NIHT

National Independent Halaal Trust

Formed in 1992 (originally as the IHT, before rebranding), NIHT is an internationally recognized halaal certification body based out of Lenasia, Johannesburg, with further offices in Durban and Cape Town, and a logistical presence extending into the Eastern, Western, and Northern Cape. Its growth accelerated notably from the year 2000 onward, expanding from a regional certifier into a nationally established authority. NIHT certifies an unusually wide range of operations — restaurants, bakeries, food outlets, manufacturers, cosmetic brands, pharmaceutical labs, and abattoirs alike — and positions itself around building a working relationship between Ulama (Islamic scholars), businesses, and Muslim consumers, aiming to reduce inconsistency between different halaal certifiers in the industry. NIHT-certified products are exported into several Muslim-majority countries, and the organization has an active working relationship with South African government bodies on halaal marketing and compliance matters. SANHA certifies a broad range of categories — food, food ingredients, cosmetics, nutritional products, and pharmaceuticals — and offers two distinct certification tracks: a Local Certification Scheme for South African businesses not exporting to the GCC region, and a Global Certification Scheme for businesses that are. Certification isn't a one-time stamp: SANHA conducts ongoing, often unannounced inspections after the initial audit to ensure standards are maintained, and the SANHA logo itself is a registered trademark — certified businesses must use it under written authorization and can't display it alongside products or names referencing pork, alcohol, or other non-halaal connotations.