Practices and Challenges of Halal Restaurants in Metro Manila

Halal in the Quran means lawful or permitted, and the Muslims are known as halal food consumers. Besides, one of their main concerns is the difficulty of finding Halal restaurants in the Philippines. Most of the halal restaurants operate without halal certification which is vital and guarantees that the restaurants follow the 12 standard operating procedures set on Halal documentation, management responsibility, raw materials, facilities, tools and equipment, location, premise, exterior area, pest control, staff policy, staff characteristics, and waste management. The main objective of this research is to know the practices and challenges that occur in the existing certified (international and national) and non-Certified halal restaurants in metro manila and to gain an in-depth understanding on the importance of halal certification by conducting a survey involving 22 respondents from selected cities in metro manila, namely Ermita and Quiapo, Manila, and Makati city. A mixed-method was used in evaluating the data gathered. Based on the findings, halal restaurants comply with 12 standard operating procedures in halal certification. However, some of the challenges they encounter include unawareness of the existing certifying bodies in the Philippines, lack of workforce, and insufficient halal suppliers, inaccessible locations, unnoticeable signages, and high equipment maintenance costs. Although the halal restaurants practice the standards operating procedures, it is still recommended that the government agencies involved in the halal industry in the country to intensify its halal certification campaign to encourage more restaurants to be certified and enhance their existing capabilities to improve their operations.