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YOUR KEY TO THE HALAL MARKET

ABOUT US

Halal Transactions Inc. (DBA Halal Transactions of Omaha) has been incorporated in the State of Nebraska, USA, since 1992.HTO has been committed to helping the food industry produce Halal products and helping consumers locate authentic Halal goods for about 25 years. We are approved by Muslim authorities throughout the world to certify meat, poultry, food items, and other goods produced in North America suitable for Muslim consumption anywhere. Halal Transactions is the only Halal certifier in the Western Hemisphere to be ISO 17065 accredited. The company underwent a thorough approval process by   A2LA.  

More about what we focus on
our mission statement:

Our mission is to provide Islamic services to the community at large, including but not limited to: Halal certification, Da’wah and educational programs, cooperation and supporting other sister organizations and propagating “Halal” and other Islamic values. Our goal is to promote the concept of Halal among Muslims and non-Muslims alike. “And tell them to work for Allah who will see your work plus His Messenger and the believers.” (Holy Quran).

hto quality policy:

HTO management is committed to complying with the QMS requirements of the international standards ISO/IEC 17065, ISO/IEC 17021, and GSO 2055-2, on an on-going basis through strong focus and dedication to customer satisfaction, understanding of customer requirements, adherence to applicable regulatory and statutory requirements, commitment to excellence, implementation of good professional practices, delivery of quality product certification services, and continuous improvement. All employees working under the quality system shall implement the requirements in their roles and are required to familiarize themselves with such requirements.

Have more questions?

Have any more questions/inquiries? Head over to our contact page so we can help as soon as possible. If you would prefer to send us an email, email it at info@halaltransactions.org.

Publically Available Information

HTO Quality Policy

HTO management is committed to complying with the QMS requirements of the international standards ISO/IEC 17065, ISO/IEC 17021, and GSO 2055-2, on an on-going basis through strong focus and dedication to customer satisfaction, understanding of customer requirements, adherence to applicable regulatory and statutory requirements, commitment to excellence, implementation of good professional practices, delivery of quality product certification services, and continuous improvement. All employees working under the quality system shall implement the requirements in their roles and are required to familiarize themselves with such requirements.

Official Statements


A Statement of Independence: We, the upper management of Halal Transaction, Inc. dba Halal Transactions of Omaha (HTO), do hereby declare our intent and mission to maintain our organization’s independence from outside groups, individuals, and other outside influences which may pose risks to the impartiality of our organization’s work and judgment. We will strive and dedicate ourselves to continually assess potential risks regarding these issues and making sure mechanisms and procedures are in place to maintain our neutrality, impartiality, and independence.

​Complaints and Appeal Procedure:

Purpose : This procedure aims to describe the steps adopted by the HTO for Complaints and Appeals Handling. All HTO clients have the right to appeal against any Certification Decision or request a review of any Evaluation Decision made by HTO.

This Procedure outlines the principles and responsibilities with regards to appeals and review requests.

Applicability: The procedure applies to all parties that are involved in the appeals and review request procedure, including the concerned HTO client and HTO concerned staff members.

Definitions

       Appeal

Roles and Responsibilities 

     HTO’s President:

  • Approves procedure.
  • Ensurse the effective implementation and communication to all interested parties.

     HTO’s Certification Manager:

  • Responsible for developing and maintaining this procedure.
  • Ensures that the controlled documents conform to the format and content as outlined in this procedure.

 Appeals-Handling Process

  1. Acceptance of appeal and notice of it
    Appeals must be submitted through written means within 45 days from the date when a reason for appeal has arisen. Upon receipt of the written appeal, HTO shall investigate the subject of the appeal and decide the acceptance of it. The investigation shall be made confidentially by individual(s) not previously involved in the audit and/or in the decision of the certification related to the subject of the appeal. Where the appeal is accepted, HTO shall give notice to the appellant of it. In cases where the appeal is not accepted, HTO shall give notice to the appellant of it with the reason in writing.
  2. Investigation and deliberation
    After accepting an appeal, HTO shall convoke the Management System Appeal Committee. The Committee consists of members not involved in the subject of the appeal. At the meeting(s) of the Committee, the deliberation shall be made on the result of the investigation into the appeal and subsequent action(s) to be taken. The appellant may be invited to explain the reason(s) for the appeal at the meeting of the Committee if the appellant so wishes.
  3. Communication of deliberation result
    The result of the deliberation of the Committee (the decision of the Committee) shall be communicated to the appellant. Where the appellant agrees with the result of the deliberation, HTO shall give notice to the appellant of the end of the appeals-handling process. In case where the appellant does not agree to the result, the appellant may make just one more request to HTO to re-open the deliberation at the Committee within 30 days after receipt of the result.

 Complaints-handling process

  1. Acknowledgement
    Complaints must be submitted through written means within 45 days from the date when a reason for complaint has arisen. HTO will not respond to anonymous complaints or complaints without clear contact information. After receipt of the complaint in writing, HTO shall confidentially investigate whether it relates to the certification activities and scope for which HTO is responsible, and decide the acceptance of it. Where the complaint is accepted, HTO shall acknowledge it to the complainant. In cases where the complaint is not accepted, HTO shall give notice to the complainant of it with the reason(s).
  2. Investigation and preparation of actions to be taken and of draft response
    After accepting the complaint, HTO shall nominate the individual(s) previously not involved in the subject of the complaint, and instruct him/her (them) to investigate and validate the subject of the complaint. In cases where the complaint is related to an organization certified by HTO, HTO shall refer the matter to the organization at an appropriate time in order to collect and verify all the necessary information. The nominated individual(s) shall investigate the matter, and decide actions to be taken by HTO and a response to the complainant. If applicable and found obligatory, a Quality Form will be filled by Quality Assurance Manager. in case of any detected departure, to evaluate the situation, analyze the cause and proposing Corrective Action/s and Preventive Action Quality Form will be handed over to the concern person/department responsible on causing the complaint.  
  3. Communication of decision
    HTO shall communicate the decision on the response to the complainant. Where the complainant agrees with the decision, HTO shall give notice to the complainant of the end of the complaints-handling process. 
  4. Request of re-examination
    In cases where the complainant disagrees with the decision, the complainant may request HTO to re-open the investigation of the matter within 30 days after the receipt of the decision. Such a request can only be accepted if the request is accompanied with additional information, such as new findings of the fact. After receipt of such a request, HTO shall re-open the investigation of the matter and give notice to the complainant of further decision(s) in accordance with the above mentioned complaints-handling process.
  5. Convocation and deliberation in Appeal Committee
    If the complainant disagrees with further decision(s) based on the investigation re-opened, and requests further investigation, HTO shall convoke the Management System Appeal Committee subject to the consent of the complainant. The Committee consists of the neutral outside members previously not involved in the subject of the complainant. At the Committee, deliberation shall be made on the results of the investigation/re-investigation and on actions to be taken, and response based on the decision of the Committee shall be communicated to the complainant. This is the end of the complaints-handling process.
  6. Publication of complaints
     HTO shall determine, by mutual consent between the complainant and HTO, whether and, if so to what extent, the subject of the complaint and its decision(s) shall be made public. Where the complaint is for an organization certified by HTO, such a decision shall be made also in consultation with the organization.
  7. Correction and corrective action
     HTO shall take appropriate corrections and corrective actions regarding the appeals and complaints accepted in accordance with the actions determined by HTO to be taken.

Certified Clients

HTO will confirm the certified status of a client or product upon written request. HTO will confirm the validity of any Halal certificate upon written request. 

Granting, Refusing, or Suspending Certification:

The rules and procedures for granting, refusing, or suspending the certification are available upon request.

Halal Standards and Schemes

Halal Transactions, Inc. adheres to the following quality standards and Halal certification standards:

-GSO 2055-2 Halal products – Part two: General requirements for Halal Certification Bodies

-ISO/IEC 17065 Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services

-ISO/IEC 17021-1 Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems (Relevant sections as referenced in GSO 2055-2)

-UAE.S 2055-2 Halal Products – Part Two: General Requirements for Halal Certification Bodies

-OIC/SMIIC 2 Guidelines for Bodies Providing Halal Certification

Halal Transactions, Inc. assesses and certifies qualified applicants and clients against the following international Halal standards and schemes (standards and schemes utilized will depend on the client’s destination markets):

Halal Transactions, Inc. also assesses all clients against Halal Transactions’ internal supplemental Halal requirements.

General Fee Structure

HTO Service

1. Application Processing & Complete Client Assessment

  • Documentation Review
  • On-site Assessment and Examination of Nonconformities
  • Reassessment Activities
  • Review and Certification Decision
  • Surveillance Activities (if determined to be required by Certification Committee)

Fee Type

  • New Client Application processing fee (initial application only, not applied to subsequent certification cycles)
  • On-site Assessment Fee
  • Disbursements (travel, accommodation, meals and other incidentals)
  • Office Assessor
  • Administrative support
  • Disbursements (travel, accommodation, meals and other incidentals)

2. Annual Facility Certification – Fee Type: Annual fee per facility

3. Product Certification –  Fee type: Fee assessed on Halal certified products

Fees

HTO will provide the fee structure in detail as a standard stage of the application and assessment process for all legitimate clients. Any quote on fees provided by HTO prior to the client making all pertinent information available to HTO shall be considered only as estimates and shall be subject to change later on during the certification process. 

Consumer Inquiries

HTO maintains a team of personnel dedicated to responding to inquiries from consumers about Halal standards and practices. This team is only available over email. HTO will only respond to  consumer inquiries sent in over email through our  CONTACT US form. Phone calls to the office will be redirected back to the  CONTACT US page. Please do not send consumer inquiries over Facebook, fax, or phone as our team assigned to handling such inquiries will not be available. Thank you for your understanding and your cooperation. 

Prospective Clients

Prospective new clients (including exporters, manufacturers, processors, slaughterhouses, distribution companies, wholesalers, and retail establishments that are interested in Halal certification): Please reach out to us  HERE and our dedicated team will respond to you in a professional and timely manner. Or fill out our application for Halal services  HERE and submit the application to us by email.

Halal Certification Process

Halal Certification Process Steps:

  1. Step 1: Application – The plant will fill an Application Form for Halal Certification (download below) and email it to HTO. HTO staff will review the information submitted and respond with a proposal and provide documents regarding the Halal Services and fees involved.
  2. Step 2: Pre-Audit – The client will provide detailed information related to the products they are producing, processes involved, ingredients and additives used, sources of all ingredients, additives, and raw materials, product specification sheets and labels, production process flow charts, and other pertinent information needed by HTO in order to conduct the pre-audit research necessary. Any Halal certificates for raw materials, additives, and ingredients will also need to be provided by the client at this stage. All of the submitted information will be kept in the strictest confidence and will not be shared with any other parties. HTO takes the confidentiality of client information very seriously. HTO’s technical experts and religious experts will review all of the submitted information. If it is determined that additional information is required, then HTO will inform the client of this so that the client can follow up. Simultaneously, the client will work with HTO to schedule the onsite audit of the client’s facility or facilities. The scope of the audit plan will be explained to the client and it will be agreed upon between the client and HTO prior to implementation. Finally, an initial invoice will be issued and provided to the client. It is required that the client provide full payment on the initial invoice prior to the audit date or the audit will be postponed.   
  3. Step 3: Onsite Halal Audit – The Halal audit team consisting of one technical expert and one religious expert will arrive at the client facility and carry out the Halal audit in line with the agreed upon scope, and in accordance with the relevant Halal standards of the destination markets. At the end of the Halal audit, the client will be presented with a closing report which will include nonconformities and observations which must be addressed within the requisite timeframe.  
  4. Step 4: Post-Audit – The client will follow up with HTO by providing corrective action evidences to prove that all nonconformities and observations have been addressed in a sufficient manner. If the corrective actions that have been initially provided by the client are determined by the review committee to be insufficient, then the client will be asked to provide additional corrective actions and additional forms of evidence of successful implementation. At this stage, the client will also be presented with the certification agreement. The certification agreement is required to be fully signed before the certificate can be issued.    
  5. Step 5: Certification Decision – The Shariah experts on the certification committee will review the client’s file in great detail, discuss the file, and determine whether or not the client meets the certification requirements. If a unanimous decision is reached to approve the client, then the client will be approved and a Halal certificate will be issued. The client should be aware that a unanimous decision is mandatory for approval.

Following certificate issuance, the client will be obligated to provide the regular reporting and undergo regular surveillance throughout the year in order to maintain their certification and keep it in good standing.

Timeline to Completing Halal Certification Process:

The Halal certification process described above takes as little as 6 weeks to complete from the time the properly completed application is submitted to the point where the certificate is issued.

While the process can be completed in as little as 6 weeks, the client is provided with specific time limits to complete each step of the certification process. The timer begins after the client has provided the properly completed application. If the client is not quick, cooperative, engaged, and fully responsive throughout the process, then the total amount of time necessary to complete the process will take more than 6 weeks.

Time Limits for Each Stage of the Process:

Step 1: Application – Once the client has submitted the properly completed application, HTO personnel will check it for completeness and will respond to the client within 5 business days (assuming the application has been submitted through the proper channels). If the application has not been fully completed or has been improperly completed, it will be rejected, and the client will be required to fill it out properly in order to progress in the certification process. Assuming the client meets the requirements to proceed, the process advances to step 2.

Step 2: Pre-Audit – The client will be provided with a total period of 12 weeks to provide all necessary information required of them pertaining to ingredients, additives, raw materials, processing aids, production process flow charts, various Halal supporting documents, and other related information. During this period of time, the client will also need to develop a proper Halal manual. And the client will be required to work with HTO to plan the audit and to provide full payment on the initial invoice. All of this must be completed with the 12-week period of time provided to the client. If this time limit is exceeded, then the client will need to start the certification process over.

Step 3: Onsite Halal Audit – The client will need to ensure that the audit takes place and is completed at the time that was previously planned and agreed upon with HTO’s headquarters. Following the completion of the audit, the client will be provided with a final official copy of the closing report within 7 business days.

Step 4: Post-Audit – The client will be provided with adequate time in order to conduct all necessary corrective actions and to provide satisfactory evidence to HTO of effective implementation of corrective actions. This client will be provided with a 30-day period of time to complete this step. That time period does not begin until the initial audit has been completed and the closing report has been provided to the client. If the client fails to follow up with HTO within the allotted time, or does not follow up in a way that is deemed necessary by the review committee within the allotted time, and the entire 30-day period expires, then the client’s application will be rejected and the client will be required to re-start the entire certification process from the beginning.

Step 5: Certification Decision – HTO’s Islamic scholars sit on our Halal certification review committee. After step 4 has been completed, the Halal certification review committee will meet to thoroughly review the client’s completed file in great detail and to discuss the results of the audit, conduct interviews with the audit team, and to examine all of the client’s corrective actions. A decision on whether or not to issue the Halal certificate will then be determined by voting. A vote must be unanimous in order to issue any Halal certificate. If a unanimous vote to issue the Halal certificate is not achieved, then the Halal certificate will not be issued and the client’s certification application will be rejected. If rejected, then the client will be required to begin the entire certification process from the beginning. The certification committee’s meeting and the issuing of the decision will occur within 7 business days of the final completion of step 4. The Halal certificate will then be issued within 2 business days after the official decision of the certification committee.

Validity Period of Halal Certificates:

The period of validity of the Halal certificate is 1 year from the date of issue.