (Notified Body) along with the

Accreditation Mark as prescribed the official National Accreditation Body before being

placed in market in India, to assure that the Halal product conforms to the requirements of i-

CAS.

A1.17 Halal Certification Contract

An agreement signed between the Halal certification body and the applicant organization, so

that the applicant is granted Halal certification for specific products, and the right to use Halal

Mark for the product or service.

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Part B: Requirements for Halal Products

B1 Scope

This standard specifies the requirements for Halal Products that shall be followed by the organization

(facility and/or business operator) in their production, supply and storage, including their packaging,

labelling, transportation, distribution and for providing services, while operating at any stage in the

entire supply chain.

B2 Normative References

ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems - Requirements

B3 General Requirements

B3.1 All products, their derivatives, products, parts and extracts shall be subject to the provisions

of Islamic Rules in terms of allowance or prohibition, as per Annex B-1.

B3.2 The procedures derived from Islamic Rules shall be adhered to in all stages of supply chain

for Halal products, including receipt, preparation, packaging, labelling, transportation,

distribution, storage, display and services.

B3.3 All additives and raw materials used for the production of Halal products should be free of

any non-Halal component; this should be supported by legalized official documents

explaining its components including packaging materials.

B3.4 All Halal products should not contain any toxic substances and hazardous pollutants which

are considered harmful to health.

B3.5 All Halal products should be devoid from Najasah (impurity) contamination that is forbidden

by Islamic rules.

B3.6 All non-Halal products should be completely separated from the Halal products throughout

the supply chain in order to ensure their differentiation and non-mixing with each other and

to prevent its contamination.

B3.7 The official bodies & authorities may take all necessary procedures to verify compliance of

products with the special requirements of Halal products, and may take the appropriate

procedures in accordance with the other applicable regulations.

B3.8 At the facilities for production of Halal products, general and specific health requirements as

prescribed shall be adhered to.

B3.9 Animal slaughtering (Tazkeya) requirements should be strictly followed in accordance with

the Islamic Shariah Rules.

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B3.10 All devices, tools, production lines and associated materials used for Halal products should

be clean, and it shouldn’t be made of or contain non- Halal products.

B3.11 When transforming any appliances, tools or production lines that have been used or in touch

with non-Halal products, they shall be cleaned according to general cleaning rules to remove

traces of non-Halal products completely. Shifting from non-Halal to Halal procedure should

not be repeating on an ongoing basis.

B3.12 When cleaning or maintaining machinery or devices that goes in touch with Halal products,

there shall be no use of any detergent liquids, greases, oils or fats that contain non-Halal

components or materials.

B4 Organization and Management Responsibility

B4.1 The organization shall be a legal entity that can be held legally responsible for its

facilities/premises, processes and/or services used for Halal products. A governmental

certification body is deemed to be a legal entity on the basis of its governmental status.

B4.2 The organization, and its products, processes and services, shall at times comply with any

applicable statutory, regulatory and/or contractual requirements for Halal products, as relevant

specifically in the countries of its origin and its final destination.

B4.3 The organization shall have a process to identify, analyse, evaluate, treat, monitor, and

document the risks related to Halal control system implemented by it on an ongoing basis.

Where any risks are identified, the organization shall document and demonstrate how it

eliminates or minimizes such risks. The top management of the organization shall on a

continual basis review any residual risk to determine if it is within the level of acceptable risk.

B4.4 The organization shall be responsible for consistently achieving the intended results of

implementation of the Halal control system and applicable requirements for certification.

B4.5 The management shall appoint a competent person(s), in general Muslim, or in its place, a

qualified person having knowledge in Islamic Shariah law, as its Authorized Officer(s), or

establish a Committee which consists of at least one Muslim person, who is/are responsible

to ensure the effectiveness in implementation of internal Halal control system.

B4.6 The management shall ensure that they are trained on the Halal principles and its application.

B4.7 The management shall ensure that sufficient and appropriate resources (i.e. manpower,

machines, materials, finances, facilities and infrastructure) are provided in order to implement

the Halal control system.

B4.8 The organization shall be able to demonstrate that it has adequate arrangements (e.g. insurance

or reserves) to cover liabilities arising from its operations for Halal products and the

geographic areas in which it operates.

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B5 Facilities and/or Premises

B5.1 Facilities and/or premises shall be designed and constructed or renovated so as to enable the

process flow to control the risk of product contamination and shall be suitable for the intended

purpose.

B5.2 The facilities and/or premises shall be designed to facilitate cleaning and proper supervision

of hygiene.

B5.3 Layout of facilities and/or premises shall permit proper process flow, proper employee flow,

good hygienic and safety practices, including protection against pest infestation and cross

contamination between and during operations.

B5.4 Product process flow from receipt of raw materials to the finished products shall prevent cross

contamination.

B5.5 Adequate sanitary facilities shall be provided and maintained.

B5.6 Loading and unloading bay shall be appropriately designed to allow effective transfer of

perishable products.

B5.7 The facilities and/or premises shall be kept in good repair and condition to prevent pest access

and to eliminate potential breeding sites.

B5.8 The facilities and/or premises shall be effectively separated and well insulated from pig farm

or its processing activities to prevent cross contamination through personnel and equipment.

B5.9 Slaughtering and processing premises shall be dedicated for halal slaughtering and halal

processing only.

B5.10 Processing of carcasses such as deboning, cutting, packing and storing shall be done in the

same premises as slaughtering or in approved premises by the competent authority that meets

the requirements of this standard.

B5.11 Pets and other animals shall be refrained from entering the facilities and/or premises.

B6 Devices, Machines and Processing Aids

B6.1 Devices, tools, machines and processing aids used for processing Halal food shall be designed

and constructed to facilitate cleaning and shall not be made of or contain any materials that

are decreed as Najs by Shariah law and shall be used only for Halal products.

B6.2 Devices, tools, machines and processing aids which were previously used or in contact with

najs al-mughallazah shall be washed and ritually cleansed as required by Islamic Shariah law.

B6.3 In the case of converting najs al-mughallazah line or processing line containing najs al-

mughallazah into halal production line, the line shall be washed and ritually cleansed as

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required by Islamic Shariah law. This procedure shall be supervised and verified by

Authorized Officer or a person of the Committee appointed by the Management. Upon

conversion, the line shall be operated for halal products only. Frequent repetition in converting

the line to najs al-mughallazah line and back to halal line, shall not be permitted.

B7 Hygiene, Sanitation and Safety Practices

B7.1 Hygiene, sanitation and safety practices are prerequisites in the preparation of Halal products.

It includes the various aspects of personal hygiene, clothing, devices, tools, machines and

processing aids, and the premises for processing, manufacturing and storage of Halal products.

B7.2 Halal product manufacturers shall implement measures to:

a) inspect and sort raw material, ingredients and packaging material before processing;

b) manage waste effectively;

c) store harmful chemical substances appropriately and away from Halal products;

d) prevent contamination of products by foreign matters such as plastic, glass or metal shards

from machinery, dust, harmful gas or fumes, and hazardous chemicals; and

e) prevent excessive use of permitted additives in manufacturing and processing, and suitable

detection or screening devices should be used where necessary.

B7.3 Halal products shall be processed, packed and distributed under hygienic condition in facilities

and/or premises licensed in accordance with Good Hygiene Practices (GHP), Good

Manufacturing Practices (GMP) of international bodies such as WHO, Codex Alimentarius

etc., and/or the international standards (ISO) for sectoral safety practices such as Food Safety

Management Systems as prescribed by the official National Accreditation Body, and/or as

specified by the Competent Authority of India.

B8 Processing

B8.1 The main sources of Halal products, especially Halal foods are:

i) Animals - can be divided into two categories:

Land animals - All land animals are Halal as food except the following:

a) animals that are not slaughtered according to Islamic Shariah law;

b) najs al-mughallazah animals i.e. pigs and dogs, and their descendants;

c) animals with long pointed teeth or tusks which are used to kill prey such as tigers, bears,

elephants, cats, monkeys, etc.;

d) predator birds such as eagles, owls and etc.;

e) pests and/or poisonous animals such as rats, cockroaches, centipedes, scorpions, snakes,

wasps and other similar animals;

f) animals that are forbidden to be killed in Islam such as bees (al-nahlah), woodpeckers (hud-

hud) etc.;

g) creatures that are considered repulsive such as lice, flies, etc.;

h) farmed Halal animals which are intentionally and continually fed with najs; and

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i) other animals forbidden to be eaten in accordance to Islamic Shariah law such as donkeys

and mules.

Aquatic animals - those which live in water and cannot survive outside it, such as fish. All

aquatic animals are halal except those that are poisonous, intoxicating or hazardous to health.

Animals that live both on land and water such as crocodiles, turtles and frogs are not Halal.

Aquatic animals which live in najs or intentionally and/or continually fed with najs are not

Halal.

ii) Plants - all types of plants and plant products and their derivatives are Halal except those that

are poisonous, intoxicating or hazardous to health.

iii) Mushroom and micro-organisms - all types of mushroom and micro-organisms (i.e. bacteria,

algae and fungi) and their by-products and/or derivatives are Halal except those that are

poisonous, intoxicating or hazardous to health.

iv) Natural minerals and chemicals - all natural minerals and chemicals are Halal except those

that are poisonous, intoxicating or hazardous to health.

v) Drinks - all kinds of water and beverages are Halal as drinks except those that are poisonous,

intoxicating or hazardous to health.

vi) Genetically Modified (GM) Foods - Food and drinks containing products and/or by-products

of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) or ingredients made by the use of genetic

material of animals that are non-Halal by Islamic Shariah law are not Halal.

vii) Notwithstanding above, the products from hazardous aquatic animals or plants are Halal when

the toxin or poison has been eliminated during processing as permitted by the Islamic Shariah

law.

B8.2 Slaughtering process shall take into account animal welfare in accordance to the Islamic

Shariah law. The following requirements shall also be complied with:

a) slaughtering shall be performed only by a practicing Muslim who is mentally sound, baligh,

fully understands the fundamental rules and conditions related to the slaughter of animals in

Islam;

b) the slaughterman shall have certificate for Halal slaughter issued by state/city/local authority;

c) the act of slaughtering shall be done with niyyah (intention) in the name of Allah and not for

other purposes. The slaughterman is well aware of his action;

d) the animal to be slaughtered has to be an animal that is Halal;

e) the animal to be slaughtered shall be alive or deemed to be alive (hayat al-mustaqirrah) at the

time of slaughter;

f) animals to be slaughtered shall be healthy and have been approved by the state/city/local

authority;

g) tasmiyyah has to be invoked immediately before slaughtering;

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h) the slaughtering is recommended to be performed while facing the qiblah;

i) slaughtering lines & tools shall be dedicated for Halal slaughter only;

j) slaughtering knife or blade shall be sharp and free from blood and other impurities;

k) slaughtering shall be done only once. The "sawing action" of the slaughtering is permitted as

long as the slaughtering knife or blade is not lifted off the animal during the slaughtering;

l) bones, nails and teeth shall not be used as slaughtering tools;

m) the act of Halal slaughter shall begin with an incision on the neck at some point just below the

glottis (Adam's apple) and after the glottis for long necked animals;

n) the slaughter act shall sever the trachea (halqum), oesophagus (mari) and both the carotid

arteries and jugular veins (wadajain) to hasten the bleeding and death of the animal. The

bleeding shall be spontaneous and complete; and

o) a trained Muslim inspector shall be appointed and be responsible to check that the animals are

properly slaughtered according to the Islamic Shariah law.

B8.3 For poultry, scalding shall only be carried out on animals that are deemed dead as a result of

Halal slaughter.

B8.4 Stunning is not recommended. However, if stunning is to be carried out the conditions

specified in Annex B-2 shall be complied.

B8.5 Processing, handling, distribution and serving - all processed Halal products/foods shall meet

the following requirements:

a) food or its ingredients shall not be processed using any components or products of animals

that are non-Halal by Shariah law, or of Halal food any components or products of animals

that are not slaughtered according to Shariah law;

b) food shall not be processed using anything in any quantity that is decreed as najs by Islamic

Shariah law;

c) processed food or its ingredients shall be safe for consumption, non-poisonous,

non-intoxicating or non-hazardous to health;

d) food shall be prepared, processed or manufactured using equipment and facilities that are free

from contamination with najs; and

e) during its preparation, processing, handling, packaging, storage distribution and serving, it

shall be physically separated from any other food that does not meet the requirements

specified in items a), b), c) and/or d) above, or any other things that are decreed as najs by

Islamic Shariah law.

B9 Packaging / Wrapping Materials, Labelling & Advertising

B9.1 Halal products shall be suitably packed, and the packaging / wrapping materials shall be Halal

in nature and free from any non-Halal materials.

B9.2 Packaging / wrapping materials shall not be prepared, processed or manufactured from any

raw materials that are decreed as najs by Islamic Shariah law or by using equipment that is

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contaminated with non-Halal materials during preparation, storage or transportation. It shall

be physically separated from any other non-Halal materials.

B9.3 Packaging / wrapping materials shall not contain any material that is considered hazardous on

human health, and shall not have any toxic effect on the Halal product.

B9.4 Packaging / wrapping materials and/or their design, and the signages, symbols, logos, names

and pictures used on the packaging for Halal products, or for advertising the Halal products,

shall not be misleading and/or contravening the principles of Islamic Shariah law.

B9.5 Packaging / wrapping process shall be carried out in a clean and hygienic manner, and in

sound sanitary conditions.

B9.6 Labelling materials used in direct contact with the product shall be non-hazardous and Halal.

B9.7 Halal products shall not be named or synonymously named after non-Halal products such as

ham, beer, rum and others that might create confusion.

B9.8 Each package / container shall be marked legibly and indelibly or a label shall be attached to

it, with at least with the following information:

a) name of the product;

b) nett content expressed in metric system (SI units);

c) name and address of the manufacturer, importer and/or distributor and trademark;

d) list of ingredients;

e) unique number identifying date and/or batch number of manufacture and expiry date;

f) country of origin.

B9.9 For primary meat products, the label or mark on the packaging shall also include the following

information:

a) date of slaughter;

b) date of processing.

B9.10 Halal products containing fats, oils, meat derivatives, extracts such as gelatine or rennet, food

additives, GM foods shall be declared along with its sources.

B9.10 Advertising shall not contravene with the principles of Islamic Shariah law, and shall not

display indecent elements which are against Islamic Shariah law.

B10 Storage, Handling, Transportation, Display, Sale and Services

B10.1 All Halal products that are stored, transported, displayed, sold and/or served shall be

categorised and labelled Halal, and segregated at every stage so as to prevent them from being

mixed or contaminated with things that are non-Halal.

B10.2 Halal products based on naj al-Mughallazah shall be stored in a dedicated place.

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B10.3 The tools, equipment and other accessories used during the storage, handling, transport,

display, sale and services of Halal products shall be totally separated from those used for non-

Halal products.

B10.3 Suitable vehicles for transport shall be used appropriate as per the type of the Halal product,

and shall satisfy hygiene and sanitation conditions.

B11 Management System Requirements

B11.1 General

The organization shall establish and maintain a management system that is capable of

achieving the consistent fulfilment of the requirements of i-CAS and the Halal control system

in accordance with either Option A or Option B described below.

B11.2 Control of Documents (Option A)

The organization's top management shall document its policy and/or procedure to control the

documents for fulfilment of the requirements of i-CAS and the Halal control system, and shall

ensure that it is implemented at all levels of the organization.

B11.3 Management Review (Option A)

The organization's top management shall establish procedure to review its management

system at planned intervals, in order to ensure its continuing suitability, adequacy and

effectiveness, including the stated policies and objectives related to the fulfilment of the

requirements of i-CAS and the Halal control system. These reviews shall be conducted at least

once a year.

B11.4 Internal audits (Option A)

The organization shall establish procedure for internal audits to verify that it fulfils the

requirements of i-CAS and the Halal control system, and that the management system is

effectively implemented and maintained. Internal audits shall be performed at least once every

12 months.

B11.5 Complaints (Option A)

The organization shall have a documented process to receive, evaluate and make decisions on

complaints related to its operations and its Halal products, processes and/or services. The

organization shall record and track complaints, as well as actions undertaken to resolve them.

B11.6 Option B

The organization that has established and maintains a management system, in accordance with

the requirements of ISO 9001, and that is capable of supporting and demonstrating the

consistent fulfilment of the requirements of this International Standard through an accredited

certification under the official National Accreditation Body, fulfils the Management System

Requirements as stated in clauses B11.2 to B11.5 above.

B12 Records

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B12.1 The organization shall establish procedure to define the controls needed for the identification,

storage, protection, retrieval, retention and disposition of its records, and to demonstrate the

fulfilment of the requirements of i-CAS and the Halal control system in its internal audits as

well as in audits/inspections by external bodies. The organization shall retain records for a

period of at least 3 years, and/or in accordance with its contractual and legal obligations,

whichever is later.

B12.2 The organization’s records shall be internally traceable to the person(s) who performed the

specific activities, especially the key activities.

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Annex B-1: Classification of Non-Halal Animals

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Annex B-2: Requirements on the use of Stunning in Slaughter

B-2.1 General Requirements

B-2.1.1 Slaughtering shall be carried out according to the requirements related to the slaughter of

animals in Islam.

B-2.1.2 The animal shall be alive or deemed to be alive (hayat al-mustaqirrah) at the time of

slaughter.

B-2.1.3 Stunning is not recommended, however if stunning has to be carried out, the permitted

methods are electrical or pneumatic percussive stunning.

B-2.1.4 The use of stunning equipment shall be under the supervision of a trained Muslim and

periodically monitored by state/city/local authority.

B-2.1.5 The stunning shall not kill or cause permanent physical injury to the animal.

B-2.1.6 Stunners which are used to stun the animals under mughallazah najs category shall not be

used to stun animals for halal slaughter.

B-2.2 Electrical Stunning

B-2.2.1 The electrical stunner shall be of the type allowed by the state/city/local authority in charge

of slaughter.

B-2.2.2 The type of stunner used for slaughter of halal animals shall be 'head only stunner' type,

where both electrodes are placed on the head region.

B-2.2.3 Electrical stunning of poultry is allowed using "water bath stunner" only.

B-2.2.4 The strength of current used shall be supervised by a trained Muslim and monitored by

state/city/local authority.

B-2.3 Pneumatic Percussive Stunner

B-2.3.1 Pneumatic percussive stunning is only suitable for all bovine animals.

B-2.3.2 The air pressure that powers the stunner should not be more than 225 psi and should be

kept to the minimum required to stun the animal.

B-2.3.3 The head of the stunner shall be flat or slightly convex.

B-2.3.4 There shall be a protective collar around head of the stunner so that it shouldn't protrude

more than 3mm beyond it.

B-2.3.5 The heads of animal to be stunned shall be held still before the stunner can be applied.

B-2.3.6 The centre of the stunner shall be in contact with the animal at a point of intersection of

lines drawn from the medial corners of the eyes and the base of the ears.

B-2.3.7 The stunner shall be applied so that the head of the stunner is perpendicular to the frontal

bone.

B-2.3.8 The animal shall be stunned once.

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Part C: Requirements for Halal Certification Bodies

C1 Scope

This standard specifies the requirements for the consistent operation of the certification bodies and

the implementation of certification procedures for Halal certification of the products, processes,

services and management systems.

C2 Normative References

C2.1 ISO/IEC 17000: Conformity assessment - Vocabulary and general principles.

C2.2 ISO/IEC 17020: Conformity assessment - General criteria for the operation of various types

of bodies performing inspection.

C2.3 ISO/IEC 17021-1: Conformity assessment - Requirements for bodies providing audit and

certification of management systems- Part one: Requirements.

C2.4 ISO/IEC 17025: General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration

laboratories.

C2.5 ISO/IEC 17065: Conformity assessment - Requirements for bodies providing certification of

products, processes and services.

C2.6 ISO 19011: Guidelines for auditing management systems.

C2.7 ISO/TS 22003: Food safety management systems - Requirements for bodies providing audit

and certification for Food safety management systems.

C3 General Principles

C3.1 The principles given in Clause 4 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 and Annex A of ISO/IEC

17065:2012 are the basis for any specific performance and requirements described in this

standard. These principles should be applied as guidance for the decisions that may need to

be made in unanticipated situations.

C3.2 The overall aim of Halal certification is to give confidence to all parties that a certification

body fulfils specified requirements. The value of certification is the degree of public

confidence and trust that is established by an impartial and competent assessment by a third-

party.

C3.3 The Halal certification body and its employees must adhere to the requirements of Halal in

Islamic Law and deal with the highest degree of responsibility, integrity and neutrality when

applying the requirements related to it.

C4 General Requirements

C4.1 General

All the requirements given in Clause 4.1 of the ISO/IEC 17065:2012 shall apply.

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C4.2 Legal Responsibility

All the requirements given in Clause 4.1.1 of ISO/IEC 17065:2012 shall apply. In addition to

that; the Halal certification body must ensure that the product, process, or service is properly

offered to Muslims and that all relevant procedures are carried out to ensure that the

requirements of Halal in Islamic Sharia are implemented in all its activities.

C4.3 Halal Certification Agreement

All the requirements given in clause 4.1.2 of ISO/IEC 17065:2012 shall apply. In addition to

allowing the periodic and sudden evaluation visits of the Halal certification body and to its

customers.

C4.4 Responsibility for Halal Certification Decisions

All the requirements given in clause 5.1.3 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 shall apply.

C4.5 Responsibility for the use of Halal Certificate and Mark

All the requirements given in clause 4.1.3 of ISO/IEC 17065:2012 shall apply.

C4.6 Management of Impartiality

All the requirements given in clause 4.2 of ISO/IEC 17065:2012. The Halal certification body

or any part of the same legal entity, shall be impartial in taking decisions without any financial,

commercial or other pressures affecting the independence and impartiality of its certification

activities or decisions, and shall not offer or provide advice or consultancy in Halal or for any

other related quality systems.

C4.7 Liability and Financing

All the requirements given in clause 4.3 of ISO/IEC 17065:2012 shall apply.

C5 Operations

C5.1 The Halal certification body shall take all necessary steps to assess compliance with Halal

standards and/or regulations as applicable, and other requirements such as sampling, testing

and/or inspection in accordance with the Halal Product Certification Scheme.

C5.2 The Halal certification body shall ensure the suitability and competence of bodies and

personnel as stated in Annex A of ISO/IEC 17021-1 and Annex C of ISO/TS 22003.

C6 Structural Requirements

C6.1 Organizational Structure and Top Management

All the requirements given in clause 5.1 of ISO/IEC 17065:2012 shall apply.

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C6.2 Committee for Safeguarding Impartiality

All the requirements given in clause 5.2 of ISO/IEC 17065:2012 and the following shall apply:

C6.2.1 The Committee should include at least one Halal expert. The Committee must actively review

work performance in accordance with the requirements of Halal in Islamic law; ensure

integrity of issuance of Halal certification, and review the overall operations of the Halal

certification body.

C6.2.2 The Halal certification body shall on an ongoing basis identify and analyse actual or potential

risks that may arise from its activities, its personnel or its relationships in the implementation

of the Halal certification requirements as per the Islamic Sharia law, and shall be able to

demonstrate how it eliminates or minimizes such risks.

C7 Resource Requirements

C7.1 Competence of Personnel

All the requirements given in clause 6.1 of ISO/IEC 17065:2012 shall apply. Additionally,

the Halal certification body shall have processes to ensure that personnel have adequate

competence relevant to the categories (Annex C-1) in which they operate.

C7.2 Personnel involved in the Halal Certification Procedures

All the requirements given in clause 6.2 of ISO/IEC 17065:2012 and the following shall apply:

C7.2.1 The Halal certification body shall ensure that the auditors and decision makers for the Halal

certification are technically competent and are of high ethics. Technical experts can be

recruited for specific technical areas. At least one person in the audit team for Halal

certification audits, as well as in decision-making shall be a Muslim.

C7.2.2 The procedures for auditing and issuing the Halal certificates shall be carried out in an

effective and harmonized manner, and the Halal certification body shall specify the minimum

requirements and criteria for qualifying key managerial and specialized technical personnel.

These requirements may include training in the application of Halal standards and/or

regulations, quality management systems, product certification and food safety management

systems.

C7.2.3 The audit personnel of the halal certification body can be regular and/or on contract basis. The

halal certification body shall review and monitor the work of its personnel, be responsible for

their work and performance, and maintain all records to demonstrate their engagement, work

and monitoring of performance.

C7.2.4 The Halal certification body shall require its personnel involved in the Halal certification to

sign a contract or other document in which they commit themselves to:

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a) Comply with the rules defined by the Halal certification body, including those related to

confidentiality and independence from commercial and other interest(s).

b) Declare any previous or current activities in association with and/or employed in

organizations involved in design, process, manufacture, service and/or supply of Halal

products, or in granting Halal certificates to an organization where they are intended to

be employed or hired.

C7.2.5 Records of the relevant qualifications, trainings, experience and competence of each key

managerial and technical personnel involved in the Halal certification process shall be

maintained by the Halal certification body.

C7.3 Personnel for Review of Contracts

C7.3.1 Knowledge

The halal certification body shall ensure that the personnel carrying out contract review shall

have the appropriate knowledge and understanding, especially with regards to:

a) Relevant standard(s), regulation(s), and the processes for Halal products and/or services;

b) Quality Management Systems, especially the Food Safety Management Systems e.g. ISO

22000;

c) Product conformity requirements and procedures.

C7.3.2 Competence

The Halal certification body shall ensure that the personnel carrying out contract review have

demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills in the following areas:

a) Classification of applicants in food chain categories and other sectors;

b) Assessment of applicant’s products and/or services, processes and practices;

c) Evaluation of competencies and requirements of Halal certification auditors;

d) Determination of the planning and execution time of the audit and the actual time of

implementation of the audit (Annex C-2);

e) Halal certification body's policies and procedures related to contract review.

C7.4 Personnel Responsible for Decision-making on Halal Certification

C7.4.1 The Halal certification body shall ensure that the personnel who take decisions to grant,

refuse, maintain, renew, suspend, restore or withdraw Halal certification, or to expand or

reduce the scope of the scope of certification, have the relevant experience and demonstrated

competence to understand the applicable standard and/or regulation for Halal products,

processes and/or services, the certification scheme requirements and procedures, as required

for a given category (Annex C-1), and shall be able to evaluate the outcomes of the audit

processes, including the recommendations of the audit team. The committee responsible for

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decision-making shall have at least 3 members, out of which at least 1 member shall be an

expert on Islamic Sharia law and/or Halal certification, and preferably a Muslim. Decisions

on Halal certification shall be taken unanimously.

C7.4.2 Competence

The Halal certification body shall ensure that the members of the decision-making committee

has demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills especially in the following areas:

a) Requirements in Standards and/or Regulations for Halal products and services;

b) Requirements in Islamic Sharia related to Halal products, including slaughtering of

animals;

c) Current principles and understanding of relevant management systems;

d) Identification and assessment of risks for Halal requirements;

e) Corrections and corrective actions to be taken with regards to Halal matters;

f) Laws/regulations and provisions therein relevant to the Halal product/services;

g) Products, processes, technology and practices involved in manufacture of Halal products

and/or in providing Halal services;

h) Evaluating and reviewing the audit report for accuracy and completeness;

i) Evaluating and reviewing effectiveness of corrective actions;

j) The overall certification process;

C7.5 Technical Auditors

C7.5.1 The technical auditor(s) of Halal certification body shall have relevant knowledge of Islamic

Shariah rules with regard to Halal certification, should have knowledge and understanding of

relevant product standard(s), regulation(s) and other technical requirements, and should have

received training or have demonstrated competence on certification scheme(s) related to Halal

certification.

C7.5.2 The Halal certification body shall ensure that the technical auditors have successfully

completed training and/or demonstrate their competence in:

a) Principles relating to management systems, including food safety management systems;

b) Regulations / legislations as applicable and relevant;

c) Standards for relevant Halal products, processes and/or services;

d) Auditor training on ISO 19011;

e) Certification scheme(s) / procedure(s) for Halal certification.

C7.5.3 Work Experience

The Halal certification body shall ensure that the technical auditor(s) shall have at least five

years of full-time experience in a related field, with at least two years in quality assurance,

product safety, conformity assessment or equivalent.

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C7.5.4 Audit Experience

The Halal certification body shall ensure that within the last two years the technical auditor

has performed at least ten certification audits (such as on product/process certification, food

safety management systems etc.) under the leadership of a qualified auditor and/or as a

qualified auditor as a part of audit team.

C7.5.5 Competence

C7.5.5.1 The competencies of technical auditors shall be recorded as per clause 7.4.5.c of ISO

19011:2011 for each category and sector (Annex C-1). The Halal certification body shall

provide evidence of the successful evaluation of the technical auditors.

C7.5.5.2 The Halal certification body shall ensure that the technical auditors demonstrate ability to

apply knowledge and skills in the following areas:

a) Audit principles, procedures and techniques: to enable the auditor to apply them

appropriately in different audits and to ensure that audits are conducted in a consistent and

systematic manner. A technical auditor shall be able to:

• Apply audit principles, procedures and techniques,

• Plan and organize the work effectively,

• Conduct the audit within the agreed time schedule,

• Prioritize and focus on matters of significance,

• Collect information through effective interviewing, listening, observing and reviewing

documents,

• Keep records and data,

• Understand the method and techniques of sampling for auditing,

• Verify the accuracy of collected information,

• Confirm the sufficiency and appropriateness of audit evidence to support audit findings

and conclusions,

• Assess those factors that can affect the reliability of the audit findings and conclusions,

• Use work documents to record audit activities,

• Prepare audit reports,

• Maintain the confidentiality and security of information,

• Communicate effectively, either through personal linguistic skills or through an

interpreter.

b) Evaluate product/service certificate, and understand management systems and other

reference documents;

c) Assess organizational structure, documents, processes and records;

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C7.5.5.3 The Halal certification body shall ensure that the technical auditor(s) as part of audit team

demonstrate their ability to apply requirements, knowledge and skills in a specific sector

and the following areas:

a) Products, processes and practices of the specific sector(s) (Annex C-1)

b) Relevant management system requirements, if applicable.

c) Relevant product/service standards.

d) Relevant Halal requirements.

C7.6 Technical Experts

C7.6.1 Education

The requirements of clause 7.5.1 shall apply.

C7.6.2 Work Experience

The Halal certification body shall ensure that the technical experts have at least five years of

work experience in their technical area.

C7.6.3 Competence

The Halal certification body shall ensure that the technical experts demonstrate their ability

to provide expertise in their technical area.

C7.7 Audit Team

C7.7.1 The Halal certification body shall ensure that the Halal certification audit team have

competencies in the specific sector required by the audit (Annex C-1).

C7.7.2 The audit team shall consist of at least two members. One of them shall be technical auditor

having knowledge of Halal certification and Islamic Shariah law.

C7.7.3 In the case of external technical auditors and external technical experts, all the requirements

given in clause 7.3 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 shall apply.

C7.8 Outsourcing

When a Halal certification body decides to outsource the work related to Halal certification

to an external body or person (e.g. audit, testing or inspection), a properly documented

agreement covering the arrangements including confidentiality and conflict of interest shall

be drawn up. All the requirements given in clause 7.5 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 shall apply.

Additionally, the Halal certification body shall:

a) Assume full responsibility for the outsourcing of the work and retain its responsibility to

approve, grant, withdraw, suspend, terminate the Halal certificate and extend or reduce

the scope of the Halal certificate.

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b) Ensure that the outsourced body or person is competent and in conformity with the

provisions of this standard and any other relevant documents related to testing, inspection

or other technical procedures, and shall not be directly or indirectly involved in the design

or production of the Halal product / service in a manner that may spoil objectivity and

neutrality.

c) have documented procedures to control outsourcing operations and have records to

demonstrate its control.

C7.8.5 Personnel Records

All the requirements given in clause 6.1.2.2 of ISO/IEC 17065:2012 shall apply.

C8 Information Requirements

All the requirements given in clause 8 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 shall apply. The certificate

shall identify in detail the type of activity or product that has been certified, referring to scope

(Annex C-1).

C8.1 Publicly Accessible Information

All the requirements given in clause 8.1 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 shall apply.

C8.2 Halal Certificate

All the requirements given in clause 7.7 of ISO/IEC 17065:2012 shall apply.

C8.3 Directory of Halal Certified Clients and Products

All the requirements given in clause 7.8 of ISO/IEC 17065:2012 shall apply.

C8.4 Reference to Halal Certificate and use of Halal Marks

All the requirements given in clause 4.1.3 of ISO/IEC 17065:2012 and the following shall

apply:

C8.4.1 The Halal certification body must exercise proper control over the Halal certificates and the

organizations to which they are issued, to ensure proper use, display and claim of the Halal

certificates and certification marks.

C8.4.2 The obligation to use the Halal certificate and the Halal marks permitted by the Halal

certification body.

C8.4.3 The wrong references to the requirements in the Halal certification scheme/system or the use

of Halal certificate or the scope of certification, or the Halal marks should be handled

appropriately, if found in advertisements, magazines etc.

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C8.4.4 Holders of Halal certificates who have not been able to renew their certificates are not allowed

to claim Halal certification or use the Halal mark.

C8.4.5 The Halal mark shall comply with the relevant standards and/or regulations.

C8.4.6 The Halal mark can be clearly printed on all products certified for Halal so that it can be glued

to each box / package.

C8.4.7 Companies may print the Halal mark in colours appropriate for their packaging as long as this

does not alter the original specifications of the mark.

C8.4.8 The Halal mark may be placed on the entrance of the approved facility.

C8.4.9 The certificate holder shall not be allowed to reproduce the Halal certificate issued in such a

way as to impair its clarity, nor shall he tamper with the original copies thereof or make copies

of them, nor shall he be allowed to translate the certificate and / or test reports to other

languages without the consent of the Halal certification body.

C8.5 Confidentiality

All the requirements given in clause 8.4 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 shall apply.

C8.6 Information exchange between a Halal Certification Body and its Clients

All the requirements given in clause 8.5 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 shall apply.

C9 Process Requirements

C9.1 General Requirements

C9.1.1 The Halal certification body must specify the exact scope of application for Halal certification

in terms of categories of Halal product and/or service e.g. primary production (raw materials

or intermediate product), processing of products, production of packaging materials, etc. or

categories and areas in accordance with Annex C-1. The certification body should not exclude

part of the processes, areas, products, or services from the scope of application for the Halal

certification when those processes, areas, products or services have an impact on the

requirements of Halal in finished products.

C9.1.2 The Halal certification body shall have a process for selecting the audit day, time and category

so that the audit team has the opportunity for auditing the organization operating on a

representative number of product lines, categories and sectors covered by the scope. If the

subject of the certification is Halal product certification, the Halal certification body shall

review the results of all laboratory tests regarding the Halal status of the product.

C9.1.3 The audit programme shall include a two-stage initial audit, surveillance audit in the first and

the second years, and a recertification audit in the third year prior to expiration of certification.

The three years certification cycle begins with the certification or recertification decision. The

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determination of the audit programme and any subsequent amendments shall consider the size

of the organization of the client, the scope and complexity of its management system, products

and processes as well as the demonstrated effectiveness of level of management system and

the results of any previous audits. When a halal certification body is taking into account the

certificate or other audits already granted to the client, it shall collect sufficient, verifiable

information to justify, and record any adjustments to the audit programme. The halal

certificate is valid for three years and will be suspended or cancelled at any time when the

certified organization is found to contravene the approved halal standard and any related

requirements.

C9.1.4 All the requirements given in clauses 9.1.1 to 9.1.3 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 in regards to

submission of the application and revision and setting the audit programme shall apply.

C9.1.5 The Halal certification body shall have documented procedures for determining audit

timelines. The Halal certification body shall determine the time needed for each client to plan

and accomplish a complete and effective audit of the client’s product/service and/or Halal

management system. The audit time specified by the Halal certification body, and the

justification for the identification shall be recorded. While determining the audit time, the

Halal certification body should consider Annex C-2 and reference document (IAF- MD5) and

the following aspects:

a) Requirements of the approved Halal standards;

b) Size and complexity of the organization.

c) Technological and regulatory context.

d) Outsourced activities included in the scope of the production or procedures or product

safety management system.

e) Results of any prior audit(s).

f) Number of sites or establishments with multiple locations.

C9.1.6 Each site of a multi-site establishment needs to be assessed and certified separately.

C9.1.7 All the requirements given in clauses 9.1.4 to 9.1.6 of ISO/IEC 17021:2015 and clauses 7.2

to 7.4 of ISO/IEC 17065:2012 shall apply.

C9.1.8 The Halal certification body shall provide a written report for each audit. The report shall be

based on relevant guidance provided in ISO 19011 where the audit team may identify

opportunities for improvement but shall not recommend specific solutions perceived as

consultancy. Ownership of the audit report shall be maintained by the Halal certification body.

If the product/service is in the food-chain operations, the report shall include references to

issues relevant to the Food Safety Management System.

C.9.1.9 All the requirements given in clauses 9.4.8 to 9.4.10 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 and clauses

7.5 and 7.6 of ISO/IEC 17065:2012 shall apply.

C9.2 Initial Audit and Halal Certification

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C9.2.1 Application

a) All the requirements given in clause 9.1.1 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 shall apply.

b) The Halal certification body shall require the applicant for the Halal certificate to provide

detailed information concerning its entity / legal status, raw materials, processes, food

safety management system issues, HACCP analysis plan, number of work shifts and

number of employee per shift etc.

C9.2.2 Application Review

All the requirements given in clause 9.1.2 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 shall apply.

NOTE: In case of non-conformities found during the audit, the producer/service owner shall

make a declaration, before renewal of application, that he has completely removed all the non-

conformities detected in the audit. In case of any unsuccessful procedures in the process of

issuing the certificate, the new application shall only be accepted if the client makes such a

declaration. If the first application for certification was unsuccessful and the client wishes to

approach another certification body, then the applicant shall provide detailed information

regarding its first application for certification.

C9.2.3 Initial Halal Certification Audit

The initial certification audit of Halal product/service/management system shall be conducted

in two stages:

C9.2.3.1 Stage 1 Audit

C9.2.3.1.1 All the requirements given in clause 9.3.1 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 and the

following shall apply:

When outsourced control measures are applied, stage 1 audit shall review the

documentation included in Halal requirements and/or the product safety management

system to determine if the combination of control measures is suitable for the

organization, and conform to requirements of Halal standards. The availability of

relevant licenses should also be verified when collecting information on compatibility

with national or international regulatory aspects.

C9.2.3.1.2 The objectives of the stage 1 audit are to present a scenario for developing a plan for

the stage 2 audit by gaining an understanding of good practices and the

concept of identifying and analysing product safety risks such as PRPs (ISO 22002),

HACCP, and in particular, the organization’s state of readiness for audit by reviewing

the extent to which:

a) The organization has identified (PRPs) that are appropriate to the business (e.g.

regulatory and statutory requirements),

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b) The product safety management system includes adequate processes and methods

for the identification and assessment of the organization’s safety hazards, and

subsequent selection and categorization of control measures (combinations),

c) Availability of legislations regarding the safety of products in the areas relevant to

the organization,

d) The product safety management system is designed to achieve the organization’s

safety policy,

e) The product safety management system implementation program justifies for

further audit (stage 2),

f) The validation, verification and improvement programs conform to the requirements

of the product safety management system standard,

g) The product safety management system documents and arrangements are in place

to communicate internally and with relevant suppliers, customers and relevant

parties

h) Any additional documentation that requires revision and/or knowledge that needs

to be obtained in advance.

C9.2.3.1.3 Stage 1 audit can be carried out at the premises of the Halal certification body or at

the applicant’s organization premises according to complexity of production or service

in order to achieve the objectives stated above.

a) In the case of categories, A, B, F, J, H, G (Annex C-1), it is not necessary that stage

1 audit be on-site. However, it is up to the audit team to decide to carry out an

onsite audit. In categories C, D, E, I, and K (Annex A) it is obligatory that stage 1

audit is done on-site.

b) Where stage 1 audit has not been performed on-site, the duration of stage 1 audit

may not exceed 20% of the total audit time (Annex B). Where stage 1 audit is

performed on-site, duration of the stage 1 audit may not exceed 30% of the total

audit duration (Annex B).

C9.2.3.1.4 All the requirements given in clause 9.3.1.2 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 shall apply.

C9.2.3.1.5 Any part of the product safety management system that is audited during stage 1 audit

and determined to be fully implemented, effective and in conformity with

requirements, may not need to be re-audited during stage 2 audit. However, the Halal

certification body shall ensure that the already audited parts of the product safety

management system continue to conform to the certification requirements. In this case,

stage 2 audit report shall include these findings and shall clearly state that conformity

has been established during stage 1 audit.

C9.2.3.1.6 All requirements given in clause 9.3.1.2 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 shall apply. The

interval between stage 1 and stage 2 audits is reasonably expected not to be longer

than 6 months. Stage 1 audit should be repeated if a longer interval is needed.

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C9.2.3.2 Stage 2 Audit

All the requirements given in clause 9.3.1.3 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 shall apply.

C9.2.4 Initial Halal Certification Audit Conclusions

All requirements given in clause 9.3.1.4 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 shall apply.

C9.2.5 Sampling

C9.2.5.1 When necessary, the audit team shall take samples in sufficient quantities from

production/service premises to perform required inspections and tests.

C9.2.5.2 If the Halal certificate of products is based on testing / inspection of halal products, it

must be in accordance with a specific sampling schedule using statistical methods at

different levels of confidence. In determining any sampling requirements, the Halal

certification body shall establish documented procedures for the selection and control

of samples to ensure traceability, and that they represent the Halal product.

C9.2.5.3 Samples taken by the audit team shall be sent for analysis to a laboratory accredited in

accordance with ISO/IEC 17025 by the National Accreditation Body as recognized by

the Competent Authority of India.

C9.2.6 Inspection and Testing

C9.2.6.1 Inspections and tests on the Halal product/service shall be determined in accordance

with the requirements of the Halal product/service and the national and/or regional or

international legal provisions.

C9.2.6.2 Bodies that undertake inspections shall be accredited in accordance with the standard

ISO/IEC 17020 from the National Accreditation Body as recognized by the Competent

Authority of India.

C9.2.6.3 When independent testing facilities are not available, the Halal certification body shall

ensure that the specified controls are in place at the supplier’s testing facilities, and

are managed in a manner which provides confidence in the results obtained and that

records are available to justify the confidence.

C9.3 Surveillance Activities

All requirements given in clause 9.6.2 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 and clauses 7.9 and 7.10 of

ISO/IEC 17065:2012 and the following shall apply:

C9.3.1 The Halal certification body shall conduct surveillance at certain time intervals according to

clause 9.6.2.2 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015, as deemed necessary in order to verify the continued

compatibility of the Halal Product / Service with the requirements of the certificate, taking

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into account the requirements of the Halal product / service criteria on which the certificate

was based, the nature of the product / service being monitored, the requirements of the

certificate, inconsistencies in conformity to Halal product / service or in the Halal production

/ service premises or any complaints received regarding the Halal product / service.

C9.3.2 When Halal production/service premises are audited and nonconformities that directly affect

Halal product/service safety are detected, samples are taken for surveillance purposes.

C9.3.3 In all cases, the procedures with regard to issued reports as a result of surveillance

shall be determined by decision maker(s).

C9.4 Recertification

All requirements given in clause 9.6.3 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 and the following shall

apply:

C9.4.1 Halal certificate owners (certified organization) should submit a recertification or renewal

application six (6) months prior to the expiry date of current Halal certificate.

C9.4.2 Halal certificate owners who failed to renew their certificates will not be allowed to use the

Halal mark at the premises or on the manufactured products.

C9.5 Special Audits

All requirements given in clause 9.6.4 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 shall apply.

C9.6 Cancelling, Suspending, Withdrawing Halal Certification or Reducing the Ccope

All requirements given in clauses 9.6.5 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 and clause 7.11

of ISO/IEC 17065:2012 shall apply.

C9.7 Appeals and Complaints

All requirements given in clause 9.7 and 9.8 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015, clause 7.13 of

ISO/IEC 17065:2012 and the following shall apply.

C9.7.1 Applications in the case of any appeals or complaints regarding Halal certification services

shall be raised to the Halal certification body. A committee, or two distinct committees, for

appeals and complaints shall be established and be responsible for resolving such cases and

informing the concerned parties accordingly.

C9.7.2 The members of this committee shall be independent from the Halal certification activities

related to the subject complaint or appeal.

C9.7.3 This committee shall consist of a minimum of three persons, where at least one of them must

be a Halal certification expert having knowledge on Islamic Shariah law.

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C9.7.4 Complaints by consumers regarding a certified Halal product/service shall be evaluated by

the Halal certification body, which will be responsible for making the necessary

investigations. As a result of such evaluations, if the complaint is found to be justified then

the certificate holder shall be required to compensate for the damage(s) caused under the

relevant provisions of the contract.

C9.8 Records of Applicants and Products that are Halal Certified

All requirements given in clause 9.9 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 and clause 7.8 of ISO/IEC

17065:2012 shall apply.

C10 Management System Requirements

All requirements given in clauses 10.1 to 10.3.4 of ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 and clause 8 of

ISO/IEC 17065:2012 shall apply.

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Annex C-1: Classification of Halal Product / Service Categories

(Normative)

The Halal certification body shall use Table C-1.1

to define the scope of its work,

to identify technical qualification (if any) of its auditors that is necessary for that particular category

or sector,

to select a suitably qualified audit for a particular category,

to select a suitably qualified audit team for a particular category,

audit time determination is given as per table C-2.1 of this standard,

Identify the appropriate part of the ISO 22002 standard set, if possible, to assess compliance to ISO

22000 standard clause 2.7, and

Specify the scope of the certificate document at the subcategory level.

(The scope of the given client organization may cover more than one category)

Table C-1.1 — Food Chain Categories

Cluster

Category

Basic on-site

audit time, in

audit days

Number of audit

days for each

additional HACCP

study

Number of audit

days for absence of

certified relevant

management system

TMS

Number of audit

days per number of

employees

TFTE

For each additional

site visited

0,75

0,25

1 to 19 = 0

50% of Minimum

on-site audit time

0,75

0,25

20 to 49 = 0,5

1,50

0,50

50 to 79 = 1,0

1,50

0,50

80 to 199 = 1,5

1,00

0,50

200 to 499 = 2,0

1,00

0,50

500 to 899 = 2,5

1,00

0,25

900 to 1299 = 3,0

1,00

0,25

1300 to 1699 = 3,5

1,00

0,25

1700 to 2999 = 4,0

1,00

0,25

3000 to 5000 = 4,5

1,50

0,50

> 5000 = 5,0

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C-2.3 Calculation of minimum surveillance and recertification audit time

The minimum surveillance audit time shall be one-third of the initial certification audit time,

with a minimum of 1 audit day (0,5 audit day for categories A and B). The minimum

recertification audit time shall be two-thirds of the initial certification audit time, with a

minimum of 1 audit day (0,5 audit day for categories A and B). When properly documented

and justified, a reduction to the minimum can be made in a less complex organization

measured by number of employees, size of the organization and/or product volume or within

categories having an initial minimum audit time of less than 1,5 audit days.

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Part D: Criteria for Evaluating Halal Product Certification Schemes

D1 Scope

This standard is applied for all Halal product certification schemes. The Schemes Owners shall ensure

that their Halal product certification schemes are complying with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17065

and this document. The Halal certification bodies who are willing to obtain accreditation from

National Accreditation Body as recognized by the Competent Authority of India shall comply with

these requirements.

Requirements specified in this document are general requirements for Halal product and are

applicable to any sub-scope e.g. food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, utilities product (tissue, textile,

resin), disinfectant and cleaning agent, etc. during all stages of processing.

D2 Normative References

The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document.

The latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies:

 ISO/IEC 17000: Conformity assessment - Vocabulary and general principles.

 ISO/IEC 17007: Conformity assessment - Guidance for drafting normative documents

suitable for use for conformity assessment.

 ISO/IEC 17065: Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services.

 ISO/IEC 17067: Conformity assessment - Fundamentals of product certification and

guidelines for product certification schemes

 ISO 22000: Food Safety Management Systems - Requirements for any organization in the

food chain

 IAF MD 25: Criteria for evaluation of Conformity Assessment Schemes

D3 General Requirements for Halal Product Certification Schemes:

Any Scheme developed for Halal product either related to food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals,

textile and leather etc., and to related process and services shall comply with ISO/IEC 17067

and the following:

D3.1 Within the content of the certification scheme, the following shall be clearly defined:

- The competencies related to its scope (s);

- Brief about the scheme owner; either if it is an accreditation body, government, certification

body etc.;

- Parties involved in developing the scheme;

- Declaration that the scheme is based on the requirements of ISO/IEC 17065 Standard:

Conformity assessment - Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and

services and does not contradict the requirements of this international standard;

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- Scope of the scheme with regard to the sectors/products covered under the halal certification

process with specifying any exclusions, if any;

- Specify the qualified applications for the scheme;

- Conditions for the clients seeking halal certificate/halal mark for their products;

- Clearly defined criteria for evaluation;

- Reference standards/regulations/legislations that shall be met;

- Any additional requirements that shall be met in a specific sector; either related to premises,

staff, systems, processes, transportation…etc. (if any);

- Description of the certification process, or reference to any relevant document that describes

the certification process;

- The stages of certification activities, to include as minimum selection, determination, review,

decision on certification and attestation

- Description of the competency criteria required for staff involved in the halal certification

process for the product(s) within the scheme scope;

- Description of the decision-making process or reference to any relevant document that

describes the decision-making process;

- Requirement for the client to have arrangements for segregation and procedure to prevent

cross contamination.

- Requirement for the client to have arrangements for handling nonconformities related to

halal products/halal activities; this includes taking strict measures to prevent re-occurrence

of such non-conformities.

- Description of the mechanism for handling claims related to halal certified products;

- General conditions for using halal certificates and marks or reference to any relevant

document;

- Provisions for misuse halal certificates or marks;

- Description of the monitoring process for issued halal certificates and marks.

D3.2 The certification scheme shall comply with the country-specific Halal regulations of

manufacture and final destination.

D3.3 For high-risk scope products as defined in the scheme (e.g. animal derivatives and gelatin) the

determination activities shall include sampling and inspection, and/or testing.

D3.4 The certification scheme shall ensure that the following requirements are met for products

declared “HALAL”. These requirements shall be clearly stated within the certification

scheme:

- Halal product shall not contain any element/part/or traces of animals that are non-halal or

that comes from animals which are not slaughtered according to Islamic law;

- Halal product shall not contain synthetic alcohols, liquors, or wines;

- Halal Product shall not be subjected to come in contact with any processing aid which is

Haram.

- Halal product shall not contain narcotic drugs;

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- Hygiene requirements shall be met for halal products.

- Any equipment/tool contaminated with non-halal elements or Najis shall not be used in any

step of the preparation, manufacturing, packaging, storage, and transportation of the halal

product.

- Source of materials used in the halal products shall be halal;

D3.5 The certification body shall appoint minimum of one staff in a permanent supervisory post

who is competent and well trained in Halal requirements.

D4 Additional Requirements for Halal Food Product Certification Schemes:

D4.1 Halal Food Product Certification Schemes shall require implementation of other relevant

systems like Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS), Hazard Analysis Critical Control

Points (HACCP) and/or Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) as applicable in manufacture

and services for Halal foods.

D4.2 Products covered within the scheme shall fulfil the countries relevant polices and

requirements of concerned authority(ies).

D5 Additional Requirements for Halal Pharmaceuticals Certification Schemes:

D5.1 Halal Pharmaceuticals Certification Schemes shall require compliance with Good

Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and compliance with Good Distribution Practices (GDP) that

exists in the scheme owner’s country.

D6 Additional Requirements for Halal Cosmetics:

D6.1 Halal Cosmetic Certification Schemes shall require compliance with Good Manufacturing

Practices (GMP).

D6.2 Products covered within the scheme shall fulfil the countries relevant polices and

requirements of concerned authority(ies).

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Part E: Requirements for Accreditation Bodies accrediting Halal CBs

E1 Scope

This standard specifies the requirements for competence, consistent operation and impartiality of the

accreditation bodies offering accreditation services to Halal certification bodies in accordance with

the requirements of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 and this document.

E2 Normative References

E2.1 ISO/IEC 17000: Conformity assessment - Vocabulary and general principles.

E2.2 ISO/IEC 17011: Conformity assessment — Requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting

conformity assessment bodies.

E2.3 IHAF/RD 03: Criteria for Halal accreditation body

E3 General Requirements

E3.1 Legal Responsibility

Requirements of clause 4.1 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

In addition, the accreditation body shall have the responsibility to ensure compliance to applicable

Islamic requirements by the Halal certification bodies, and shall have a mechanism and structure to

ensure it while providing its accreditation services.

E3.2 Accreditation Agreement

Requirements of clause 4.2 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

E3.3 Use of Accreditation Symbols and Other Claims of Accreditation

Requirements of clause 4.3 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

In addition, accreditation body providing accreditation services to Halal certification bodies shall be

signatory to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) MLA for Product Certification (ISO/IEC

17065) and/or the International Halal Accreditation Forum (IHAF) MRA for Halal.

E3.4 Impartiality Requirements

Requirements of clause 4.4 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

E3.5 Financing and Liability

Requirements of clause 4.5 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

E3.6 Establishing accreditation schemes

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The accreditation body shall establish halal compliant accreditation schemes that define rules and

processes of accrediting conformity assessment bodies as per the requirements of clause 4.6 of

ISO/IEC 17011: 2017 and this document.

E4 Structural Requirements

Requirements of clause 5 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

In addition, the accreditation body shall:

i) Have the authority and be responsible for its Halal compliant accreditation decisions, which

shall not be subject to approval by any other organization or person.

ii) Document the duties, responsibilities and authorities of top management and other personnel

associated or involved in the accreditation process for Halal.

iii) Develop polices related to Halal conformity assessment practices.

iv) Identify requirement for decision making for Halal compliant accreditation process.

v) When authorities are delegated to other committees or individuals, the accreditation body shall

ensure competency of such parties in Halal principles and practices.

vi) Have access to needed expertise in the field of Halal. Access to the necessary expertise may be

obtained through one or more committees (either ad-hoc or permanent), each responsible within

its scope.

vii) For committees formed to be involved in halal compliant accreditation, the accreditation body

shall ensure the competency of committee members including expertise in Islamic affairs

matters.

viii) Comply to Halal regulation within their territory.

E5 Resource Requirements

E5.1 Competence of Personnel

E5.1.1 Requirements of clause 6.1 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

E5.1.2 Determination of Competence Criteria: Requirements of clause 6.1.2 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017

shall be applicable.

In addition; the accreditation body shall:

a) Have a documented process for determining and documenting the competence criteria for

personnel involved in the management and performance of Halal compliant accreditation

and assessment activities. Competence criteria shall be determined with regard to the

requirements of Halal accreditation schemes and shall include the required knowledge and

skills for performing Halal compliant accreditation activities.

b) Ensure that its personnel who work in the field of Halal are having the required knowledge

in Halal compliant conformity assessment practices.

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c) Ensure the assessment team, and the accreditation body personnel who review documents,

review assessment reports, and make accreditation decisions includes personnel who

demonstrate knowledge of Halal and are qualified, shall be reviewed by the accreditation

body (refer ISO/IEC 17065 clause 4.6.3).

d) Ensure the assessment team, and the accreditation body personnel who review assessment

reports, make accreditation decisions and manage accreditation schemes, demonstrate

knowledge of risk-based assessment principles related to Halal compliant accreditation

activities/practices.

e) Ensure the assessment team has personnel who demonstrate(s) knowledge of Halal

compliant practices and processes of the conformity assessment body’s business

environment.

f) Ensure that the group or individual that takes the accreditation decisions totally understand

the applicable Halal compliant accreditation scheme requirements and shall have

competence to evaluate the outcomes of the Halal compliant assessment, including where

appropriate related recommendations of the assessment team related to Halal compliance.

E5.1.3 Competence Management: Requirements of clause 6.1.3 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be

applicable.

In addition:

a) The accreditation body shall have access to expert personnel who can evaluate assessors

conducting assessments in the field of Halal.

b) Each assessor working in Halal compliant assessment shall be observed at regular

intervals. This shall be at least every three years, unless there is sufficient supporting

evidence that the assessor is continuing to perform competently.

E5.2 Personnel Involved in the Accreditation Process

Requirements of clause 6.2 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

In addition, the accreditation body shall:

a) Describe the qualifications, experience, knowledge, competence and training required for

personnel who are working in Halal compliant conformity assessment practices.

b) Have access to experts in Halal who can carry out Halal compliant assessments, review

Halal compliant schemes and documents, and can be involved in decision making process

of Halal compliant accreditation.

c) Ensure that assessors and, where relevant, experts who will work in the field of Halal

compliant accreditation:

i) familiar with Halal, competent and well trained on different aspects of the Halal

regulation and Halal requirements in the specific area of specialization.

ii) familiar with halal compliant accreditation procedures, IAF and/or IHAF requirements

for conformity assessment schemes, accreditation criteria, and other relevant

requirements,

iii) have undergone a relevant assessor training related to Halal compliant.

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iv) Have access to at least one assessor/expert and one Islamic affairs expert for each halal

discipline that is within its scope of work.

E5.3 Personnel Records

Requirements of clause 6.3 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

In addition, the accreditation body shall maintain records of relevant qualifications, training,

experience and competence of each person involved in the accreditation process related to

halal compliance.

E5.4 Outsourcing

Requirements of clause 6.4 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

In addition, if the accreditation body outsources any of its IAF and/or IHAF recognized

accreditation activities, then it shall have a policy describing the conditions under which

outsourcing may take place, and any outsource of service or part of service shall be done with

an IAF and/or IHAF MRA signatory accreditation body.

E6 Process requirements

E6.1 Accreditation Requirements

Requirements of clause 7.1 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

In addition, Halal compliant conformity assessment scheme shall comply with accreditation

rules and procedures related to halal field and to iCAS Part D - Criteria for Evaluating Halal

Product Certification Schemes.

E6.2 Application for Accreditation

Requirements of clause 7.2 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

E6.3 Resource Review

Requirements of clause 7.3 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

E6.4 Preparation for Assessment

Requirements of clause 7.4 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applied.

In addition, the accreditation body shall appoint an assessment team consisting of a team

leader and a suitable number of assessor(s)/expert(s) who is/are qualified in halal and

competent enough in halal products and services requirements as per the scope of the halal

certification scheme.

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When selecting the assessment team, the accreditation body shall ensure that the expertise

brought to each assignment is appropriate. In particular, the team as a whole:

a) shall have appropriate expertise in the specific scope of halal compliant accreditation;

b) shall have sufficient understanding to make a reliable assessment of the competence of

the conformity assessment body to operate within its halal’ compliant scope of

accreditation.

E6.5 Review of Documented Information

Requirements of clause 7.5 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

E6.6 Assessment

Requirements of clause 7.6 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

E6.7 Accreditation Decision-making

Requirements of clause 7.7 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

In addition:

a) The accreditation body shall ensure that personnel involved in halal compliant

accreditation decision-making are having appropriate knowledge on halal requirements

including Islamic affairs.

b) The accreditation body shall define the criteria of competency for personnel involved in

halal compliant accreditation decision making.

E6.8 Accreditation Information

Requirements of clause 7.8 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

E6.9 Accreditation Cycle

Requirements of clause 7.9 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

E6.10 Extending Accreditation

Requirements of clause 7.10 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

E6.11 Suspending, Withdrawing or Reducing Accreditation

Requirements of clause 7.10 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

E6.12 Complaints

Requirements of clause 7.12 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

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In addition, the decision to be communicated to the complainant shall be made by, or reviewed

and approved by, individual(s) not involved in the activities in question and knowledgeable

in Halal compliant accreditation process and halal requirements.

E6.13 Appeals

Requirements of clause 7.13 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

In addition, the decision to be communicated to the appellant shall be made by, or reviewed

and approved by, individual(s) not involved in the activities in question and knowledgeable

in Halal compliant accreditation process and Halal requirements.

E6.14 Records on Conformity Assessment Bodies

Requirements of clause 7.14 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

E7 Information Requirements

E7.1 Confidential Information

Requirements of clause 8.1 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

E7.2 Publicly Available Information

Requirements of clause 8.2 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

E8 Management System Requirements

E8.1 General

Requirements of clause 9.1 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

E8.2 Management System

Requirements of clause 9.2 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

In addition, the accreditation body shall ensure having all needed procedures and policies that

enables it to fulfil requirements related to halal accreditation in conformity assessment

practices.

E8.3 Document Control

Requirements of clause 9.3 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

E8.4 Records Control

Requirements of clause 9.4 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

E8.5 Nonconformities and Corrective Actions

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Requirements of clause 9.5 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

E8.6 Improvement

Requirements of clause 9.6 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

E8.7 Internal Audits

Requirements of clause 9.7 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applicable.

E8.8 Management Reviews

Requirements of clause 9.8 of ISO/IEC 17011:2017 shall be applied.

In addition, the inputs to management reviews shall include:

a) Considering results of peer evaluations done under IAF and/or IHAF.

b) Feedback from interested parties in field of halal.

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15. ABBREVIATIONS

1. FSSAI: Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

2. GCC: Gulf Cooperation Council

3. ISO: International Organization for Standardization

4. MOU: Memorandum of Understanding

5. SMIIC: Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries

6. OIC: Organization of Islamic Cooperation

7. HAS: Halal Assurance System

8. MS: Malaysian Standard

9. ASEAN: Association of Southeast Asian Nations

10. GSO: GCC Standards Organization

11. HCO: Halal Certifying Organisation

12. JUM: Jamiat Ulama - E – Maharashtra

13. JAKIM: JABATAN KEMAJUAN ISLAM MALAYSIA (Department of Islamic

Development Malaysia)

14. UAE: United Arab Emirates

15. SFDA: Saudi Food and Drug Administration

16. AVA: Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority

17. USDA: U.S. Department of Agriculture

18. MUI: Majelis Ulama Indonesia

19. MUIS: Islamic Religious Council of Singapore

20. IIFA: International Fiqh Academy

21. HCBs: Halal Certification Bodies

22. LPPOM: Assessment Institute for Food, Drugs and Cosmetics

23. HCE: Halal Certification Europe

24. GAC: Gulf Accreditation Center

25. IFANCA: Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America

26. GMO: Genetically Modified Organism

27. EIAC: Emirates International Accreditation Centre

28. MFDS: Ministry of Food and Drug Safety

29. HDC: Halal Development Corporation

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71 
 
16. REFERENCES 
 
➢  https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mohd-
Mahyeddin/publication/303837316_Towards_the_traceability_of_halal_and_thoyyiban_application
/links/596435a0a6fdccc9b1606bcc/Towards-the-traceability-of-halal-and-thoyyiban-application.pdf 
➢  https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/report/downloadreportbyfilename?filename=Halal%20in%
20Singapore%20_Singapore_Singapore_3-28-2017.pdf  
➢  https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/5577923/halal-food-market-global-industry-trends-
share#:~:text=The%20global%20halal%20food%20market,11.24%25%20during%202022%2D202
7.  
➢  Personal, M., Archive, R., Puah, C., Voon, S., & Entebang, H. (2009). Halal Industry : key challenges 
and Opportunities, (10679).  
➢  [4]https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/Report/DownloadReportByFileName?fileName=India
%20Halal%20Overview%20-%202022_New%20Delhi_India_IN2022-0005.pdf  
➢  https://research.hktdc.com/en/article/NjE3MTE4NzUz 
➢  Link:https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/business/dubai-malaysia-ink-pacts-
to-create-global-halal-trade 
network/articleshow/44947374.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_caca
mpai=cppst 
➢  https://www.salaamgateway.com/story/australia-targets-malaysias-halal-food-sector 
➢  https://dynamicbusiness.com/topics/news/australia-halal-exporters-mou-malaysia.html 
➢  https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2015/03/24/Korea-signs-MOU-with-UAE-for-Halal-plans-
to-double-exports-to-1.2bn 
➢  https://www.halalrc.org/images/Research%20Material/Report/Processing%20of%20Halal%20Food
.pdf  
➢  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340382049_GLOBAL_HALAL_INDUSTRY_REALITI
ES_AND_OPPORTUNITIES 
➢  https://www.halal.gov.my/v4/images/pdf/MPPHM2014BI.pdf  
➢  https://www.mandreel.com/malaysia/jakim-halal-certification-consultancy/ 
➢  http://ijhalal.org/index.php/hr/article/view/26  
➢  https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mohd-
Mahyeddin/publication/303837316_Towards_the_traceability_of_halal_and_thoyyiban_application
/links/596435a0a6fdccc9b1606bcc/Towards-the-traceability-of-halal-and-thoyyiban-application.pdf  
➢  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340382049_GLOBAL_HALAL_INDUSTRY_REALITI
ES_AND_OPPORTUNITIES  
➢  Reference [16] highlighted several problems in the process of Halal Certificate applications which 
are caused by both applicants (business owners) and the authority such as 7 Proc. of the Third Intl. 
Conf. on Advances in Economics, Management and Social Study - EMS 2015Copyright © Institute 
of Research Engineers and Doctors, USA .All rights reserved. 
➢  ISBN:  978-1-63248-058-3  doi:  10.15224/  978-1-63248-058-3-53  Department  of  Islamic 
Development Malaysia (JAKIM) and Halal Development Corporation (HDC). 
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➢ Issues and Challenges of Halal Implementation in Food Industry in Malaysia [ Asnidar Hanim Yusuf,

Syadiyah Abdul Shukor, Ummi Salwa Ahmad Bustamam ]

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NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 1 of 41

Accreditation Procedure

for

Product Certification Bodies

BCB 201 (PCB) – Mar 2020

Effective : Immediate

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NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 2 of 41

Contents

Introduction

Application for accreditation

Criteria for accreditation

2.1

Adoption of Criteria

2.2

Amendment to the Criteria

2.3

Communication of changes to the Criteria

Conditions for Accreditation

3.1

Granting of Accreditation

3.2

Maintaining of Accreditation

3.3

Suspension of Accreditation (Partial or full)

3.4

Withdrawal of Accreditation

Assessment

4.1

Preparation for the Assessment

4.2

Assessment Process

4.2.1

Assessment Programme/Plan

4.2.2

Initial Assessment

4.2.3

Assessment Report

4.2.4

Time Period for assessment process

Accreditation Decision

Accreditation Information/Documents

Maintaining Accreditation and Accreditation Cycle

7.1

Surveillance Assessment

7.2

Other Surveillance activities

7.3

Reaccreditation

Suspension & Withdrawal of Accreditation

8.1

Decision on Suspension and Withdrawal of Accreditation

8.2

Suspension of Accreditation (Partial/full)

8.3

Withdrawal of Accreditation

8.4

Public Information of Suspension or Withdrawal of accreditation

Assessment findings (Nonconformities/Concerns) and Corrective Actions

10.

Change in the status of the Certification Body

11.

Extension/Reduction of the Scope

12.

Fee payable for the accreditation process and Annual Fee

13.

Complaints and Appeals

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NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 3 of 41

14.

Publishing of the Information for Public & availability of accreditation

schemes

15.

Confidentiality and Disclosure

16.

Obligations of the certification body and NABCB

Annex 1

Annex 2

Annex 3

Annex 4

Annex 5

Annex 6

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NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 4 of 41

Introduction

This document defines the procedure that has to be followed by organizations seeking accreditation

and also accredited organizations operating as Product Certification Bodies (PCBs). The general

information is contained in this procedure. The NABCB, on request, will provide any specific information

required by the organizations.

The other applicable procedures and information that are mandatory for the new applicant and the

accredited organizations like Use of Accreditation Symbol, Complaints and Appeals procedure, Fee

schedule etc. are available on NABCB website http://nabcb.qci.org.in .

1. Application for accreditation

1.1. NABCB has decided to provide accreditation services to any PCB established as legal entity

or identifiable part of larger legal entity in its own economy such that it can be held legally

responsible for its certification services, while at the same time following principles of cross

frontier accreditation laid down by International Accreditation Forum/ Asia Pacific Accreditation

Cooperation (IAF/APAC).

1.2. In legal terms, it shall be an organization which can sue and be sued in its own name as per

the legal interpretation in the relevant economy. In India, it could be a public or private limited

company, LLP, a trust or a society. Partnership firms and proprietary companies do not fit into

this. Any exception regarding legal status would be made only by a specific decision of the

Board keeping in view the legal provisions in the economy in which the PCB is established as

a legal entity.

1.3. PCBs interested to get accredited by the Board for their certification system should submit

application online on NABCB accreditation portal using the link nabcbportal.qci.org,in The

application form, BCB: F001 (P), (BCB:F001 (P)R for renewal of accreditation) and other

related documents are available on the NABCB website for reference.

1.4. The applicant should review the following documents prior to submitting the application online

a) Application Form BCB:F001 (P)

b) Fee Schedule BCB:F002 (PRDT)

c) Criteria for accreditation – BCB 120

d) Procedures for Accreditation, Use of Accreditation Symbol & Complaints and Appeals

e) A copy of the accreditation agreement BCB:F003 (PCB)

f) A blank copy of the Document review cum Cross reference matrix for ISO/IEC 17065

covering the specific scheme requirements if additional

g) Policy and Criteria for determination of Suitability and acceptance of conformity

assessment schemes (BCB 002)

1.5. Any additional explanation needed by the applicant is provided by the NABCB Secretariat on

behalf of the Board on receipt of a specific request for the same including the necessary

explanations on the specific schemes and scopes of accreditation that are covered

1.6. Before applying for accreditation, the applicant body shall have met the following conditions

a) Operated the certification process for at least 6 months. This is necessary to assess

the ability of the PCB to carry out the certification process as per the documented

system. In case the same is not implemented the PCB should inform NABCB and

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NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 5 of 41

CEO/Director NABCB may accept the deviation based on justification provided

b) Granted at least two certifications under the Certification Scheme for which it is seeking

accreditation. If accreditation is sought for more than one Certification Scheme, one

certification per Certification scheme would be sufficient.

Note: In cases where the PCB had been carrying out audits on behalf of its principals,

who had been responsible for decision making, and now wants to operate the

certification independently under NABCB accreditation, then the PCB should be able to

demonstrate its competence for decision making, through means like parallel decision

making, etc.

c) Carried out minimum one internal audit against the applicable criteria of accreditation

including applied scheme/scope for accreditation, one management review for the

documented Quality system and one meeting of the impartiality committee, if

established.

d) Product Certification scheme meets the requirements of NABCB policy on Conformity

assessment schemes and is accepted by NABCB. NABCB may need to review the

certification scheme to determine its suitability for accreditation. The man-days for

scheme review would depend on extent of suitability determination. The application

shall be accepted and registered only after determination of suitability of the scheme(s).

1.7. An authorization letter shall be uploaded along with all other documents at the time of

submitting the online application form, in case the application is submitted by anyone other

than the top management of the PCB. The application fee is non-refundable except when the

application is not accepted by NABCB.

1.8. The applicant must also upload the required information and documents as specified in the

application form.

Note 1 Evidences of the documents and records relating to the completion of internal audit

and Management review shall be submitted along with the application

Note 2 In case the PCB gets accredited by NABCB, the organizations that were certified prior

to the assessment by NABCB may be issued NABCB accredited certificates subject to a clear

demonstration of compliance to NABCB accreditation criteria and seeking approval for the

same. It shall also be ensured that they are covered by the scope for which the PCB is

accredited by NABCB.

1.9. The application is reviewed by the NABCB secretariat for completeness, clarity of accreditation

requirements and the capability of NABCB to provide the services in timely manner. NABCB

will review its ability to carry out the assessment in terms of its own policy and procedure, its

competence and the ability of personnel suitable for assessment activities. Any mismatch is

clarified and the outcome of the review is communicated to the applicant regarding acceptance

of the application for further processing, or for completing any further requirements identified

during the review. NABCB reserves the right to seek information on the antecedents of the

owners / those managing certification activities and analyse it before deciding to accept the

application for further processing. It may decide not to accept application if there is any adverse

finding in the above exercise The decision of the NABCB shall be communicated to the

applicant with reasons for not accepting the application. The applicant can appeal against such

a decision.

1.10. Upon deciding to accept the application, the same is recorded or registered and the

assessment team is appointed.

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550

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 6 of 41

1.11. At any point of time during the accreditation process the applicant may request for transferring

the registered application to another legal entity. NABCB would allow the same without any

additional application fees based on the justification provided by the PCB and subject to the

new legal entity meeting all the requirements of application for PCB scheme.

1.12. NABCB at the time of application review will decide on the number of witnesses to be done

within a scheme to recommend the scopes sought by the applicant PCB. Same shall be

communicated to CB along with the proposal .

1.13. Appointment of the Assessment Team:

The assessment team, consisting of a Team Leader and the members, is identified from the

pool of assessors and experts. The assessment team for each stage of the initial assessment

normally consists of two members and the team for witness assessment will normally have as

many members as the audit/evaluation team of the applicant body. Technical Expert, if

required, could be additional to the number of team members. In case the PCB has applied for

more than one product certification scheme, proportionate increase in number of assessors

may be done based on the mandays decided for the assessment.

In case the application is accepted for further processing, a formal acknowledgement along

with a proposal is sent for carrying out the assessment of the applicant body based on the

expected mandays and fee schedule .The names of the members of the assessment team for

carrying out the Document review and the Office assessment are also communicated to the

applicant PCB along with the proposal and the PCB is requested to inform NABCB about

acceptance of / objection against, the appointment of any of the team members. Any objection

by the applicant PCB against any of the team members must be in writing, accompanied with

adequate grounds for the objection. The Director/CEO of the Board will evaluate the objection

and decide whether to change the team member or to overrule the objection raised by the

applicant PCB. The assessment team is then formally appointed. Efforts are made to ensure

that the team is kept intact throughout the initial assessment process, however this cannot be

guaranteed. The team members are asked to commit that they do not have relationship -

direct/indirect with the applicant body that can affect the objectivity of the assessment at the

time of their appointment as NABCB assessor / expert. The team members are required to

maintain confidentiality of the sensitive information about the operation of the applicant

obtained as part of the assessment process unless required by law, in which case the same

will be done under intimation to the PCB.

All NABCB assessors have declared that they have no conflict of interest and committed to

disclose if such a situation arises so that NABCB can take appropriate decision.

On receipt of acceptance of the proposal from the applicant and the assessment fee as per

the contract as well as the appointment of the assessment team, further processing of

application is done.

NABCB publishes on its website, information about new applications for accreditation, for

information and for receiving feedback from the industry / other stakeholders. In case any

feedback from industry or stakeholders calls for a review by the NABCB, the required formalities

shall be completed before further processing of the application.

1.14. If a preliminary visit is requested by the applicant PCB the NABCB secretariat shall organize

the same after obtaining the acceptance of the preliminary visit fee by the applicant PCB. Such

a visit would solely be for the purpose of gaining a better understanding of the operations of

the PCB and for the PCB to better understand the accreditation process and clarify the

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NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 7 of 41

expectations of NABCB as regards the requirements of the standards. The visit may result in

communication of findings to the PCB. Such a visit would not result in any decrease in the

mandays for the initial assessment.

1.15. Assessment at foreign locations:

NABCB would reserve the right to take the assistance of local IAF MLA members for

assessments at foreign locations. The applicant / accredited PCB would have the normal right

to appeal against specific assessors for reasons of conflict of interest. If the PCB does not

prefer to involve the local accreditation body, then the reasons for the same would have to be

clearly indicated. NABCB reserves the right to share such information with the concerned

accreditation body / IAF.

1.16 At any point in the application or initial assessment process, if there is evidence of fraudulent

behaviour, if the PCB intentionally provides false information or conceals information, NABCB

will reject the application or terminate the assessment process.

2. Criteria for accreditation

2.1. Adoption of Criteria

2.1.1. The Board has adopted the accreditation criteria for PCBs based on international

standards and guides, supported by the guidance documents released by the

International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation

(APAC Definitions of various terms related to conformity assessment shall be as given

in ISO 17000 and ISO 17011 (Annex1)

2.1.2. The Criteria is available on the NABCB website. The criteria documents, that have been

adopted directly from international standards and are covered by copyright laws, are not

available on the website. For such documents only the reference number and issue level

is given. In case of need, the applicant PCBs are required to procure such documents

from the respective national standards bodies like the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)

in India or International Organization for Standardization (ISO) or through other

authorized sources.

Note: The applicant PCB has the responsibility to obtain approval from the scheme

owner in case it is not the owner of the Product certification scheme for which it is seeking

accreditation.

2.2. Amendment to the Criteria

2.2.1. The amendment to the Criteria shall be based on the nature of changes required The

Criteria of accreditation and any guidance documents may also be taken up for

amendment based on following conditions individually or severally

i. Any change in the International standards and guides

ii. Any change in the IAF/APAC documents for implementation of international

standards and guides

iii. Significant feedback from the Peer Review assessment team that warrants

amendment

iv. Critical feedback from the implementation of the criteria

v. Any other reason as deemed fit by the Board

2.2.2. The Board shall approve the amended criteria after due consultation, if needed, as

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NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 8 of 41

follows:

a) Seek the advice of the Technical Committee, if one exists,

b) Seek representation of PCBs before approval of the amendment.

c) Seek public comments on the proposed changes through the Members of the Board

and other representative bodies as the Board may deem fit.

2.2.3. The issue status of the Criteria documents is identified by the month and year of the

issue.

2.3. Communication of changes to the Criteria

2.3.1. Any change in the criteria shall be notified to the accredited / applicant PCBs by e mail/

any other means and a suitable time frame shall be given for implementing the modified

criteria. Any transition policy announced by IAF would be adopted by NABCB and

communicated to the PCBs. The accredited PCBs shall communicate their objection, if

any, in writing within 30 days of the receipt of the amended criteria. If no communication

is received within 30 days, it will be presumed that the accredited PCB is willing to adopt

the changed criteria.

2.3.2. The implementation of the changed criteria shall be verified during the surveillance

assessment of each PCB. In the event of any major change in the criteria, NABCB will

reserve the right to carry out an additional assessment visit and the fee for such

assessment visit shall be borne by the PCB. The quote for such fee will be provided to

the PCB in advance. The assessment will be conducted with prior intimation to the PCB.

2.3.3. In the event that an accredited PCB is not willing to adopt the changed criteria, it is

allowed to opt out of the accreditation programme and the accreditation is withdrawn

with effect from the date of the implementation of revised criteria. The PCB in such cases

shall forfeit the fees already paid.

3. Conditions for Accreditation

3.1. Granting of Accreditation

3.1.1. The accreditation is granted to an applicant PCB on completion of assessment as per

the provisions of section 4 of this procedure and after the following conditions are met

by the applicant PCB:

a) The applicant meets the criteria of accreditation and all non-conformities and

concerns found against the criteria of accreditation during assessment have been

closed to the satisfaction of the Board in accordance with the guidelines on the

subject.

b) There are no adverse reports/information/complaints with the Board about the

applicant regarding the quality and effectiveness of implementation of certification

system as per the criteria of the Board. There is also no evidence of fraudulent

behaviour.

c) The client organizations certified by the applicant PCB are satisfied by the conduct

of the applicant PCB and its certification system. NABCB may request feedback from

selected client organizations certified by the PCB / publicize receipt of application

and seek a feedback from stakeholders

Note: NABCB shall obtain on regular basis, through appropriate mechanism,

feedback from few of the client organization certified by the PCB to assess the

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NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 9 of 41

integrity and compliance aspects of the PCB.

d) The applicant body has paid all the outstanding dues.

e) The Initial accreditation shall be for a period of 3 years. Subsequent reaccreditations

are for a period of4 years. . If the PCB does not issue reasonable number of

certificates, NABCB reserves the right not to reaccredit the PCB even if it applies for

the reaccreditation of the same.

3.1.2. In the event of any adverse issue arising from the reasons specified at points b and c of

3.1.1 or if there is evidence of fraudulent behavior or if the applicant PCB intentionally

provides false information or conceals information, the applicant PCB will be given an

opportunity to explain its position in writing to NABCB and present its case in person to

the accreditation committee before a decision is taken in respect of granting of the

accreditation. The final decision shall be taken in respect of granting of accreditation on

the basis of facts and the results of such presentation.

3.1.3. NABCB shall publish on its website as well as in its newsletter, grant of any new

accreditations for information and feedback from the industry / other stakeholders.

3.2. Maintaining of Accreditation

3.2.1. The PCB shall comply with the following requirements. Subject to the PCB meeting the

conditions given below, the accreditation given to a PCB shall be maintained for three

years (first cycle) / four years (subsequent cycles)

i. The accredited PCB continues to meet the criteria of accreditation and all non-

conformities found against the criteria of accreditation during surveillance and

witness assessments have been closed to the satisfaction of the Board as per

laid down criteria.

ii. There are no adverse reports/information/complaint with the Board about the

accredited PCB regarding the implementation of certification system as per the

criteria laid down by the Board. There is also no evidence of fraudulent behavior.

iii. The client organization certified by the accredited PCB are satisfied by the

conduct of PCB and its certification system

iv. The accredited PCB has organized witnessing as required by NABCB

v. The accredited PCB has paid all the outstanding dues

3.2.2. In the event of any adverse issue arising from the reasons specified at points ii and iii at

Cl 3.2.1 or if there is evidence of fraudulent behavior or if the PCB intentionally provides

false information or if the PCB conceals information, the accredited PCB will be given an

opportunity to explain its position in writing to the Board and present its case in person

to the accreditation committee before a decision is taken in respect of maintaining of the

accreditation. The final decision shall be taken in respect of maintenance of the

accreditation on the basis of facts and the results of such presentation.

3.3. Suspension of Accreditation (Partial or full)

The PCB shall be subject to suspension of accreditation either fully or partially, both in terms

of scope within a scheme or for one or more schemes in case the PCB has been accredited

for more than one scheme. It shall be based on the following conditions individually or severally

a) No/ineffective corrective actions in response to the non-conformities observed during

surveillance assessments (including witness assessments) or reassessment.

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NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 10 of 41

b) Non payment of outstanding dues.

c) Not organizing assessments including witness assessments in time.

d) Any significant/major changes in the legal status, ownership, impartiality, use of sub-

contractors, documentation, etc., which have not been informed to the Board within 30

days.

e) Any wilful misuse of the accreditation symbol of the Board.

f) Any wilful mis-declaration in the application form, which is discovered after the grant of

accreditation/ reaccreditation.

g) Wilful non-compliance to the accreditation agreement.

h) Wilful misuse of accreditation conditions by certifying and issuing NABCB accredited

certificate for scopes not covered under scope of accreditation.

i) Inability or unwillingness to ensure compliance of the client organization certified by the

accredited PCB, to the applicable standards.

j) Fraudulent Behavior and intentionally providing false information or concealing

information.

k) Excessive and or serious complaints against the certification system of the accredited

PCB

l) Evidence of lack of control over the certification process/wilful bypassing of certification

procedures.

m) Evidence of unethical certification practices including providing incorrect information to

NABCB; misrepresentation by sales personnel of the PCB; faking of certification

records; inappropriate relationship with consultants; etc.

n) Non-availability of resources in some of the technical areas/schemes covered

under accreditation.

o) Inability or unwillingness to organize office/witness assessments due, in time

p) Critical or major non conformity which may bring into question the PCB’s ability to

provide certification in compliance with the accreditation norms

q) Any other condition/situation deemed appropriate by the accreditation committee.

3.3.1. A notice citing reasons and intention to suspend shall be sent to the PCB inviting

response within 15 days.

3.3.2. The accredited PCB shall be given an opportunity to explain its position in writing to

NABCB and present its case in person to the accreditation committee. The final

decision shall be taken in respect of Suspension of Accreditation (Partial or full) on the

basis of facts and the results of such presentation.

3.3.3. Notwithstanding the above provision for a representation by the PCB, the accreditation

committee may decide to suspend accreditation if there is sufficient evidence of wilful

misrepresentation of facts or wilful non-compliance to accreditation criteria. The period

of suspension shall be formally communicated as per the criteria laid down by the Board

3.3.4. The information about suspension (partial or full) of the accreditation of the PCB shall be

published on NABCB website for information to all and feedback from the industry / other

stakeholders.

3.4. Withdrawal of Accreditation

3.4.1. The PCB shall be subject to withdrawal of accreditation based on the following conditions

individually or severally

i. If an accredited PCB voluntarily relinquishes its accreditation status

ii. If the non-conformities are not appropriately addressed in spite of

suspension/withholding of reaccreditation for a period not more than six months

iii. If no action is taken by the accredited PCB in response to the suspension on any

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NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 11 of 41

other grounds.

iv. Complaints are received about the certification process / certified client

organization and established to be based on facts

v. Critical or major non conformity which may bring into question the CB’s ability to

provide certification in compliance with the accreditation norms

vi. Any serious non-compliance to Terms and Conditions of accreditation especially

any fraudulent behaviour which may warrant withdrawal in line with IAF MD 7.

vii. Any other condition/situation deemed appropriate by the accreditation committee

3.4.2. A notice of the intention to withdraw accreditation citing reasons shall be sent to the PCB.

The PCB shall respond within 15 days.

3.4.3. The accredited PCB shall be given an opportunity to explain its position in writing to the

NABCB and present its case in person to the Accreditation Committee. The final decision

shall be taken in respect of Withdrawal of Accreditation on the basis of facts and the

results of such presentation

3.4.4. The withdrawal of accreditation shall be formally communicated as per the criteria laid

down by the NABCB.

3.4.5. NABCB shall publish information about any withdrawal of accreditation on its website, in

its newsletter as well as in newspapers, if necessary, for information of the industry /

other stakeholders and inform IAF/APAC, if required.

3.4.6. The PCB shall inform the client organization it has certified, about withdrawal of

accreditation and its consequences and replace their certificates either by unaccredited

certificates or certificates with another accreditation or help them transfer to another PCB

within 3 months.

4. Assessment

The assessment shall be for generic competence of the applicant body in operating a sound

certification/ system in compliance with the accreditation criteria

4.1. Preparation for the Assessment:

4.1.1. The NABCB Secretariat prepares a draft accreditation assessment plan for the initial

accreditation process, covering three stages, as follows:

a) assessment of the documents. This shall cover all levels of documents of the PCB for

the accreditation scheme applied for.

b) assessment of office of the applicant PCB including any branch offices/ locations from

where the PCB is offering its services /sub-contractors as applicable.

c) witnessing of on-site audits being carried out by the applicant PCB based on the scopes

of accreditation / certification schemes applied for.

The normal assessment duration for each stage of assessment is described at Annex 2.

The draft assessment plan (for individual assessments in an assessment programme)

may be prepared in stages as mentioned above depending on the information supplied

and as and when the individual assessment activity is planned and executed using a risk

based approach. The clarifications regarding the scopes/schemes applied for, auditor

expertise available with applicant, etc. shall be provided in advance for finalizing

assessment plan; if necessary, the same shall be further verified as part of the office

assessment.

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NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 12 of 41

For Product Certification “Key Activities” shall include the following:

Policy formulation; Process and/or procedure development; Initial approval of

auditing/evaluating personnel, or control of their training; On-going monitoring of

auditing/evaluating personnel; Contract review; Assignment of auditing/evaluating

personnel and technical experts if any, handling of samples and items, Control of

surveillance or recertification audits, Final report review or certification decision, issue of

certificates.

For the purpose of assessing scope of accreditation/ certification schemes applied for,

the same shall be assessed through a combination of means such as documentation

review where the PCB’s system for competence and qualification would be reviewed,

office assessment where records of persons qualified for the scope sectors/schemes is

reviewed and witness of PCB’s evaluations/audits. The choice of assessment technique

will be decided based on risk.

4.1.2. The draft accreditation assessment plan shall be discussed with authorized personnel

of the PCB to ensure an effective assessment plan at each stage.

4.2. Assessment Process:

4.2.1. Accreditation Assessment plan

4.2.1.1. Based on the draft accreditation assessment plan , NABCB secretariat prepares a

detailed schedule for the following three stages of the assessment

a) Assessment of the documentation of the PCB.

b) Assessment of the office of the PCB including branch offices/locations / sub-

contractors

c) Witness of the audit / evaluation being carried out by the PCB (At least two

audits/evaluations (initial /recertification) are witnessed for initial accreditation

of a PCB – if the PCB has applied for more than one Scheme, it would be one

witness per Scheme. NABCB shall decide on how many witnesses would be

needed to cover the entire scope of accreditation sought by the applicant PCB.

4.2.1.2. The programme shall be agreed by the NABCB Secretariat and by the applicant

PCB.

4.2.1.3. The Leader of the assessment team, in consultation with Director/CEO NABCB, is

authorized to identify the auditors (within the scope of accreditation) of the

applicant PCB that his team would wish to observe during the witness of audit by

the applicant PCB.

4.2.2. Initial Assessment

The initial assessment is carried out in three steps as per the assessment programme, as

described in section 4.2.1.1 of this document

4.2.2.1. The documents are verified by the assessment team leader/or a member for

compliance to the accreditation criteria as supported by the guidance documents,

if any, and the scope applied for by the applicant PCB. In case the PCB applies for

more than one accreditation scheme, then it shall be ensured by having

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NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 13 of 41

appropriate number of assessors that at least one assessor qualified for each

accreditation scheme is part of the assessment team. A document review report of

any omissions of the criteria elements is forwarded by the team leader, to NABCB

Secretariat.

4.2.2.2. In case the PCB has applied for more than one Scheme, then additional man-days

may be added for document review and office assessment.

4.2.2.3. NABCB Secretariat reviews the Document review report (DRR) and forwards a

copy of the DRR to the applicant PCB for their comments and compliance.

Depending on the nature of comments and changes made to the documentation,

decision regarding a second review of documents shall be taken. The applicant

PCB would be informed if a second review is needed. If significant changes are

needed, the second review may be charged. Any review beyond second document

review would be charged by NABCB.

4.2.2.4. Any further review of documents would be charged to the CB. If the documentation

does not meet the requirements even after 3rd review, the application is liable to

be rejected. In such an event, the decision of the NABCB shall be communicated

to the applicant with reasons for rejecting the application. The applicant can appeal

against such a decision.

4.2.2.5. NABCB may decide to conduct a preliminary visit in case the documentation does

not meet requirements after two reviews, to give an opportunity to the PCB to

clearly understand the accreditation criteria and other requirements. The visit shall

be charged to the PCB and the duration shall be decided by NABCB Secretariat

based on the work involved. The preliminary visit will generally be carried out for

one man day by the appointed leader of the assessment team that carried out the

DR.

If the documentation is determined to be generally meeting the accreditation

criteria, after review of the changes made, NABCB Secretariat may seek evidence

of implementation of changes to the system by the applicant body

4.2.2.6. Subsequent to the documentation review stage, the onsite assessment of the head

office and the branch offices/sub-contractors, if any, etc, as per the assessment

programme decided at the beginning (see section 4.1.1 of this document), shall be

planned. The team leader and the team member involved in the documentation

review activity shall generally be part of the assessment team. Any additional team

members may be inducted based on the review of mandays and the scope /

certification scheme applied for.

4.2.2.7. The assessment plan for the office assessments as per the accreditation

assessment plan , as prepared by the team leader is shared with the PCB for

their agreement. The responsibility for preparation of assessment plan is that of

the team leader for the individual office assessments as per the accreditation

assessment plan.

4.2.2.8. The assessment team will carry out the assessment of the implementation of the

applicant PCB’s documented system in the head office of the applicant body and

if necessary at other office sites / sub-contractors included in the accreditation

application/accreditation assessment plan.

4.2.2.9. In case information collected during the head office assessment of the PCB

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NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 14 of 41

requires inclusion of other locations in the accreditation assessment plan, the

applicant PCB shall be informed and the same shall be modified to cover such

locations. Subsequent monitoring at these offices / new locations shall depend on

the nature of activities carried out there and the extent of control demonstrated by

the applicant PCB.

4.2.2.10. The branch offices / sub-contractors carrying out activities as defined above (refer

section no. 4.1.1) shall be included in the assessment programme and shall be

covered during an accreditation cycle

4.2.2.11. During the assessment and/or on demand at any time, the applicant / accredited

PCB shall provide unrestricted access to the documents and records that pertain

to implementation of systems in accordance with the accreditation criteria for the

scopes applied for. The records shall also include the records pertaining to

applicant and client organizations certified by the PCB and the certification process

and the scopes applied for. Access shall also be provided to the records of the

complaints, appeals and disputes along with corrective actions and the method of

verifying the effectiveness of the corrective actions. Under certain circumstances,

where possibility of irregularity, malpractice and/or fraud is suspected, the records

under review may also include the financial records as relevant/applicable to the

certification process. Under these circumstances the NABCB assessors shall

demand and take copies in any form as relevant – hard copies, scanned copies,

etc.

4.2.2.12. The non-conformities observed during the office assessment shall be explained to

the applicant PCB and given in NABCB designated format for carrying out root

cause analysis and proposing corrective actions for preventing recurrence as well

as corrections, where applicable. Concerns may also be raised. The time lines for

the corrective action completion shall be agreed to by the assessment team leader

and the authorized personnel of the applicant PCB as per the timelines laid down

on this aspect (Pl see section 9 of this procedure).

4.2.2.13. The team leader shall recommend, at this stage, whether to await completion

of the corrective actions or to proceed with the witness of the onsite

evaluations/audits scheduled to be carried out by the applicant PCB. Generally any

major NC in respect of areas like evaluator / auditor competence or certification

process, would require the PCB to take corrective actions before a witness is

planned. The Team leader shall send a report to NABCB Secretariat , including

details of the recommendations for witness audits and the witness audit plan, as

per the Guidelines of the Board.

4.2.2.14. The team, nominated by NABCB Secretariat, shall carry out the witness

assessment as per the accreditation assessment plan, based on the

scopes/schemes applied for. The PCB should ensure that the witness offered

covers the representative processes of the concerned scheme. The assessment

shall cover the complete process of evaluation/audit for certification.

4.2.2.15. For all witness audits /evaluation under ISO/IEC 17065, the PCB shall provide

details of contract review, and reports of any prior evaluation/audits, if applicable

and any other document as required for completing the process of witness

assessment. During the process of conduct of witness assessment, the NABCB

witness assessment team may also ask for the documentation of the

evaluated/audited client organization and other evidence seen by the PCB’s

audit/evaluation team without causing undue disturbance to the audit/ evaluation

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

559

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 15 of 41

process. For the purpose of review, on completion of the witness assessment, the

PCB evaluation / audit team shall provide the NABCB AT, the findings of

evaluations / the witnessed audits.

The PCB shall provide at least one week in advance before the witness

assessment, the following details:

i) Brief of client organization

ii) Application received

iii) Contract review along with evaluation / audit man-days estimation

iv) Record of evaluator / auditor qualification for the scope/scheme along

with supporting documents like CVs, knowledge & skills defined and

evaluation record etc. and information on how team competence is built

up for the scope/scheme.

v) Last audit report for the same client organization, if any

vi) audit plan

vii) audit programme, if applicable

viii) CB's procedures.

The evaluation/audit report along with the documented findings shall be provided

to the NABCB AT as soon as the same is prepared and released for PCB’s

technical review process (please see Annex – 4 for timelines).

4.2.2.16. The NABCB assessment team shall identify the findings (non-conformities,

concerns, etc).

4.2.2.17. A meeting shall be held on completion of witness assessment and the applicant

PCB’s audit team shall be explained and provided with, as far as possible,

documented copy of the non-conformities/concerns observed during the

assessment for corrective action as per the guidelines established by the Board.

Additional NCs/Concerns may also be raised based on review of other records

pertaining to the witnessed audit, contract review and mandays estimation, auditor

qualification, etc, in addition to those raised during the witness assessment, as

applicable. The team also provides an opportunity for the applicant PCB to ask any

question about the findings and its basis during the meeting.

4.2.3. Assessment Report

4.2.3.1. The assessment team shall prepare a report at each stage of the assessment –

office assessment, branch office assessment, and witness assessments. Non-

conformities and concerns, if any, shall normally be handed over to the PCB

representative at the end of each assessment. The report at each stage of

assessment shall be sent by the NABCB within timelines as prescribed at Annex -

4 of this document to the PCB for their agreement. If no comments are received

within a week, then the report is considered to be acceptable to the PCB and is

deemed as final. The NABCB AT shall try to resolve any comments received on

the report within timelines as prescribed at Annex 4 of this document and shall

submit the report at the end of this period along with any unresolved comments

from the PCB. NABCB Secretariat would coordinate, as needed. The unresolved

comments if any would be handled as per the internal procedure of NABCB for

disputes

For any witness audits, the PCB shall provide the witness audit report as per

timelines prescribed at Annex 4 of this document and in case the report is not

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

560

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 16 of 41

provided, then the NABCB assessment team would record the same in their report

of the witness assessment and finalize its witness assessment report. NABCB

assessment team may raise non-conformities/observations later, on the basis of

any report submitted by the PCB If the PCB fails to submit its evaluation / audit

report in time, then any information contained in the report may not be accepted

as evidence for any contention by the PCB against observations by the NABCB

assessment team.

4.2.3.2. After completion of various stages of assessments and after verifying the

documents and records submitted by the applicant PCB on all the non-conformities

and concerns , the team leader shall prepare a final report covering all the aspects

of the initial assessment - documentation review, office (including assessment of

any other locations as applicable) assessment, the witness assessments and the

follow-up assessments, if any, assessment findings and the acceptance of CAs,

etc. The final report of initial assessment is required to be made in the prescribed

format and shall essentially consist of the following:

a) A report indicating the level of conformity of the PCB’s management system

against the NABCB accreditation requirements.

b) The non-conformities and concerns observed during various stages of the

assessment and details of corrective actions taken by the PCB on the non-

conformities/concerns and whether these are accepted by NABCB AT

c) Recommendations by NABCB assessment team with details of recommended

scopes and justification for not recommending any scopes

d) Recommendations for special conditions like early surveillance, witness of any

scope sector beyond those witnessed as part of initial assessment for reasons

like confirmation of documented competence criteria, etc. NABCB team leader

shall provide appropriate justifications for recommending the special conditions

to be imposed.

e) The report shall be prepared as per the laid down Guidelines and criteria by

the team leader in the established formats listing the level of compliance to the

requirement of the accreditation criteria of the Board.

4.2.3.3. All the assessment reports at the stage of initial accreditation, reaccreditation and

scope extension assessments which require a decision are reviewed. In respect of

surveillance office/witness assessments, as a part of monitoring mechanism of

NABCB, any report may be picked up for the review after it has been issued.

4.2.3.4. The NABCB secretariat shall organize a review of the assessment reports, to

ensure that the laid down criteria are addressed correctly. In case the review

requires additional action from the PCB, it shall be escalated to the CEO of the

Board, who shall take the final decision on the matter. Based on the review, there

may be a need for making changes in recommendations as needed based on the

NABCB Board’s accreditation criteria. Any revised report shall be sent to the

applicant PCB along with reasons for any change

4.2.3.5. At any stage of the assessment process, if there is a need for a full or partial

reassessment or a written declaration of compliance from the PCB ,in response

to the non-conformities observed, the same shall be communicated to the

applicant PCB by the Director/ CEO of the Board after obtaining the relevant

supportive facts relating to assessment from the leader of the assessment team.

4.2.3.6. In case that the report sent has any difference from the information presented to

the applicant PCB by the assessment team at the closing meeting, the same is

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561

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 17 of 41

highlighted and the explanation of the differences is enclosed.

4.2.3.7. The process of closing the non-conformities/concerns and verification must be

completed in the specified time. If the applicant PCB delays the process of

acceptable corrective action beyond the time limits specified by the NABCB, the

NABCB will reserve the right to reject the application. The fees paid by such

applicant PCB will be forfeited. In such an event, the decision of the NABCB shall

be communicated to the applicant with reasons for rejecting the application. The

applicant can appeal against such a decision.

4.2.3.8. After all the preceding steps are over, the final report shall be reviewed for

completeness, by the NABCB, with respect to guidelines on the subject and shall

be presented to the accreditation committee for its decision on the grant of

accreditation to the applicant PCB.

4.2.3.9. Wherever needed, to support the evidence of competency of the applicant PCB,

they may submit the documents and records of assessments undertaken on the

applicant PCB by other IAF MLA Members. Director/ CEO NABCB, shall ensure a

detailed review, on a case-to-case basis, and provide a report of the same to the

Accreditation Committee. The Committee shall decide on the extent of its

consideration for the grant of scopes based on such reports. Appropriate

guidelines on this subject shall be laid down for the use of assessment teams as

well as applicant bodies. In case of any difference in interpretation, the Board

decision shall be final and binding on the applicant PCB (please see Annex 3 for

details)

4.2.4. Time Period for assessment process

A typical time line for the accreditation process is given in Annex 4. The assessment process

for any applicant PCB must be completed within a maximum of one year. In the event that the

process is not completed within one year, NABCB will take a decision and the application may

then be kept active for one more year and applicant PCB may be given one chance to

completely restart the assessment process afresh without paying any additional application fee.

In such cases the assessment process must be completed in one additional year.

In the event of delay in scheduling of witness assessments for different scope sectors applied

for, as per NABCB procedure, the applicant PCB may apply in writing to the Director/CEO of

the Board for consideration of their application for part of the scope, for which the assessment

process including witness assessments as per NABCB procedure has been completed. The

Director/ CEO NABCB shall have the right to accede to that request or differ. Grant of

accreditation for part of the scopes shall be done subject to completion of CAs for all the non-

Conformities and concerns raised during the earlier stages - office assessment and the witness

assessments conducted and their acceptance/closure as per the laid down criteria of the Board.

5. Accreditation Decision

5.1. The Accreditation Committee is responsible for taking decision on granting, maintaining,

suspending, reducing or withdrawing of Accreditation and also withholding of reaccreditation

as well as extension of validity of accreditation. It also ensures that the members of the

Accreditation Committee were not involved in the assessment and also have had no

relationship for the last two years with the applicant PCB under consideration that can influence

their decision on accreditation.

5.2. The reports are forwarded to the accreditation committee along with recommendations of

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

562

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 18 of 41

NABCB secretariat for the decision of accreditation.

5.3. The decision of accreditation is taken by the Accreditation Committee unanimously and is

generally not put on vote. The Head of the Committee shall be responsible for coordinating and

addressing the issues raised by the members. The Head of the committee shall have the right

to call for any other assessor/experts/personnel for clarifying any of the issue that is under

discussion. The persons so called for clarifications, shall not take part in the decision of the

accreditation. It shall be ensured that the persons so called for clarifications shall not have

taken part in the assessment of the concerned PCB and shall be free from any conflict of

interest, except when clarification from the assessment team is needed.

5.4. The decisions of the accreditation committee are based on the assessment report,

recommendations of the assessment team and the NABCB secretariat, any other relevant

information about complaints, the market reputation obtained by the Board, etc. It may also

involve interaction with the Director/CEO NABCB, assessment team and the applicant PCB.

The accreditation committee in its capacity shall have the right to ask for any further

clarifications on the report and information submitted on the applicant’s certification process

and the applicant shall not refuse to present such information.

6. Accreditation Information/Documents

6.1. The accreditation committee shall decide to grant accreditation to the applicant PCB, only after

the applicant PCB has met all the conditions specified by the Board,

6.2. Two copies of the accreditation agreement shall be signed by the applicant PCB and the

applicant PCB shall ensure that the relevant fees are paid.

6.3. On receipt of the signed agreement and the fee as per the invoice, a set of accreditation

documents is issued to the applicant PCB.

6.4. The accreditation certificate in the standard template would include the NABCB accreditation

symbol, the name of the PCB, address of the premises of the PCB from where key activities

are performed, unique accreditation number, the scope of accreditation, effective date of grant

of accreditation and the date of expiry of the certificate (BCB F018).

In addition to this, the following details are also included:

 Certification scheme

 Standards/Normative documents and/or regulatory requirements to which organizations

are certified

 IAF Scope sector

6.5. The initial accreditation certificate is valid for 3 years and the date of issue and validity is

indicated on the certificate.

6.6. The Scope of accreditation granted to a PCB is indicated on the Accreditation Certificate or a

Schedule which accompanies the accreditation certificate. Whenever there is a change in

scope (extension or reduction) which calls for a revision of the schedule and / or accreditation

certificate, the revised schedule and / or accreditation certificate will carry the revision no. (such

as Rev 1) with a disclaimer as follows: “This certificate / schedule supersedes the earlier version

of the certificate / schedule dated ……..”. In addition, the PCB will also be asked to return the

earlier version of the certificate and / or schedule.

In case of scope reduction, the revised certificate and / or schedule will be issued only after

receipt of earlier version of the certificate and / or schedule from the PCB.

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

563

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 19 of 41

7. Maintaining Accreditation and Accreditation Cycle

7.1. Surveillance Assessment

7.1.1. To ensure that each PCB accredited by the Board continues to comply with the

accreditation requirements, a surveillance assessment shall be carried out annually at

the main office of the PCB; other offices may be covered as per the assessment

programme. The first surveillance assessment shall be completed within 9 months from

the date of grant of accreditation. However, the accredited PCB, for valid reasons may

seek a postponement of the assessment for a maximum period of three months. For

deferring the surveillance, the PCB shall give written justification and shall obtain the

consent of CEO, NABCB. It shall be ensured that the first surveillance takes place within

12 months and gap between surveillance assessments shall not exceed 15 months.

The subsequent assessments shall be every 12 months. The surveillance assessment

shall be consistent with the initial assessment and include office assessment, other

locations performing key activities as defined in section 4.1.1 above, including foreign

locations and witness of the audit of the organizations certified by the accredited PCB.

The number of locations included in the surveillance assessment would be based on the

. . Locations where highest and lowest number of certifications are undertaken, will be

chosen, if applicable.

7.1.2. The witness assessment programme would take into account the audit resources

available to the PCB, number of accredited certificates issued, spread of locations and

the extent of control demonstrated by the PCB and observations of the office

assessment. Specific schemes/audits or auditors may be chosen for witnessing (please

see Annex - 6). A plan for witness assessments would be communicated to the

accredited PCB. The provisions of clause 4.2 would apply as regards the number of

NABCB assessors/ experts for witness audits. NABCB will try to cover maximum

schemes under the scope of accreditation during its surveillance activities including both

office and witness assessments. In selecting schemes to be witnessed, and specific

scopes in the schemes, a risk based approach will be used. Complex Scopes within a

scheme and complex schemes will be chosen for witnessing. Also scopes/schemes

under regulatory oversight will be chosen for witnessing more often. Similarly, scopes

having highest as well as lowest number of certifications will be chosen.

7.1.3. The non-conformity reports and concerns if any and the assessment report of each of

the surveillance assessments shall be forwarded to the accredited PCB for taking

corrective action as per the laid down criteria for the maintenance of accreditation

7.1.4. In the event of any critical and/or major non-conformity that can affect the certification

process, the NABCB Secretariat informs the accredited PCB and seeks a time bound

corrective action plan. The decision for an additional follow up visit to verify the

implementation of the corrective action plan as committed by the accredited PCB is taken

by the Director/CEO, NABCB in consultation with the Team leader of the assessment

team. Such decision shall be binding on the accredited PCB. The cost of the follow up

visit shall be borne by the accredited PCB. In the event, that the accredited PCB has not

shown evidence of completion of the corrective action agreed as per committed time

period, NABCB Secretariat shall prepare a status report and submit it along with the

assessment report to the accreditation committee along with recommendations of

NABCB secretariat for further decision on suspension or reduction or withdrawal of

accreditation. Critical/major non conformity may lead to suspension/withdrawal of

accreditation depending on the seriousness.

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

564

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 20 of 41

7.1.5. The surveillance assessment reports shall be reviewed and presented to the

accreditation committee for consideration and decision regarding any suspension

(partial/full) of accreditation or scope extension or scope reduction of the accredited

PCB.

7.1.6. The frequency of surveillance assessments may be increased based on the type of non-

conformities observed, complaints received, market feedback etc. The PCB shall be

informed of the reasons for any change in the frequency.

7.2. Other Surveillance activities

7.2.1. NABCB Secretariat shall call for information on new certificates issued on a quarterly

basis and based on the same may decide to seek audit reports on a random basis. The

Secretariat would have the reports reviewed and seek any clarification. If a clear

deviation from the requirement of the standard is established, then such findings would

be raised as non-conformities requiring the accredited PCB to respond. The cost for such

reviews shall be charged to the PCB.

7.2.2. Based on concerns noticed during the office assessment / market feedback / complaints

or otherwise, Director/CEO, NABCB may decide to arrange direct interaction with or visit

client organizations certified by the PCB and the cost of such interactions/visits carried

out if any shall be borne by the accredited PCB. PCBs shall, in their contract with their

certified organizations provide for such activities. PCBs shall be informed of any such

activity and may join the NABCB assessor/AT for such activities if required. PCBs would

be informed of the duration of such activities and the information planned to be collected,

if felt necessary.

7.2.3. If such activities indicate satisfactory operation of accredited certification, then a

reduction in normal witnessing could be considered. If however, the activities reveal

unsatisfactory operation of the accredited certification scheme, then NABCB Secretariat

would advise actions to be taken which could include a special office assessment and

intensified witnessing,

7.2.4. The PCB would have to bear the assessment charges in all such cases.

7.3. Reaccreditation

7.3.1. Normally six months prior to completion of the accreditation term, the accredited PCB

shall be informed through an alert generated by the accreditation portal about the

reaccreditation process The PCB shall apply at least 5 months in advance of the expiry

date and ensure that office assessment is carried out normally 3 months before the

expiry date. In case of delays, the reaccreditation is liable to be withheld till the

reaccreditation process is completed.

7.3.2. For the purpose of reaccreditation, the reassessment shall be carried out in accordance

with process detailed in sections 4 – 6 of this procedure as applied to initial accreditation

process and assessment.

7.3.3. In case during the accreditation cycle preceding the reaccreditation, witness

assessments have been carried out as part of surveillance assessments exceeding the

number of mandatory minimum witness assessments needed for reaccreditation, then

no separate witness assessments are required as part of reaccreditation process. It is

the responsibility of the PCB to ensure that it offers at least the minimum number of

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

565

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 21 of 41

witness assessments required for each accreditation. These could also be certificates

granted under accreditation by other ABs. The mandatory minimum number for the

purpose of reaccreditation shall be the same as that for initial accreditation.

7.3.4. On completion of the re-accreditation process, the accredited PCB shall initiate the

relevant activities to take corrective actions on the observed non conformities and

concerns, if any,and complete all actions as per the criteria of the Board to close all

critical & major non-conformities and ensure that corrective action plan for minor non

conformities are accepted by the assessment teams, before the reaccreditation decision

can be taken.

7.3.5. The assessment team shall prepare a report of all the aspects of the assessment of the

office and witness assessments, if undertaken for the purpose. The final assessment

report shall be made which clearly identifies the activities undertaken as part of

reassessment process and includes the following:

a) the level of conformity of the PCB’s management system against the NABCB

accreditation requirements.

b) The non-conformities and concerns observed during various stages of the

assessment and details of corrective actions taken by the PCB on the non-

conformities/concerns and whether these are accepted by NABCB AT

c) Recommendations by the NABCB assessment team with details of recommended

scopes and justification for not recommending any scopes

d) Recommendations for special conditions like early surveillance, witness of any scope

sector etc, NABCB team leader shall provide appropriate justifications for

recommending the special conditions to be imposed.

7.3.6. The report shall be prepared as per the laid down guidelines and criteria by the team

leader / team members in the established formats listing the level of compliance to the

requirement of the accreditation criteria of the Board. The reports of the re-assessment,

and witness assessments if undertaken, and the corrective actions taken by the

accredited PCB along with recommendations of NABCB secretariat shall then be

presented to the accreditation committee for a decision.

7.3.7. If the decision by the accreditation committee is to continue the accreditation, a fresh set

of accreditation documents shall be issued to the accredited PCB.

7.3.8. The reaccreditation shall be for a period of4 years.

7.3.9. All reassessment activities shall be completed prior to the expiry of accreditation. In case

there is a delay in decision-making, the accreditation shall continue, if the report of the

assessment team is satisfactory. The decision of the accreditation committee shall be

binding on the accredited PCB.

7.3.10. If the accreditation committee is not able to take a positive decision for any reason, the

reaccreditation may be withheld and communicated to the accredited PCB for initiating

appropriate actions including any corrective actions. The PCB shall complete all actions

within 6 months failing which the reaccreditation may not be agreed to. The period from

the date of previous expiry to reaccreditation shall be deemed to be suspension and

reaccreditation effected from the original date of expiry.

8. Suspension & Withdrawal of Accreditation

8.1. Decision on Suspension and Withdrawal of Accreditation

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566

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 22 of 41

Accreditation Committee is authorized to decide about the suspension or withdrawal of

accreditation or revoking of suspension.

8.2. Suspension of Accreditation (Partial/full)

8.2.1. In addition to the requirements specified under section 3.3 Suspension of Accreditation

(Partial or full) the following shall further apply

The PCB may seek on its own suspension of accreditation citing reasons for the same

with justification.

8.2.2. The period of suspension will not be more than six months. If the accredited PCB does

not take suitable corrective action to the satisfaction of the Board and its assessment

team within six months, the Board reserves the right to withdraw the accreditation.

8.2.3. In the event of partial / full suspension, in terms of scope within a certification scheme or

the certification scheme itself or the accreditation scheme, the accredited PCB shall be

informed. The PCB is then barred from issuing accredited certificates for the scopes for

which the accreditation has been suspended till the suspension is in force.

8.2.4. It is allowed to take on surveillance assessment only with the permission of the CEO,

who will ensure that adequate resources are provided by the PCB such that the

surveillance process is not compromised. Where the CEO of the Board is not sure of the

adequate resources, the PCB under suspension will be asked to take support of another

PCB accredited by the Board.

8.2.5. For revoking suspension, the accredited PCB shall formally apply to NABCB as per the

established guidelines. The suspension shall be revoked after an assessment has been

carried out to verify that the corrective actions have been implemented and are effective

in eliminating the reasons of suspension.

8.3. Withdrawal of Accreditation

8.3.1. The reasons for withdrawal are already specified at clause 3.4 Additionally, the Board

may decide to withdraw accreditation based on market feedback, complaints about the

certification process etc. after due investigation and providing the PCB with an

opportunity to respond to the findings.

8.3.2. In the event of the decision to withdraw the accreditation, the PCB is asked to return the

original accreditation certificate and the enclosure of scopes to NABCB and to stop using

the accreditation symbol of NABCB with immediate effect. The Director/CEO NABCB

shall also notify the legal course for initiating any penalty of such misuses if it is reported

and found supported by facts and evidences

8.3.3. In case a PCB is found using NABCB accreditation symbol after withdrawal of

accreditation supported by facts and evidences, NABCB may initiate legal action.

8.3.4. Withdrawal of an accreditation has consequences on the organizations certified by the

PCB. The CB shall provide the organization it has certified, with information on the

withdrawal of its accreditation and on its consequences. Any Accredited certificates shall

be considered as unaccredited, once accreditation is withdrawn and NABCB may require

the PCB to publicize this on its website and may place this information on NABCB

website also. The PCB may, in consultation with NABCB arrange for the transfer of such

accredited certificates to another accredited PCB, if possible.

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

567

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 23 of 41

8.3.5. Following withdrawal of accreditation, the PCB may seek fresh accreditation as a new

applicant only after a cooling period of minimum one year. NABCB shall have the right

to satisfy itself if the reasons which led to withdrawal have been addressed adequately

before accepting the application. Any visits needed for such a check would be charged

to the PCB.

8.4. Public Information of Suspension or Withdrawal of accreditation

The information of the suspension or withdrawal shall be placed on the NABCB website in the

The charges for making the information public through newspapers shall be recovered from the

PCB involved before revoking the suspension or renewal of the accreditation.

9. Assessment findings (Nonconformities/Concerns) and Corrective Actions

9.1. The Non conformities observed shall be categorised in three categories:

a) Critical:

 Any evidence that indicates that the certificates issued by the PCB may not be based on

sound judgment and objective evidences and may not be a true reflection of the

compliance to the standards.

 Any failure of implementation of the certification rules as per accreditation criteria and

raises doubts on the operation and practice of the certification and the results of the

certification system being operated by the PCB.

 Any evidence that indicate possibility of fraudulent/irregular behaviour by the PCB, such

as issuance of certificates without audit or minimal audit, violation of impartiality

requirements which indicates an unacceptable threat to impartiality, issuance of

certification to a client not observed to be fit for certification during validation

assessments, etc.

 Critical non-conformities shall call for the immediate correction and corrective actions

based on appropriate root cause analysis. Such actions shall have to be completed and

non-conformities addressed within 30 days of the date these have been observed by the

assessment team as per the established criteria of the Board. Critical NC shall be

brought to the immediate notice of Director/CEO NABCB by the Team Leader of the

NABCB AT. The PCB may be liable for suspension/withdrawal of accreditation with due

notice if such NCs are raised even as it takes action to address them. In case the

corrective action is not completed within the stipulated time frame, the accreditation may

be liable for suspension partially or completely or withdrawal based on the nature of non-

conformity.

b) Major:

 Any evidence that casts doubt on the certification system and is less severe than in case

of the critical (which bring into question the validity of certificate issued) and is evident

in failure of certain elements of the criteria individually (e.g. absence of liability insurance

or internal audit system not working). It may have less direct impact on the certification

system and its results or any minor non-conformities that have not been acted upon

within the stipulated time frame. A number of minor nonconformities associated with the

same requirements or issue may be considered as major nonconformity if it indicates a

systemic failure.

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

568

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 24 of 41

 Major non-conformities shall call for the early correction and corrective actions based on

appropriate root cause analysis. Such actions shall be completed and non-conformities

addressed within 60 days of the date these have been observed by the assessment

team as per the established criteria of the Board. The PCB shall get 10 days for

proposing corrective actions and the NABCB AT shall get 10 days for review and

response on these. In case the corrective actions are accepted, the PCB shall be given

15 days to submit evidence of the implementation of the accepted corrective actions

which the NABCB AT will review and respond within 15 days. In case the NC is not

addressed within the stipulated time frame, the accreditation may be liable for

suspension partially or completely based on the nature of the non-conformity.

c) Minor:

 Any evidence that indicates a non-compliance to the accreditation criteria and the

application documents, which has negligible impact on the certification system and its

results.

 Minor non conformities shall need to be addressed and corrected as early as possible

but not later than 3 months (90days) from the date these have been observed by the

assessment team, as per the established criteria of the Board. In case of minor NCs also

the PCBs will be required to undertake appropriate root cause analysis before deciding

the corrective action. One of the analysis it will require to do is to establish whether it is

an isolated case or there are other instances the same finding is observed since the

rigour of the corrective actions decided will depend on the same.

 PCB is required to propose corrective actions within 15 days, and the NABCB AT should

review / respond on proposed CAs within 10 days.

Note 1: Multiple Minor NCs with related impact on the certification system shall result in a Major

non-conformity based on the judgement of the assessment team.

Note 2: NCs remaining unresolved after the prescribed timelines are liable to be upgraded to

the next higher category.

d) Concerns: NABCB assessment teams may also raise concerns under the following

circumstances:

 minor gaps/inadequacies observed, in PCB’s documented system or practices, which

do not directly amount to non-compliance. However, if no action is taken they are likely

to result in nonconformities.

 Issues observed during witness assessments, which may require further review and

assessment of the systems of the PCB in the office.

 Findings of minor nature where, in the judgement of the assessment team, root cause

analysis in not required

 Issues from documentation review, minor in nature, which have remained unresolved

subsequent to office assessment, where the practice of the PCB was observed to be

complying with the requirements of the standard.

 Concerns are findings which do not require the PCB to carry out any root cause analysis.

It can directly inform the correction/corrective actions it has taken or intends to take

(where it would take time). In certain cases, where these are unresolved issues from

documentation review, the NABCB AT may ask the PCB to submit the evidence of

Corrective actions for the resolution of the concerns.

9.2. The PCB shall be given only two chances/iterations for acceptance of corrective actions

(proposed/implemented) and closure of non-conformities/concerns and from 3rd iteration

onwards, they would be charged for the additional review accordingly (0.5/1 manday as

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

569

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 25 of 41

decided on case- to case basis).

9.3. The time for addressing the NCs/Concerns shall be reckoned from the day the non-conformities

are handed over to the PCB.

9.4. Non-conformities of critical or major nature shall normally call for a follow up visit as per

recommendation of the assessment team. Such a follow up visit shall be charged as per

prevailing fee structure.

9.5. In case of minor non-conformities, a declaration in respect of completion of the corrective action

by the authorized person of the PCB may be accepted. However, during surveillance, if it is

found that the Minor non-conformity is not effectively addressed, the non- conformity shall be

upgraded into major non-conformity and shall have to be treated as per the criteria laid down

for Major Non conformity.

Note: The assessment team may also identify opportunities for improvement and convey the

same to the PCB as observations and include in their final report.

10. Change in the status of the Certification Body

10.1. As part of the application for accreditation, the applicant body / accredited PCB undertakes

to inform NABCB within 30 days if any change takes place in any of the aspects of its status

or operation that affects its:

a) Legal, commercial or organizational status

b) The organization, top management, and key personnel

c) Significant changes in policies and/ or documented procedures,

d) premises

e) personnel, equipment, facilities, working environment or other resources, where

significant and relevant.

f) capability of certification or scope of accredited activities, or conformity with the

requirements of the accreditation criteria.

g) Addition/closure of any branches/ foreign locations where clients organizations are

located / operations related to certification are performed

h) Changes in certifications scheme that may effect the certification process

i) Other such matters that may affect the ability of the PCB to fulfil requirements for

accreditation.

10.2. On receipt of the information of change in any of the above parameters, the Director/CEO

decides whether an extraordinary visit is necessary or the change shall not affect the

operation of the certification system within the accredited scope. If the Director/CEO decides

on a visit, such a visit shall be charged as per prevailing fee structure. The invoice for such

a visit is sent to the PCB. Further action shall be initiated only on timely payment of fee for

the visit.

10.3. During regular surveillance the accredited PCB is asked to confirm that no change in the

parameters mentioned above or any other aspect that will affect the certification system has

taken place since the last assessment.

10.4. In case an accredited PCB is found to have given a willful wrong declaration, the Board may

take suitable action and also reserves the right to suspend/withdraw the accreditation.

11. Extension/Reduction of the Scope

11.1. Extension of the scope is of two types. One where the extension of scope is being asked for

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

570

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 26 of 41

a completely new certification scheme that makes it necessary to process the application

similar to the initial assessment. The second is where the extension of scope has been asked

for within the same certification scheme for new field/subgroup/technical area as applicable.

In case it is a new scheme, then the scheme should meet the requirements of NABCB policy

on conformity assessment schemes and should be accepted by NABCB as per clause 1 of

this document

11.2. Normally the extension of the scope will be carried out as part of the surveillance visit by

increasing the number of assessor mandays necessary, or alternatively NABCB or the

applicant PCB may ask for an additional assessment. In case of extension of scope with in

the same scheme, the decision of extending the scope may be done based on the

assessment of the office to verify the resources only. No special witness assessment may be

undertaken for the extended scope.

11.3. In case extension of scope is for a new scheme, then NABCB would conduct document

review, office assessment and witness assessment either based on the requirements

prescribed in the scheme or based on elements of the scheme. NABCB may omit any of the

3 steps after review of elements/requirements of the scheme.

11.4. The proposal for the application and other fees for extension of the scope shall be forwarded

to the PCB.

11.5. The scope extension visits shall be charged as per the prevailing fee structure. Further action

shall be initiated only after timely payment of fee for the scope extension visit. The procedure

followed for the assessment and decision for extension of the scope is similar to the initial

assessment as described in sections 4 to 6 except number of witness assessments. If the

PCB has applied for more than one Scheme as a scope extension, it would be one witness

per Scheme.

11.6. The reduction of the scopes is done based on the following:

a) The accredited PCB may like to reduce their scope of accreditation of their own accord.

b) The accredited PCB has been placed under partial suspension on account of inadequate

resources for part of the scopes and subsequently agrees for the reduction of scope.

11.7. The decision for extension and reduction of scope is taken by the accreditation committee.

12. Fee payable for the accreditation process and Annual Fee

The fee structure shall be approved by the NABCB. The current approved fee schedule is available

on NABCB website

12.1. The total fee shall depend on the actual assessment days and other parameters as specified

in the fee schedule.

12.2. Each accredited body shall pay annual operating fee as identified in the current approved

schedule

12.3. The NABCB shall have the comprehensive right to revise the fee schedule as and when

necessary .

12.4. The NABCB shall take the following actions if any applicant or accredited PCB fails to pay

the fee as invoiced

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

571

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 27 of 41

a) Stop further processing of the application/extension of scope/reaccreditation

b) Do not offer accreditation

c) Suspend and/or withdraw the accreditation

12.5. All invoices are to be paid within one month. Any failure to pay the invoices timely may result

in penal action like rejection of application or suspension of accreditation. If any PCB is found

to be defaulting on payments repeatedly, NABCB may decide to ask for payment in advance

for one year at a time.

12.6. Fees for any assessment on foreign locations carried out by the local accreditation body shall

be charged at the current rates of the local accreditation body.

13. Complaints and Appeals

The detailed procedure for complaint handling and appeals BCB 203 is available on NABCB website

and the same may be referred to.

Disputes

A dispute is a disagreement between the PCB and NABCB AT (such as non- acceptance of NC by

PCB, non-acceptance by NABCB AT of CAs proposed / implemented by the PCBs) or PCB and

NABCB Secretariat. Representation on such disagreement should be made to CEO in writing by

the PCB. NABCB will handle disputes in accordance with its internal procedure for the same.

14. Publishing of the Information for Public & availability of accreditation schemes

14.1. The NABCB shall make public announcement of the accreditation schemes, criteria of

accreditation, application for accreditation, fee schedule and other related documents on its

website and on specific request.

14.2. The NABCB shall maintain a list of the accredited PCBs and the applicants on its website. It

also makes this information available on request.

14.3. The accreditation schemes are open to all applicants within the capability and scope of the

NABCB.

14.4. The NABCB shall also make public information about suspension withdrawal of accreditation,

with holding of reaccreditation and extension of validity of accreditation.

15. Confidentiality and Disclosure

15.1. The information obtained regarding the certification system of the applicant and accredited

PCBs that are not of the nature of public information shall be kept confidential by all NABCB

Personnel, members of the NABCB, panel of assessors, experts and the committee

members.

15.2. If the NABCB has to share any confidential information due to any legal situation, the

concerned PCB shall be informed of the extent of disclosure and the body to whom the

disclosure has been made

16. Obligations of the certification body and NABCB

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

572

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 28 of 41

The general obligations of the applicant / accredited PCB sand NABCB are given in Annex 5.

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

573

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 29 of 41

Annex 1 (Clause 2.1.1)

(Definitions)

Definitions of terms used in the accreditation process have been adopted from ISO 17000 & ISO

17011. Some of the definitions are reproduced here

Appeal

Request by a PCB for reconsideration of any adverse decision made by the accreditation body related

to its desired accreditation status.

Note: Adverse decisions include

 refusal to accept an application,

 refusal to proceed with an assessment,

 corrective action requests,

 changes in accreditation scope,

 decisions to deny, suspend or withdraw accreditation, and

 any other action that impedes the attainment of accreditation.

Complaint:

Expression of dissatisfaction, other than appeal, by any person or organization, to an accreditation

body, relating to the activities of that accreditation body or of an accredited PCB, where a response

is expected.

Dispute

The disputes about the accreditation system, assessment process etc.

Reducing accreditation

Process of withdrawing accreditation for part of the scope of accreditation

Scope of accreditation

Specific conformity assessment services for which accreditation is sought or has been granted

Surveillance

Set of activities, except reassessment, to monitor the continued fulfilment by accredited PCBs of

requirements for accreditation

Suspending accreditation

Process of temporarily making accreditation invalid, in full or for part of the scope of accreditation

Partial suspension of accreditation for specific technical areas / scopes or for specific geographic

areas

Withdrawing accreditation

Process of terminating accreditation in full

Witness Assessment

observation by the accreditation body of a conformity assessment body carrying out conformity

assessment activities within its scope of accreditation

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

574

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 30 of 41

Annex 2 -Assessment duration (clause 4.1.1)

The normal assessment duration would be as follows

 Document review (Manuals, procedures, other documents as needed – 3 mandays for initial

accreditation, 2 man days for reaccreditation and 1 man day for each subsequent schemes for both

initial and reaccreditation.

 Review of corrective actions and revised documents – to be estimated by NABCB Secretariat

 Office assessment – 4 mandays for one product certification scheme, at least one manday

would be added for each extra scheme covered in assessment. Need for any additional

mandays for specific situations would be estimated by NABCB Secretariat and informed to the

PCB in advance

 Branch office / sub-contractor assessment – generally 1 manday depending on the activities

carried out in the branch

 Witness assessments – As per plan of PCB– NABCB would deploy a competent team

comprising of assessors and TEs if required.

 Follow up assessments – To be estimated by NABCB secretariat

 In case of initial accreditation assessment, the preparation of final report by team leader and /

or virtual closing meeting - 1.5 manday

 Review of response to NCs - as per Annex - 4

 Surveillance assessments – 2 mandays for PCB accreditation scheme and at least one manday

for each additional accreditation scheme

 Any extension of scope assessment – To be estimated by NABCB secretariat. May require both

office assessment and witnessing.

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

575

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 31 of 41

Annex 3

Norms for using reports from other accreditation bodies for use in NABCB accreditation

process (The subject report should be of same or equivalent scheme)

Background:

NABCB, as an MRA signatory of APAC and MLA signatory of IAF is obliged to recognize accreditations

issued by other MRA / MLA signatory accreditation bodies. A provision exists in the MRA / MLA

procedures of APAC / IAF respectively for exchange of documents among ABs and to recognize the

work done by each other.

NABCB procedure for accreditation BCB 201 also includes a provision for using reports issued by

other accreditation bodies.

The recommendations by NABCB may take into account the results of assessments by other IAF MLA

members.

Therefore, NABCB would consider reports of other ABs who are signatory to IAF MLA / APAC MRA

for ISO/IEC 17065.

Framework for use of reports from other ABs for initial assessments

1. NABCB would carry out its own office assessment. Use of reports from other ABs would be

restricted to witness assessment reports only, for the present.

2. NABCB would carry out at least one witness assessment to confirm the PCB’s process for

evaluating before using reports from other ABs. If however, NABCB has witnessed an

evaluation for another AB, such a report would be acceptable in lieu.

3. NABCB would witness assessments in Schemes identified as critical as a part of initial

assessment

4. When the applicant PCB is already accredited by an APAC MRA or IAF MLA signatory AB

then NABCB may accept a witness report. In case of a new PCB, where accreditation is

granted after 2 WAs, NABCB may accept a foreign AB’s witness report not older than 3 years

in lieu of one WA

5. If a PCB already holds NABCB accreditation for a PCB scheme, it can be granted additional

scopes in that Scheme based on foreign AB’s accreditation without WAs. Further if a PCB is

already accredited by NABCB and has applied for scope extension for another scheme it may

be granted additional scopes in that Scheme based on a foreign AB’s accreditation without

WAs, NABCB may take the above decision based on review of scheme as per NABCB policy.

6. Reports of witness assessments should be reasonably current – not older than 3 years on the

date of NABCB assessment and audit witnessed should meet the general NABCB criteria – a)

should be either an initial audit / renewal audit covering all the requirements of the Scheme; b)

at least all key processes of the scheme are audited

7. NABCB would follow the IAF Guidance on exchange of documents among IAF MLA

signatories. The reports would be sought from the AB directly based on the information

provided by the PCB. It shall be the responsibility of the PCB to ensure that the AB concerned

releases the reports or PCB can submit the reports directly and NABCB will get the report

authenticated by the foreign AB.

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

576

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 32 of 41

8. The PCB shall also confirm that there had been no issues raised by the other AB on auditor

competency requirements during their previous assessment.

9. NABCB Accreditation Committee may decide not to use such reports citing clear reasons

Framework for use of reports from other ABs for surveillance assessments

NABCB may utilise any witness assessment report of an IAF MLA signatory in lieu of its own

witnessing requirements as part of surveillance activities. The process would be similar to that detailed

above except that any report of surveillance audits would also be acceptable

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

577

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 33 of 41

Annex 4

Timelines for accreditation process

(Section 1-6 of BCB 201)

Timelines - The normal time period for the various stages of the accreditation process would

be as follows:

SI.

Accreditation Process

Time Norms

Application review by Dealing Officer (from the date of receipt

of application)

1 week

Recording of Application (from date of receipt of complete

application)

1 week

Letter of Acknowledgement sent to CAB along with Team

allocation (from the date of receipt of complete application)

1 week

DR to be completed by AT and sent to CAB & NABCB

Secretariat by Team Leader (from the date of receipt of

complete application)

4 weeks

CAB to respond to comments on DRR (from the date of receipt

of DRR)

2 weeks

Preliminary Visit to be fixed if DR issues are not resolved

within 2 rounds (from date of receipt of Round 2 response on

DRR from CAB)

4 weeks

Report of Preliminary Visit (from the date of the visit)

2 weeks

OA to be carried out (from the date DR is deemed satisfactory)

4 weeks

OA Report to be submitted by AT to CAB as well as NABCB

(after completion of assessment)

3 weeks

10.

Dates of WA to be fixed by CABs (after completion of OA ,if

there are no NCs on Competence)

2 weeks

11.

CAB to respond to Findings of OA

Critical NC

Proposed Corrective Actions

Within 3 days of the date

on which the NC is

observed by the AT

Implementation of Corrective Actions and

closure of NC

Within 30 days of the date

on which the NC is

observed by the AT

Major NC

Proposed Corrective Actions

Within 10 days of the date

on which the NC is

observed by the AT

Submission of evidence of implementation of

accepted Corrective Actions

Within 15 days of

acceptance of proposed

corrective actions by the

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

578

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 34 of 41

Closure of NC

Within 60 days of the date

on which the NC is

observed by the AT

Minor NC

Proposed Corrective Actions

Within 15 days of the date

on which the NC is

observed by the AT

Implementation of Corrective Actions and

closure of NC

Within 90 days of the date

on which the NC is

observed by the AT

12.

NABCB Response on Findings

Critical NC

Proposed Corrective Actions

Within 2 days from the

receipt

Major NC

Proposed Corrective Actions

Within 10 days from the

receipt

Evidence of implementation of accepted

corrective actions

Within 15 days from the

receipt

Minor NC

Proposed Corrective Action

Within 15 days from the

receipt

13.

WAs to be carried out (from the date of notification by CAB)

Desirable 2 weeks from

the day CAB offers WA;

max 4 weeks

14.

CAB to submit the required documents for WAs (before the

date of assessment)

Min 1 week before the WA

15.

CAB to provide report of witnessed audit/inspection to AT

(after completion of assessment)

Max 1 week after the WA

16.

WA Report to be submitted by AT to CAB as well as NABCB

(after receipt of witnessed audit/inspection report from CAB)

3 weeks

17.

CAB to respond to Findings of WA

As given at SI. No. 11

above

18.

NABCB Response on Findings

As given at SI. No. 12

above

19.

Consolidated IA Report (in case of Initial Accreditation)

1 week after closure of all

issues in OA/WAs by CAB

20.

Technical Review of IA Report (after receipt of IA report from

TL)

1 week

21.

IA report to be sent to CAB (after Technical Review)

1 week after review

22.

Announcement of decision of grant

(from the day of approval of minutes of the AC meeting)

1 day

23.

Once decision of accreditation is announced by NABCB, CAB

has to pay the fees and sign the agreement

1 week

24.

Accreditation certificate to be issued by NABCB (after signing

of agreement/clearance of payment)

1 day

25.

CAB to ensure that SA is completed (before the month of

validity)

3 months

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

579

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 35 of 41

26.

RA application to be received from CAB of last accreditation

cycle

6 months before date of

expiry of accreditation

27.

Re accreditation OA to be completed

3 months before the date

of expiry

28.

Case for Grant of Reaccreditation to AC

Within the month of validity

of accreditation

Time lines for Scope Extension:

Scope Extension Process

Time Norms

Preliminary Scrutiny of application for completeness with regard to

documentation and fees (from the date of receipt of application)

2 days

Application review by Dealing Officer (from the date of receipt of

application)

2 days

Letter of Acknowledgement sent to CAB along with Team allocation

(from the date of receipt of application)

3 days

Offsite review of documents to be completed by AT/assessor and

sent to CAB

2 weeks

Findings of offsite review to be addressed by CAB (if any)

(from the completion of offsite review)

1 week

Carrying out onsite assessment (if required)

(from the date issues in offsite review addressed)

4 weeks

Report to be submitted by AT to CAB (from date of onsite

assessment)

2 weeks

CAB to respond to Findings of OA – (from the last date of

assessment

Critical NC

Proposed Corrective Actions

Within 3 days of the date

on which the NC is

observed by the AT

Implementation of Corrective Actions and closure of

Within 30 days of the date

on which the NC is

observed by the AT

Major NC

Proposed Corrective Actions

Within 10 days of the date

on which the NC is

observed by the AT

Submission of evidence of implementation of

accepted Corrective Actions

Within 15 days of

acceptance of proposed

corrective actions by the

Closure of NC

Within 60 days of the date

on which the NC is

observed by the AT

Minor NC

Proposed Corrective Actions

Within 15 days of

acceptance of proposed

corrective actions by the

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

580

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 36 of 41

Implementation of Corrective Actions and closure of

Within 90 days of the date

on which the NC is

observed by the AT

NABCB Response on Findings

Critical NC

Proposed Corrective Actions

Within 2 days from the

receipt

Major NC

Proposed Corrective Actions

Within 10 days from the

receipt

Evidence of implementation of accepted corrective

actions

Within 15 days from the

receipt

Minor NC

Proposed Corrective Actions

Within 15 days from the

receipt

10.

Technical Review of OA Report (from the date of closure of

findings)

5 days

11.

WA to be carried out (from the date of completion of OA)

Desirable 2 weeks from

the day CAB offers WA;

max 4 weeks

12.

CAB to submit the required documents for WAs

1 week before the date of

assessment

13.

CAB to provide audit/inspection report to AT (after completion of

WA)

1 week

14.

WA Report to be submitted by AT to CAB (after receipt of

audit/inspection report from CAB)

2 weeks

15.

CAB to respond to Findings of WA

As given at SI. No. 8

16.

NABCB Response on Findings

As given at SI. No. 9

17.

WA Report review to be completed (from the day of closure of

findings)

3 days

18.

Announcement of decision of grant

(from the day of approval of minutes of the AC meeting)

1 day

19.

Accreditation certificate to be issued by NABCB (from the day of

approval of minutes of the AC meeting)

3 days

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

581

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 37 of 41

Annexure 5 (Clause 16)

(Obligations of the applicant / accredited PCB)

The obligations of the applicant / accredited PCB are;

a) The PCB shall commit to fulfil continually the requirements for accreditation set by NABCB for

the scopes for which accreditation is sought or granted including adapting to changes in the

requirements for accreditation as and when communicated and shall also commit to provide

evidence of fulfilment.

b) When requested, the PCB shall afford such accommodation and cooperation as is necessary

to enable the accreditation body to verify fulfilment of requirements for accreditation. This

applies to all locations where the certification activities take place.

c) The PCB shall provide access to PCB personnel, locations, equipment, information,

documents and records as necessary to verify fulfilment of requirements for accreditation.

d) The PCB shall provide access to those documents that provide insight into the level of

independence and impartiality of the PCB from its related bodies, where applicable.

e) The PCB shall arrange the witnessing of certification activities when requested by NABCB

f) The PCB shall have, where applicable, legally enforceable arrangements with their clients

certified by them that commit the clients to provide, on request, access to NABCB assessment

teams, to assess the PCB’s performance when carrying out certification activities on the client

site.

g) The PCB shall claim accreditation only with respect to the scope for which it has been granted

accreditation.

h) The PCB shall commit to follow NABCB’s policy for the use of the accreditation symbol

i) The PCB shall not use its accreditation in such a manner as to bring NABCB into disrepute.

j) The PCB shall pay fees as determined by NABCB timely.

k) The PCB shall inform without delay, any significant changes relevant to its accreditation, in

any aspect of its status or operation relating to:

(i) its legal, commercial, ownership or organizational status,

(ii) the organization, top management and key personnel,

(iii) main policies,

(iv) resources and locations,

(v) scope of accreditation, and

(vi) other such matters that can affect the ability of the PCB to fulfil requirements for

accreditation.

l) The PCB shall assist in the investigation and resolution of any accreditation related complaints

about itself, referred to it by NABCB.

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

582

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 38 of 41

Obligations of NABCB

a) NABCB shall provide information on accreditation to the accredited PCB that shall identify the

following:

(i) the identity and where relevant, NABCB accreditation symbol

(ii) the name of the accredited PCB and the name of the legal entity, if different

(iii) scope of accreditation

(iv) locations of the accredited PCB and as applicable the certification activities performed

at each location and covered by the scope of accreditation

(v) the unique accreditation identification of the accredited PCB

(vi) the effective date of accreditation and, if applicable, its expiry or renewal date, and

(vii) a statement of conformity and a reference to the international standard(s) and or other

normative document(s) including issue or revision used for assessment of the PCB

(viii) NABCB shall make all the above information publicly available. NABCB shall also make

publicly available, where applicable, information on withholding of reaccreditation,

extension of validity of accreditation and suspension or withdrawal of accreditation,

including dates and scopes.

b) NABCB shall, where applicable, provide information about international arrangements in

which it is involved.

c) NABCB shall give due notice of any changes to its requirements for accreditation. It shall take

account of views expressed by interested parties before deciding on the precise form and

effective date of the changes. Following a decision on, and publication of, the changed

requirements, it shall verify that each accredited PCB conforms to the changed requirements.

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

583

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 39 of 41

Annex 6

(Norms for witness assessments for initial accreditation and surveillance)

1. OBJECTIVE:

To provide Guidance in the classification of the Scope categories for the purpose of planning for

witness assessments for initial accreditation and surveillance.

2. SCOPE;

This annex is applicable to PCB accreditation scheme.

3. RESPONSIBILITY:

Director/CEO, NABCB is responsible for ensuring compliance.

4. PROCEDURE:

4.1. Scope Classification

4.1.1. There are 2 situations

a) One scheme with different products i.e If a single scheme covers various products which

can be classified based on IAF scopes than all the scopes may be witnessed for grant of

accreditation unless some scopes can be shown to be related and competence can be

ensured by a single witness.

b) If PCB has applied for more than one scheme, then NABCB would witness at

least one audit per Scheme.

4.2. Witness assessment plans for surveillance assessments

4.2.1. Witnessing is a part of the surveillance programme. The witness assessment plans

would depend on various factors including the number of clients issued with NABCB

accredited certificates, the number of auditors employed/ empaneled by the PCB,

feedback from the market, complaints received and inputs from any office assessment.

NABCB may demand to witness a specific auditor or any organization issued with

accredited certificate.

4.2.2. The normal plan for witnessing based on the number of certificates issued and the

number of auditors employed/empaneled by the PCB would be

Sl No.

No. of certified clients

issued with NABCB

accredited certificate in

past year

No. of witness

required on a

yearly basis

Remarks

0-20

High risks category

would

20-50

50-100

100 & above

Sl No.

Number of auditors

Employed / empanelled

by the PCB

No. of auditor to

be witnessed

annually

Remarks

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

584

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 40 of 41

1-5

High risks category

would

6-25

25 & above

Note: At least one audit shall be witnessed in a year.

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

585

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES (NABCB)

Quality Council of India (QCI), 2

Floor, Institution of Engineers Building, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002

Phone: +91-11-2337 8056 / 57; Fax: +91-11-2337 8678; E-mail: nabcb@qcin.org; Web: www.nabcb.qci.org.in;

BCB 201 (PCB) / Mar 2020 Page 41 of 41

Amendment Record

Date

Auth. By

Description of Amendment

April 2016

CEO

Clause 0 - Revision of Guide 65-Updation of document as per

ISO 17065 requirements

Clause 1.1 – NABCB expanded its mandate of accreditation

beyond SAARC countries

Clause 1.5 – Defining Technical area

Clause 1.10 – Concept of preliminary visit is introduced

Clause 3.3.2 – Process for suspension in further detailed based

on the experience

Clause 3.4 – updation is done in reasons for withdrawal

Clause 4.3.2.1 – No. of mandays for assessment is updated

Clause 4.3.2.2 – No. of reviews done by NABCB is defined

Clause 4.3.2.6 – No. of days for responding to NC

Clause 7.1.3 – Time period for scheduling first surveillance is

defined

Clause 7.2.1 – Concept of other surveillance activities is defined

Clause 8.3.3 – Updation of process for withdrawal of accreditation

Annex 2 – Norms of witness evaluation for Initial Accreditation

and surveillance

Annex 3 – Assessment duration

Annex 4- Norms for using reports from other accreditation bodies

for use in NABCB accreditation process

March 2019

CEO

To align with requirements of ISO 17011:2017

March 2020

CEO

Cl. 1 16 added

Re-accreditation cycle to re-align with other accreditation

schemes; annex 2 (Assessment duration) elaborated.

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

586

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

587

216151/2023/Export cell (SCOMET)

588