HALAL certification laws will get more bite under proposed changes to the law governing Muslim affairs here.

Officers of companies that misuse certificates or logos to say their food is halal - permissible under Muslim law - could soon face a jail term of up to 12 months or a fine of up to $10,000, or both.

Currently, only the companies can be fined up to $10,000.

This was one of several changes to the Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA) tabled in Parliament on Monday, which aim to strengthen Muslim institutions and families.

The tightening up on abuse of the halal logo will give the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) more clout in supervising and enforcing halal certification at a time when the global halal industry and exports to Middle Eastern markets are growing.

The change had been suggested by High Court Judge V.K. Rajah in 2006, in his ruling on an appeal by a food importer who had passed off imported chicken nuggets as halal-certified by the Islamic Religious Council, Muis.

Justice Rajah had noted that when firms misuse halal certificates, they get away with fines, but individuals who do the same thing face jail time.

The anomaly comes about because the law prosecutes the company, not its staff, for such offences, he noted, calling on the discrepancy to be done away with.

In another change, Muis can compound up to half the maximum fine for an offence, or $2,000, whichever is lower.

Another key change tabled on Monday is on raising the minimum marriage age for Muslims from 16 to 18.

Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim announced this change in March. The move aims to tackle the community's high divorce rates by sending a signal that minor marriages, which tend to be less stable, are not desirable.

However, a kadi or marriage official is still empowered to marry those under 18 who wish to do so.

Other changes seek to make it easier for divorced women to get their errant ex-husbands to keep up with maintenance payments.