Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU) has officially become the first university campus certified under the Kantin Halal, Aman, dan Sehat (KHAS) program—Canteens that are Halal, Safe, and Healthy. The milestone was marked by the awarding of a halal certificate, held alongside a food safety training for food handlers and managers on Thursday (August 7) at the UMSU Faculty of Social and Political Sciences Auditorium, Jalan Muchtar Basri No. 3, Medan.
The event, opened by UMSU Rector Prof. Dr. Agussani, MAP, represented by Vice Rector II Prof. Dr. Akrim, M.Pd, was a collaborative initiative between UMSU, the Indonesian Ministry of Health, and the Indonesian Association of Environmental Health Experts (HAKLI), with full support from Bank Indonesia.
The training involved canteen managers from UMSU’s three campus sites—Postgraduate Campus, Main Campus, and Medical Campus. During the event, UMSU Halal Center Chair Dr. Desi Ardilla, S.P., M.Si formally handed over UMSU’s halal canteen certificate to UMSU Canteen Supervisor, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abrar Adhani, S.Sos., M.I.Kom.
In his remarks, Vice Rector II Prof. Akrim emphasized the importance of commitment throughout the training process.
“We urge all participants to follow this program seriously until the end. This should be a crucial moment for advancing culinary services at UMSU. A clean, safe, and comfortable canteen will certainly become a strong attraction,” he said.
He explained that all business units at UMSU are self-managed, and this initiative is in line with Muhammadiyah Central Board’s instruction that every Muhammadiyah university canteen must be halal-certified.
“UMSU may be the very first Muhammadiyah university to have a fully halal-certified canteen,” he noted.
Prof. Akrim further expressed hopes that this training would be implemented on a broader scale. UMSU is preparing to establish its own food production house in support of the upcoming 49th Muhammadiyah Congress in 2027, while also contributing to the Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG).
Meanwhile, UMSU Halal Center Chair Dr. Desi Ardilla stressed that canteens must meet strict standards of health, hygiene, safety, and halal compliance, making this training vital.
“We hope this activity delivers real benefits and inspires other universities to create halal and healthy food environments,” she said.
Bank Indonesia’s Deputy Director for North Sumatra, Indra Kuspriyadi, underlined the importance of raising awareness of halal values as a shared social movement.
“Halal values should be seen as a collective movement that promotes goodness in daily life. It is not enough to be halal; food must also be thayyib (good and wholesome). In North Sumatra, it is still difficult to find halal-certified slaughterhouses due to various factors, from tradition to cultural practices,” he explained.
According to him, halal certification must be carried out by authorized institutions to ensure products are managed properly. Bank Indonesia strongly supports this initiative, calling it a tangible form of support for UMSU.
“We hope to see even greater collaboration between Bank Indonesia and UMSU in the future. This training is not merely a formality—it is an investment in knowledge that can set new standards,” he added.
The program continued with training sessions delivered by expert speakers, including HAKLI North Sumatra’s Rusdin Pinem, SKM, M.Si; UMSU’s Khairil Azmi Nasution, S.H.I., M.A; HAKLI Medan’s Odentara Sembiring, SKM, M.Kes; and Surya Kusuma Purba, SKM, MKM from the local Health Office.
