Halal in the GCC: GSO 2055, UAE certifier recognition and IHAF's role

For a food or cosmetics business trading in the Gulf, a halal certificate is useful only when it covers the right product, production activities and destination requirements. The GCC Standardization Organization's GSO 2055 framework provides a regional basis for halal food and the bodies that certify it. In the UAE, the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) publishes the applicable UAE halal programme and a live register of halal certification bodies. Exporters should check that register and the importing country's rules before relying on an older certificate or recognition claim.

The International Halal Accreditation Forum (IHAF), established in the UAE, belongs in this story because accreditation cooperation can help create trust in halal conformity assessment across borders. It is background to the regional framework, rather than evidence of a July 2026 leadership change: the Emirates News Agency named Mohamed Saleh Badri as IHAF Secretary-General in September 2016.

What does the GSO 2055 series cover?

GSO 2055-1:2015 sets general requirements for halal food across the chain, including receiving, preparation, packaging, labelling, transport, storage and food service. GSO 2055-2:2021 addresses halal certification bodies and how certification activities are carried out. The two parts have different audiences: a food operator needs controls for its products and processes, while the certifier needs a credible assessment and certification process.

The UAE lists related national standards on MoIAT's halal programme page. These include UAE.S 2055-1 for halal food, UAE.S 2055-2 for halal certification bodies, UAE.S 993 for animal slaughter and UAE.S 2055-4 for cosmetics and personal care. A cosmetics manufacturer should therefore confirm the requirements for cosmetics rather than assume the food standard alone describes its scope. Slaughter operations and meat supply chains also need to address the relevant slaughtering and traceability requirements.

A halal assessment may examine ingredient origin, processing aids, supplier evidence, segregation, cleaning, rework, packaging, labelling and records. A product can have a robust food safety system and still need a separate halal review: food safety and halal certification answer different questions. Likewise, a certificate covering one factory or product family should not be treated as automatic coverage for every site or new formulation.

Who recognises halal certification bodies in the UAE?

The historical ESMA references in older guidance can confuse exporters. For a current check, use MoIAT's register of halal certification bodies. Its entries show a body's country, approved fields, registration issue and expiry dates, status, and supporting registration and accreditation documents. Those fields matter together: a body might appear on a historical supplier file yet no longer have active registration, or its authorised scope may not cover the product in question.

Before appointing a certifier or accepting a supplier certificate, check its exact legal name and registration status; the food, cosmetics or slaughter field; relevant accreditation evidence; certificate issuer, validity, product and site scope; and any specific import-market recognition rule. Keep a dated record of the check. A previous approval is not proof of current eligibility, and a UAE registration should not be presented as automatic acceptance in every other GCC state.

MoIAT also describes the Halal National Mark as optional for qualified products or services that wish to display it. This mark and the underlying documentation or certification requirements for applicable products should not be described as identical. Businesses should identify what their product category actually requires before making a halal claim or ordering packaging.

Do the same rules apply to meat imports across the GCC?

Meat and poultry generally require particular attention to halal slaughter evidence and the status of the issuing body, but destination-country checks are essential. For example, Qatar's Ministry of Public Health guidance distinguishes halal slaughtering certificates for unprocessed meat from halal certificates for foods containing meat, fat or other ingredients of animal origin. It also addresses authorised halal bodies and the documents supporting imports.

That example explains why an exporter should plan by shipment and destination, rather than assume one certificate is a universal GCC import permission. Check the importing authority's current rules for the product, country of origin, approved slaughterhouse or establishment where relevant, certificate format, label and supporting health documents. Confirm the requirements again when changing suppliers, factories, certifiers or destinations.

Where does IHAF fit in?

IHAF is a network of accreditation bodies, not the organisation that certifies an individual manufacturer's batch of food. The 2016 UAE announcement described its aim of improving consistency and trust in halal accreditation and listed founding participants including UAE entities and the GCC Accreditation Centre. Mohamed Saleh Badri was already identified as Secretary-General in that announcement. It would therefore be inaccurate to present his appointment, or the early committee structure, as a new July 2026 development without a separate dated primary announcement.

For buyers and exporters, the practical point is the chain of trust: an accreditation body assesses a halal certification body; a recognised certification body assesses the business and its defined product or activity scope; the destination authority decides which evidence it accepts for import or sale. Each link needs verification. Membership in an international forum does not by itself replace destination-specific registration or border requirements.

What should exporters and UAE businesses check next?

1. Classify the products and markets. Separate food, meat, ingredients, cosmetics and other goods; list the destination country and importer for each product line.

2. Map halal-sensitive materials and processes. Check animal-derived ingredients, additives, processing aids, outsourced slaughter or production, segregation, cleaning and traceability.

3. Verify the certification route. Confirm the applicable UAE and GSO requirements, then check the certifier's live MoIAT listing, status and exact product scope where UAE acceptance is needed.

4. Confirm the shipment documents. Ask the destination authority or importer which halal, slaughter, health and labelling documents are needed for that product and origin. Record the answer before dispatch.

5. Review after changes. Recheck recognition, certificate scope and supplier evidence when a registration expires or a product, ingredient, site, label or target market changes.

Qdot's halal consultancy in the UAE can support ingredient and supplier review, process controls, documentation, training and readiness for an independent halal assessment. Its ISO 22000 consultancy can support food safety management alongside that work. A registered halal certification body makes the certification decision; the relevant authorities determine import and market acceptance.

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Sources: GSO, GSO 2055-1:2015 scope; GSO, GSO 2055-2:2021 certification-body requirements; MoIAT, UAE halal programme and standards; MoIAT, registered halal certification bodies; Qatar Ministry of Public Health, halal food import guidance; Emirates News Agency, IHAF report dated 21 September 2016.