Auditors of Halal Foreign Certification Body Using Malaysian Halal Standards in Japan: Challenges and Suggestions

This paper is intended to explain the challenges and suggestions to auditors of halal certification bodies in using Malaysian halal standards in Japan. Malaysian halal standards have been adopted by 84 certification bodies from 46 countries worldwide, 7 of them established in Japan. Auditors are the important personnel in ensuring the halal standards are fully complied by certification bodies. Interviews will be conducted with auditors from halal foreign certification body that implementing Malaysian halal standards from Japan. There are internal factors and external factors that have been faced by auditors in foreign countries. For internal factors, the auditors face challenges such as the well-verse with the halal standards, lacking of training on auditing skills and lack of knowledge of different halal schemes. For external factors such as different school of thought, various of halal standards from different countries and halal bodies, local practices and customs and un-expectation issues. This research will elaborate these factors and propose suggestions that can be taken by respective parties.