The Department of Science and Technology Region XI (DOST XI) Regional Standards and Testing Laboratory (RSTL): Halal Verification Laboratory (HVL) obtained accreditation for the International Halal Integrity Alliance (IHIA) Global Halal Standard valid until July 2024 and was conferred an excellence award by the Malaysian Halal Consultation & Training (MHCT) Agency last July 8, 2022.
The accreditation and recognition came after DOST XI HVL received an overall rating of 95 percent in the Halal compliance audit conducted by Dr. Abdul Rafek Saleh, IHIA Executive Director and MHCT Principal Halal Consultant, with Dr. Jane Tranquilan, Halal lead auditor.
With the primary objective to test food and non-food products to ensure that it does not contain Muslim-prohibited contents, DOST XI HVL offers services such as Ethanol Analysis which tests the presence of ethanol on food and beverages, Gelatin Analysis which tests the presence of pork in gelatin products, and Porcine DNA detection by RT-PCR which determines the presence of pork DNA in non-gelatin food products.
The Halal audit reviewed the implementation of laboratory testing and analysis and evaluated the services and processes in the laboratory and their compliance with the international Halal standards set by the IHIA.
Dr. Saleh and Dr. Tranquilan also conducted a Halal Awareness Training based on the Malaysian Halal standard for the DOST XI-HVL personnel to elevate the current level of awareness of Halal and ensure practitioners have a complete understanding of facets needed to support the growing Halal industry.
The auditors commended the performance of DOST XI HVL and congratulated the agency for the audit results.
“We hope that this achievement will motivate your team to continue maintaining the Halal, safety and high-quality standards of the services provided to raise the level of Muslim friendly environment further,” Dr. Saleh mentioned in the audit report.
DOST XI HVL is the first and only Halal Laboratory in the Davao region and one of the four Halal laboratories in the entire country. Other Halal laboratories are managed by DOST XII, DOST Ministry of Science and Technology and DOST Calabarzon.(DOST XI S&T Information and Promotion)
