Halal Guide

IHCS, HAS and Internal Audit for Central Kitchens and Chain Outlets

A halal control system that works across kitchens, brands, shifts and branches.

Last reviewed 5 November 2026

1. Two terms you need to understand

IHCS — Internal Halal Control System is an internal halal control suited to the schemes/categories set. The MHMS 2020 Manual (Malaysian Halal Management System) explains basic elements such as the halal policy, raw material control and traceability.

HAS — Halal Assurance System is a more comprehensive halal assurance system that requires a governance structure, risk management, a committee and audit controls according to the scheme and the category of the enterprise. Do not turn the word IHCS into HAS without carrying out the actual HAS requirements.

For central kitchens under the Skim Produk Makanan dan Minuman (Food and Beverage Product scheme), the requirements follow the industry category; for chain premises, there are HAS requirements at the level of the company's management or the central kitchen, carried out at every outlet.

2. A minimum set of documents you can control

  1. A halal policy approved by management and communicated to workers.
  2. A scope matrix of entities, kitchens, brands, products, menus and outlets.
  3. A supplier and ingredient approval procedure with evidence of checks.
  4. Control of receiving, stock, production and shared equipment.
  5. A worker schedule and training records, including food handlers.
  6. A recipe register and change control for menus/brands/labels.
  7. Traceability, incident, complaint and recall records.
  8. Internal reviews, corrective actions (CAPA) and evidence of closure.

Documents are the starting point; the auditor will assess whether they are used on real shifts. If there are three outlets, the master process must be turned into logs and training at each outlet, not one manual kept only in the office.

3. A centralised monitoring model

Halal control structure for a central kitchen and outletsManagement or the Halal Committee sets the policy, HAS and change approval for the central kitchen and three outlets. The central kitchen records ingredients, batches, temperature and traceability; outlets record receiving, menu, shifts and cleanliness. All records go into internal audit, NCR and CAPA, and the results return to management.

Management / Halal Committee

Policy, HAS and change approval

Central kitchen

Outlet 1

Outlet 2

Outlet 3

Records of ingredients, batches, temperature, traceability

Records of receiving, menu, shifts and cleanliness

Internal audit, NCR and CAPA
Halal control structure for a central kitchen and outlets

4. A risk-based internal audit

Check samples on different shifts, not only easy operating hours. Choose one menu item from each brand and check the formula, ingredient lots, stock records and label. Audit shared equipment when tenants change over. Make sure ingredients that were changed without approval are not on active shelves.

NCR example: Finding NC-014: brand B's sauce was used without a current halal document. Action: set aside the remaining stock; trace the batches involved; assess the impact; obtain evidence or a replacement; retrain the person who ordered it; improve the supplier approval rules; verify that the action was effective after the correction.

5. A simple dashboard for SME owners

Operating KPI Definition
Ingredient document coverage % of active ingredients with complete halal evidence/specification that is still valid
Complete batch records % of batches with the operator, recipe, ingredient lots and destination
Open issues Number of NCRs by severity and time open
Worker training coverage % of active workers with valid training/health requirements
Formula changes without approval Number of incidents (operating target: zero)

Action: Use en-templat-audit-dalaman.csv, en-templat-recall-capa.csv and en-templat-kawalan-perubahan.csv. Check the HAS/IHCS responsibilities exactly according to the confirmed scheme.

References: Halal Malaysia Portal: MHMS 2020, MPPHM 2020 (Manual Prosedur Pensijilan Halal Malaysia, the Malaysia Halal Certification Procedure Manual), 2026 amendment.