Halal Watch Receives 96% Grade A and Ranks No. 3 in USDHS Accountability Review

Halal Watch Certification received a 96% Credibility Score, Grade A, in a public evidence review published by the U.S. Department of Halal Standards (USDHS). In the accompanying national Model B ranking, Halal Watch placed third among 27 active U.S. halal certification bodies or separately accountable U.S. certification programs, based on its unrounded score of 96.0779.

This is a meaningful result because the ranking did not measure popularity, company size, or marketing reach. It examined a combination of public evidence and independently verified records addressing each organization’s identity, governance, personnel, Islamic decision authority, halal-specific controls, certification criteria, certificate safeguards, complaint handling, and operating capacity.

What the national review measured

USDHS applied one published method to every organization in the national comparison. Each assessment used a 137-requirement evidence record and separated three score components:

• Competence assurance: up to 90 points, based on current comprehensive exact-entity accreditation within verified scope or other qualifying evidence.
• Accreditation breadth: up to four points, awarded proportionally across five qualifying independent accreditation authorities in the national benchmark.
• Public accountability: up to six points, based on information the public can inspect about the organization, its rules, decision authority, certificate controls, and correction channels.

The national ranking reports eight Grade A bodies and 19 Grade F bodies. Its median unrounded score was 19.8088. Halal Watch’s 96.0779 result placed it third by the published unrounded values.

How Halal Watch reached 96.0779

The Halal Watch-specific assessment also reported category results ranging from 90.00% to 96.00%. It recorded 96.00% in legal identity and standing, accountable leadership and governance, qualified personnel, Islamic authority and halal decision rights, halal-specific audit and certification controls, impartiality and independence, complaints and corrections, and operating history and capacity. It recorded 95.79% for public certification criteria and position disclosure, 94.50% for standards, scheme, and certification scope, and 90.00% for ownership and control and for certificate traceability and mark control.

The accreditation evidence—and its exact boundary

The assessment cites the GCC Accreditation Center profile for Halal Watch World LLC, accreditation HPC 0134, under GSO 2055-2:2021. The cited credential is current from April 5, 2026 through April 4, 2030.

That finding is scope-specific. The documented scope is category K, covering biochemical products such as food and feed additives, vitamins, minerals, cultures, flavorings, enzymes, processing aids, pesticides, drugs, fertilizers, cleaning agents, and cosmetics. The assessment does not treat this credential as coverage for every category or activity. Halal Watch likewise describes accreditation and market recognition with their applicable boundaries on its accreditation and recognition page.

What the assessment says still needs clearer public evidence

A high score does not mean the public record is complete. USDHS identified four areas where additional public information would improve traceability:

• precise current ownership allocation;
• a complete rule for resolving conflicts between applicable schemes;
• an unrestricted live certificate lookup; and
• selected file-level personnel and operating records.

These are disclosure limitations, not findings that the underlying controls are absent. The assessment explicitly states that missing public evidence is not proof that an internal safeguard does not exist.

What this accomplishment means

The result gives businesses and halal-conscious consumers a structured view of the evidence behind Halal Watch Certification. It shows that the reviewed record strongly substantiated the organization within the documented scope and that Halal Watch’s public-accountability evidence contributed materially to its Grade A result.

It does not replace product- and facility-specific review. A certification decision still depends on the products, ingredients, suppliers, processes, facilities, records, applicable requirements, and activities within the proposed scope. Businesses evaluating certification can review the certification requirements and the certification process before requesting a scope-specific assessment.

Primary sources

1. USDHS: Halal Watch Certification Comprehensive Accountability Assessment
2. USDHS: 2026 U.S. Halal Certification Bodies Ranked by Credibility Score
3. GCC Accreditation Center: Halal Watch World LLC accreditation record

Source cutoff for the cited USDHS assessment and ranking: September 15, 2026. This article summarizes those publications and preserves their stated evidence and scope limits.