Halal certification can improve the quality of a company's products; a case study presented by a participant proved this point.

Lina Ramadan, Technical Manager of the Industrial Sector at FAMBRAS Halal, had a clear objective with the work presented at CTec Halal: to demonstrate how Halal certification has a positive impact on certified companies.

To prove her thesis, she used an açaí industry as an example. Her work, "Relationship between Halal Auditing and Food Safety in an Açaí Industry," was developed during her MBA in Project Management at USP/Esalq.

Lina, what led you to choose this theme for your work? What was your intention with it?

The topic was my final project for my MBA in Project Management at USP/Esalq. I felt it was important to show Halal beyond theory, that is, how it directly and indirectly impacts certified companies. Therefore, the intention was to present a real-world case as evidence to motivate the pursuit of Halal certification and research in the field.

You demonstrated the impact on product quality after implementing the action plan developed to address the non-conformities identified during the external Halal audit. Could you briefly explain what this external Halal audit is?

The external audit mentioned in the work is the evaluation carried out by the certification body FAMBRAS Halal. Its purpose is to verify whether the company has the conditions to manufacture Halal products. A document review stage is performed, followed by a complete on-site verification of compliance with Halal requirements. The composition of the products is analyzed regarding the use of Halal raw materials and additives (lithic) and Good Manufacturing Practices, among other requirements that guarantee the supply of a quality product to the consumer.

Is it possible to specify what the non-conformities were, or at least some of them?

One of the non-conformities concerned the failure to comply with raw material segregation requirements. Halal-certified industries must have a storage methodology that prevents cross-contamination with other raw materials, ingredients, or additives that have not been evaluated for Halal status. In this case, the company provided identification plates with the term "Halal".

Another issue raised was the absence of a Critical Control Point in the process. To resolve this nonconformity, the client purchased a metal detector, installed at the end of the process, which safely rejects contaminated products from the production line.

From that point, the action plan was drawn up. Was there a deadline for completing it? Did you monitor this process?

The deadline for responding to non-conformities is 15 days. Since some implementations would require more time for execution and submission of the record, such as the purchase of equipment, gradual follow-ups were conducted through interviews and on-site audits.

What contributions has Halal certification made to this industry?

There were several positive outcomes: certification has been a facilitator of credibility in client prospecting meetings; the change in composition has improved customer taste; there has been a significant reduction in non-conformities found in three audits conducted over 12 months by the certification body; and, as I mentioned, a CCP (critical control point) was incorporated into the production process. Furthermore, monitoring effectiveness evaluation was implemented after increasing the frequency of execution with the hiring of a new team; there was an improvement in the packaging checking procedure, and employees showed greater motivation due to the innovations.

Based on your experience, do all companies that seek Halal certification end up "gaining" something extra, as in the case you presented?

Absolutely. We've received a lot of positive feedback from customers who comment on increased sales, a decrease in complaints after implementing procedures required by Halal certification, and improved employee skills.

What is your assessment of CTec Halal?

CTec Halal was a very interesting initiative, and I hope it becomes a regular event, as it presented papers on diverse and current topics that enrich knowledge and allow for the dissemination of Halal more specifically.

Is there anything else you'd like to add that I haven't asked?

I would just like to reaffirm that companies seeking Halal certification increase their competitive potential, as it is a quality seal that lends more credibility to the process.