ABSTRACT
Halal food is a profitable business not only in Muslim-majority countries but also in non-Muslim countries. Indonesia is a country with the largest Muslim population in the world; however, Indonesia is only a market and not yet a perpetrator. According to Perry, such an industry is the result of the development of a halal supply chain or an already present halal supply chain. It means the production of goods or services from upstream to downstream has halal standards and certification. Special schools have a curriculum that focuses on student independence and have produced many products, one of which is food; however, unfortunately, these products do not have a halal certificate. Thus, they cannot produce it in large quantities due to the difficulty and limited marketing of their products. The purpose of this study is to find out the problems that arise related to the procedure for obtaining halal certificates for small-scale products produced in special schools, keeping in mind the importance of halal certification for food production. The research was carried out by observing secondary data and conducting interviews with special schools concerned. The results showed that the reason for special schools not having the halal certificate is lack of interest and understanding. These institutions prioritize only the taste of the product for marketing, which is enough to obtain a permit from the health department without fees and aids in avoiding the long and complicated process. The validity period of the halal certificate is only 2 years. Subsequent research results show that the most dominant causative factor is the lack of understanding and awareness about the institution regarding the halal certificate.
