Is it halal? Scan it and see why.
Know Halal reads every ingredient on the label and tells you Halal, Doubtful or Not halal, with the reason and where it came from. When the label can't settle it, we ask the company.
- Free
- No account
- No ads
- Sources on every answer
From the shelf to a clear answer.
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Scan the barcode
Point the camera at the barcode, or type the number. The ingredient list comes from Open Food Facts, USDA FoodData Central and our own catalogue of more than 500,000 US and Canadian products.Not found? Take one photo of the ingredient panel.
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Every ingredient is checked
Each one is read against rules drafted from published halal certifier guidance: gelatin, enzymes, emulsifiers, flavors, alcohol, and pork in every spelling.
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You see the answer and the reason
Halal, Doubtful or Not halal, with the ingredient that decided it and the source behind it: a halal certifier, the maker's own words, or the label.
Every answer comes with its reason.
Every ingredient passes on your profile, and the result names the rule or source that settled it. You never have to take it on trust.
- When a recognized halal certifier lists the product, the result says so
- Save it to Safe staples, and it is checked again when the label changes
The label leaves a question open. You see the exact question, what the maker or a certifier has already published, and who can answer it.
- Tap Contact manufacturer and Know Halal asks the maker for you
- When the answer comes, everyone who asked is told
You see the ingredient that decides it, and better options from the same aisle.
- Pork, in any spelling, is never accepted
- Meat counts only when it is stated halal
No answer on the label? We go and ask.
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The label
Read first. Most products are settled right here.
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The web
The maker's own site and customer-care pages, and halal certifier listings. You get the link.
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The company
Nothing published? Know Halal writes to the maker with the exact question. You can also email them yourself from the app.
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The answer
Shown with the company's name and the date. Everyone who asked gets a notification.
Is the natural flavor in your cocoa rice cereal plant-derived, or does it contain any animal ingredients or alcohol?
“The natural flavor in this cereal is plant-derived. It contains no animal ingredients and no alcohol.”
Question answered: Cocoa rice cereal. Tap to see your verdict.
Scholars differ on some ingredients. You choose.
Standard follows the mainstream certifier consensus. It is right for most people.
Strict wants a certifier named for meat, treats unconfirmed animal sources as not halal, and asks about the alcohol used to carry flavors.
Lenient accepts unspecified enzymes, whey and cheese, and trace alcohol used to carry flavors. Meat still counts only when it is stated halal.
Meat counts only when it is stated halal: by a recognized certifier, on the pack, or in the maker's answer (Strict wants the certifier named). Nothing clears pork. You can also accept or avoid a single ingredient yourself; it then applies to every product, shown as your own ruling.
Nothing about you. Only the product.
There is no account to make. Your history, saved products and settings stay on your phone, and a question to a maker never carries anything about you.
Read the privacy policyQuestions sent to a maker name the product and the ingredient, never you.
Free, and it stays that way.
Every feature, for everyone. Nothing waits behind a paywall.
Every online check costs money to run. If you want to help, Support Know Halal, in the app's menu, takes an optional contribution through Apple, once or every month. Nothing unlocks.
Or every month: $1.99, $4.99 or $9.99. Cancel any time in your iPhone settings.
What people ask us.
Is Know Halal a fatwa or a halal certification?
No. It shows you what the label and published sources say, and how the rules read them, with every source named. For a ruling on your own situation, ask a scholar you trust.
Where do the answers come from?
First the label: every ingredient is read against the rules. If the label leaves a question open, Know Halal searches the web for the maker's own written answer and for halal certifier listings. If nothing is published, we contact the company and ask.
What should I do when it says Doubtful?
Open Why & sources to see the exact question. Tap Contact manufacturer, then Ask Know Halal, to add your question, or email the company yourself. When the answer comes, you get a notification if you turned notifications on.
What if the barcode isn't found?
Know Halal searches the maker's and retailers' pages for it. If that finds nothing, take one photo of the ingredient panel. You get a verdict straight away, and the next person who scans it gets an answer too.
Do I need an account?
No. There is nothing to sign up for. The app makes a random device id so that answers to your questions can reach you.
Does it work outside the US and Canada?
Scanning works anywhere the product is in the databases, but the rules, certifiers and questions to makers are built for North America. Recipes differ by country, so a verdict for the US pack may not apply elsewhere.
How do I delete my data?
Clear history and cache, in Settings under Privacy, removes what is on your phone. To delete the anonymous records on our server, email [email protected] with the device id shown in the same place.
Next time you're in the aisle, scan it.
Coming to the App Store for iPhone. Want to try it before then? Join the beta.
Or write to [email protected]