Indonesia's wayang-inspired purple halal logo stirs up mixed reactions on social

Indonesia's new halal logo has drawn mixed reactions from consumers, moving away from the green emblem that many are familiar with to a wayang-inspired purple logo with the Arabic text for "halal" written in calligraphy. Head of Ministry of Religious Affairs' halal Product Guarantee Office, Aqil Irham, explained that the shapes and patterns used in the new logo are cultural artefacts that have unique characteristics, strong character, and a representation of halal Indonesia".

According to Aqil in a statement on the ministry's website, the new label consists of two objects: the gunungan (mountains) and the surjan or lurik gunungan motif in wayang kulit (shadow puppet). He added that the shape of the mountains is arranged in Arabic calligraphy to form the word "halal". The new logo also tapers upwards to symbolise human life. The purple wayang-inspired logo will immediately be issued by the Ministry's halal Products Guarantee Office, replacing the old certification logo issued by the Indonesian Ulama Council.

However, some netizens were left puzzled by the decision. One of them questioned why Indonesia decided to create a wayang-inspired logo when Russia's halal logo does not have a bear nor does Italy's logo have Roman letters. Another also asked if anybody would recognise the logo if the English word "halal" was removed. 

At the same time, one netizen also said the purpose of the halal logo is to ensure it is easier for the general public to spot relevant items. Hence, clarity of writing is more important than aesthetics. Meanwhile, some also pointed out that the cultural associations used in the logo were a little too Java-centric, which does not accurately symbolise Indonesia as a whole.

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Aside from the logo being wayang-inspired, Aqil also explained that the surjan motif contains "deep philosophical meanings". For example, the surjan has six buttons altogether, representing the pillars of faith in Islam. Also, the surjan motifs are parallel to each other to represent a clear distinction.

"This is in line with the purpose of implementing halal Product Assurance in Indonesia to provide comfort, security, safety, and certainty of the availability of halal products for the public," Aqil added. According to him, purple is used as the main colour as it represents faith, unity, and the power of imagination. Meanwhile, green is used as the secondary colour to represent wisdom, stability, and serenity.

According to market research firm Research and Markets, the global halal food market is forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 10.8% from US$842.39 million in 2020 to US$1,729.8 million in 2027. According to Research and Markets, Asia Pacific is the main market for halal food, and the region is predicted to offer market vendors various prospects for expansion during the forecast period.

Separately, neighbouring country Malaysia has allocated RM12.63 million for this year to grow the country's halal industry. The investment included RM3.9 million for management and development, RM5.1 million for development projects, and RM3.63 million for three development projects. Meanwhile, Lazada is also seeing potential in the halal category, having recently introduced a halal channel category on RedMart. This channel will feature halal food products for Singapore’s Muslim community. The eCommerce marketplace also plans to introduce a halal Cooking Show, as well as the distribute of groceries to those in need in Kampong Gelam. 

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