Pacific Shelf — Issue 001

On May 6, 2026, Indonesia notified BPJPH Decree No. 307/2025 to the WTO, resolving product category ambiguity ahead of the October 17, 2026 mandatory halal certification deadline. The decree explicitly brings three previously grey-zone categories into scope: processed seafood, dried fruit, and products containing beeswax. Fresh, unprocessed fruit and most unprocessed vegetables remain exempt. The October 17 deadline for all imported food and beverage is confirmed — BPJPH has stated it will not be extended again.

For Australian exporters: if your product is processed and shipped to Indonesia, this decree removes the remaining scope for ambiguity. Certification through BPJPH runs a minimum of one month for simple products and up to four years for those requiring overseas facility audits. The deadline is 18 weeks away. See deep dive below for the full certification process and what to do now.

Effective May 8, 2026, Ministry of Agriculture Regulation 11/2026 restructured import licensing for 57 plant-based feed ingredients. Two licensing pathways apply: one for soybean meal and wheat for feed, a second for 55 other ingredients including corn derivatives. The regulation operates alongside Ministry of Trade Regulation 11/2026, which requires parallel import licences for six commodities including soybean meal, wheat for feed, broken rice for feed, mung beans, pears, and peanuts.
Transitional provisions applied for shipments loaded prior to May 8. Those shipments have now cleared. Any new shipments of affected ingredients require the relevant licence before loading. Australian exporters of soybean meal, wheat for feed, or corn-derivative products to Indonesia should confirm with their Indonesian distributor which pathway applies and whether current licensing arrangements are in order.

Singapore Food Agency issued a circular to all meat importers on 26 May 2026 confirming that Australia will transition meat and meat product export certification to its new NEXDOC system from 15 June 2026. Under NEXDOC, health certificates will include a QR code security feature and will be printed on plain A4 paper. The blue security paper previously used will no longer be issued after that date.

The certificate information itself does not change. The existing eSPS electronic certification exchange between Australia and Singapore, operational since June 2023, remains unaffected. The practical implication: Australian meat exporters should inform their Singapore importers and logistics partners that certificates issued from 15 June will look materially different. Singapore customs and receiving parties should not reject NEXDOC certificates on the basis of format. A sample NEXDOC certificate is available on the DAFF website.

Since July 22, 2025, Thailand has operated a single consolidated regulation governing Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for agricultural products, replacing the previous multi-regulation structure. The consolidation was notified to WTO and is now fully operative. Thai FDA and ACFS are the relevant authorities. A May 2026 USDA FAS GAIN advisory flagged that exporters continue to ship product against outdated MRL references, resulting in border rejections.

Australian fruit, vegetable, and agricultural exporters to Thailand should verify current MRL compliance against the consolidated regulation before each shipment. MRLs for specific commodities may have changed from previous schedules. Confirm current limits with your Thai importer or directly against the Thai FDA MRL database prior to loading.

Source: USDA FAS GAIN TH2026-0008, 6 May 2026. Primary: Thai FDA MRL regulation, operative 22 July 2025 — fda.moph.go.th

Vietnam's Decree 46/2026/NĐ-CP, which introduced a risk-based inspection system for imported food, has been suspended continuously since early February 2026. The decree took effect on 26 January and caused immediate border disruption — over 1,300 vehicles were stranded at checkpoints within four days. The government issued an emergency suspension (Resolution 09/2026) on 4 February. On 6 April, Resolution 15/2026/NQ-CP replaced that emergency measure with a formal, indefinite suspension of both Decree 46 and the accompanying product declaration framework (Resolution 66.13/2026/NQ-CP, dated 27 January).

Resolution 15/2026 is explicit: both instruments remain suspended "until the Law on Food Safety (amended) and the Decree guiding the Law on Food Safety (amended) take effect." That amended law is still being developed — no draft has been published and no timeline has been set. During the suspension, Decree 15/2018/NĐ-CP and its related implementing documents continue in full effect.

Current state as of this issue: the operative food safety framework for imported food in Vietnam is Decree 15/2018 — the same system that has been in place since 2018. There is no active transition period and no re-declaration deadline. Australian exporters shipping to Vietnam should continue to comply with Decree 15/2018 requirements. When Vietnam publishes the amended Food Safety Law and its implementing decree, Pacific Shelf will cover the new framework and any transition provisions in full.

Thailand’s Department of Livestock Development issued orders suspending importation and transit of bovine and buffalo and their carcasses from China (G/SPS/N/THA/809) and Türkiye (G/SPS/N/THA/808), both notified to the WTO on 26 May 2026. The China suspension responds to an FMD outbreak reported by WOAH. The Türkiye suspension responds to an FMD Serotype SAT1 outbreak. Australia is not affected by either suspension.

Awareness item for context: FMD outbreaks in the region elevate Thailand’s biosecurity posture broadly. Any future FMD detection in Australian livestock would trigger immediate suspension of Australian beef and buffalo exports to Thailand. Monitor WOAH and DAFF biosecurity alerts.

A May 2026 decree just closed the last loophole on product scope.
Indonesia’s mandatory halal certification deadline for all imported food and beverage is October 17, 2026. That is 18 weeks from the date of this issue. The certification pipeline runs a minimum of one month and up to four years depending on product complexity, supply chain structure, and whether an overseas facility audit is required. The arithmetic is not complicated: most exporters with complex supply chains who have not already started are too late for full compliance by October 17.
This is not a new development. Indonesia enacted Law No. 33/2014 on Halal Product Assurance more than a decade ago. The original enforcement deadline was October 2024. It was extended two years under sustained international pressure. BPJPH has confirmed the October 2026 deadline will not be extended again.
What changed this week is the scope. BPJPH Decree No. 307/2025, notified to the WTO on May 6, resolves product category ambiguity that has given some exporters false confidence that their products might be exempt. Three categories that were previously unclear are now explicitly in scope.

The decree confirms that processed seafood, dried fruit, and products containing beeswax require mandatory halal certification. For Australian exporters, processed seafood is the most material addition. Australia exports significant volumes of processed seafood to Indonesia — smoked salmon, canned tuna, seafood snacks, marinated and value-added products. If those products are processed rather than fresh, they are in scope.

Still exempt: fresh, unprocessed fruit and most unprocessed vegetables remain outside mandatory certification. Raw agricultural commodities not yet processed for consumer sale are generally exempt. The test is whether processing has occurred. If your product has been cut, smoked, seasoned, dried, canned, frozen with additives, or otherwise prepared — it is in scope. When uncertain, check the product category list in BPJPH Decree No. 307/2025 directly at bpjph.halal.go.id before assuming exemption.

The most common point of confusion for Australian exporters entering this process is the distinction between BPOM and BPJPH. They are separate agencies with separate requirements. Both may apply to your product. They do not run in parallel.
BPOM (Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan — Indonesia’s food and drug authority) issues ML registration numbers for every imported food SKU. An ML number is required before a product can be legally sold in Indonesia. This is a product safety and labelling requirement entirely separate from halal status. BPOM registration takes 3 to 12 months depending on product category. Portal: e-reg.pom.go.id.
BPJPH (Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Produk Halal — the Halal Product Guarantee Agency, under the Ministry of Religious Affairs) issues halal certificates. A valid BPOM ML number is a prerequisite for BPJPH certification. The two processes run sequentially. If your BPOM registration is not complete, your BPJPH application cannot proceed.

1 — BPOM registration
Obtain an ML number from BPOM for each product SKU. One ML number per product variant. Applications must be lodged by an Indonesian legal entity — your local importer or distributor. Timeline: 3 to 12 months. Portal: e-reg.pom.go.id.

2 — SIHALAL application
Apply through BPJPH’s SIHALAL portal at ptsp.halal.go.id. Must be submitted by your Indonesian importer or distributor — foreign manufacturers cannot apply directly.

3 — LPH audit
BPJPH routes the application to an accredited Halal Inspection Agency (LPH). For meat, dairy, and complex processed foods, the LPH conducts a physical audit of the manufacturing facility. For overseas facilities, a BPJPH-approved overseas auditor must conduct the inspection. Scheduling overseas audits takes months — this is the long-lead item in the process.

4 — MUI fatwa
The LPH submits findings to the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), which issues the halal fatwa. Despite BPJPH having taken over administrative authority, MUI still provides the underlying religious determination.

5 — BPJPH certificate issued
BPJPH issues the halal certificate based on the MUI fatwa. Valid for four years. Covers a specific product formulation and production process. Any change to ingredients or production method requires re-certification.

• Identify every product SKU you sell into Indonesia. Check each against the BPJPH Decree No. 307/2025 product category list at bpjph.halal.go.id.

• Confirm whether each SKU has a valid BPOM ML number. If not, that registration must start immediately — it must complete before BPJPH certification can begin.

• Contact your Indonesian importer or distributor this week. Ask whether BPJPH applications have been initiated for your products and at what stage they are.

• For products requiring overseas facility audits, contact a BPJPH-approved Halal Inspection Agency now. Audit scheduling runs months ahead. The approved LPH list is at bpjph.halal.go.id.

• If your products are genuinely exempt (fresh, unprocessed), document that exemption against the decree. Do not assume — confirm.

• If you have legacy MUI halal certificates, they remain valid until expiry but must be renewed through BPJPH. The old MUI halal logo must be replaced with the new national halal logo by October 17, 2026.

15 Jun 2026 · AUSTRALIA / SINGAPORE · DAFF NEXDOC transition — AU meat certificates change format. Singapore importers must accept QR-code plain-paper certificates. · HIGH

17 Oct 2026 · INDONESIA · BPJPH halal certification mandatory for all imported food and beverage. No certificate = no customs clearance. · HIGH

31 Dec 2026 · INDONESIA · BPOM Nutri-Level A–D front-of-pack labelling — large-scale F&B manufacturers. · MEDIUM

17 Oct 2026 · INDONESIA · Transition from old MUI halal logo to new national BPJPH logo — mandatory by this date. · MEDIUM

~Apr 2027 · VIETNAM · Decree 46 transition ends. All product declarations must comply with new risk-based framework. · MEDIUM

Ongoing · THAILAND · MRL consolidation operative since July 2025. Verify MRL compliance against current schedule before each shipment. · MEDIUM

— Jasper Blackwell-Doran

Melbourne, Australia

[email protected] · pacificshelf.net