Scan Halal is an independent globally recognized organization involved in educating, advocating and promoting halal. Our vision at Scan Halal is to make the halal food market more transparent. Today we provide the most informative halal food data in the industry. We want to make this data available to as many people as possible.
Scan Halal is committed to being an active body and we continue to attend workshops and training at various international conferences and seminars as well as engage actively in dialogue relating to the global food and halal industries.
We always endorse the policies reflecting honesty, transparency, due diligence and adherence to Islamic Jurisprudence. Scan Halal believes in collective efforts and encourage diversity to be able to utilize best available expertise in the society and does not encourage nor support any political agenda.
Our teams top priority is to obtain and keep the fidelity of the ingredients at the highest level and to verify the direct sources (animal, plant, or synthetic etc) of each ingredient. While we do our best to maintain and update thousands of products daily, although inevitable, its not only difficult to maintain, from time to time it may result in unforeseen imprecise data. We encourage to use our built-in report button if you notice packaging or ingredient label changes.
Consuming halal has successfully devolved into serious confusion and widespread fiqh debates. We believe amongst muslims, there are two predominant views when it comes to food; zabiha and non-zabiha. To cover the masses we provide information on both.
The Scan Halal app does not declare any rulings. We offer a number of options for users to choose according to thier dietary preference (Zabiha, non-Zabiha, or Custom).
Yes. Although most of our users fall under those two dietary guidelines we have an alternative option called "custom" in which you can select all the ingredients you wish to avoid.
You'll notice products with a colored circle around them which indicates the halal status based on your dietary settings. Green = You can use the product. Red = You're avoiding the product. Yellow = The product is doubtful because the company has not yet disclosed exact source[s]. Black = The product is in the process of being verified, and its status will soon be known.
We are happy to help you with any technical issues you are having with our app or if you have any generals questions please call 312-884-1045
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We would love to hear from you. Any questions, comments, or concerns you may have can be sent directly within the app by tapping the menu icon and then selecting the contact support page. Alternatively you can reach us by visiting
One of the most controversial issues in the Muslim Food industry is the alcohol content in food products. Alcohol is mainly used as food carrier in food products such as ice creams, chocolate and other food products. It is essential to differentiate between the two kinds of Alcohols: Alcohols derived from grapes or dates are khamr (intoxicants) and will absolutely NOT be allowed in any amount. Alcohols derived from non-khamr sources (synthetic alcohols) would be allowed in minuscule amounts provided it does not and cannot have an intoxicating effect. This opinion is the majority position held by scholars and follows closely with the principle of istihlak (extreme dilution) which states that a substance in minuscule amounts is mixed with a substance of much larger quantity to the extent that it leaves no discernible presence in the final product rendering it permissible. In the case of trace amounts of synthetic alcohols from non-khamr sources that are mixed with other ingredients to the effect that it has become irrelevant (up to 0.5%), the final food product does not and cannot have an intoxicating effect , no matter how much of it is consumed. This amount is also in line with the FDA’s labeling laws, which require products with alcohol to be labeled clearly if they constitute more than 0.5% of the final product. For instance, most food products that label vanilla extract as an ingredient would not have trace amounts of alcohol exceeding 0.5% of the final food product. Also, most processed food products with trace amounts of alcohol would not be from a grape or date source.Though this is the majority position held by scholars, we realize that there might be some users that might still wish to further avoid trace amounts of alcohol, we encourage them to use the custom setting and select "all alcohols". This is what makes our platform so likeable and unique. Scan halal doesn't advocate or force anyone to choose between opinions or rulings for controversial matters like these.
Often times many companies tend to assume 'Kosher' is similar to 'Halal'. Although the slaughtering rituals of Jewish people resemble those of Muslims; kosher and halal are two different standards carrying a different meaning and spirit. There are different sects within Judaism and there are several hundred Jewish Kosher authorities in the US who certify Kosher based on extremely liberal to extremely conservative rules. Therefore it is difficult to come up with one uniform opinion regarding Kosher practices.
Islam prohibits all intoxicating alcohols, liquors, wines and drugs. Kashrut regards their wines kosher. Hence food items and drinks showing the kosher symbol containing alcohol are not halal.
Gelatin is considered Kosher by many Jews regardless of its source of origin. If the gelatin is prepared from non-zabiha, majority of Muslims consider it haram (prohibited). Hence foods items such as marshmallows, yogurt, etc., showing kosher symbols are not always halal.
Enzymes (irrespective of their sources even from non-kosher animals) in cheese making are considered mere secretion (pirsah b'almah) according to some kashrut organizations, hence cheeses are considered kosher by many Jews. Muslims look for the source of the enzyme in cheese making. If it is sourced from swine, it is considered haram (forbidden). Hence cheeses showing kosher symbols may not be halal.
Jews do not pronounce the name of God on each animal while slaughtering (usually only pronounce on the first animal). Muslims on the other hand pronounce the name of Allah on all animals while slaughtering.
Look at the label of a pack of gum in most "sugar free" and "diet" products, and you're likely to see words like maltitol, xylitol, and sorbitol, which are sugar alcohols. Sugar alcohol can be quite misleading, as they are neither a sugar nor an alcohol. The chemical structure of sugar alcohols is a hybrid between a sugar molecule and an alcohol molecule; hence the name, but they are neither one nor the other.
In commercial practices food manufactures commonly use sugar alcohol in place of table sugar (sucrose), They are sweet to the tongue and are poorly digested by the body containing fewer calories per gram and are absorbed slowly and incompletely, making them what manufacturers believe to be the perfect type of sweetener. One major use of sugar alcohols is in the management of diabetes, primarily to maintain close to normal blood sugar levels. Once they are absorbed they use very little to no insulin to convert to energy. Not all of the sugar alcohol passes into the bloodstream; the reason for this is because the sugar alcohols are incompletely absorbed, meaning they don't initiate the same insulin response as they would if someone had consumed regular sugar. This allows for quite a few products to be marketed to diabetics, but as with anything your doctor should always be consulted if you are to add sugar alcohols into your daily diet.
The production of cheese requires ingredients called enzymes that are needed to make cheese. When a little of this substance is added to milk, it curdles and becomes cheese. Three enzymes are used to make cheese pepsin, lipase and rennet. These enzymes can be from animal, vegetable or microbial sources. Animal sources include pigs and cattle. Pepsin is derived from pigs, and is strictly prohibited for halal consumers. One of the enzymes derived from the inner lining of the stomach of calves is called rennet. It may come from Zabiha calves or non-Zabiha calves. Rennet contains enzymes that cause milk to become cheese, by separating it into the solid curds and the liquid whey. Vegetable rennet is made from certain vegetables that have coagulation properties as well. This is the most common form. Enzymes can also be produced by microbial methods. Microbial enzymes are not derived from animal and are halal. Another type is genetically engineered rennet, which is derived from plants that have been injected with cow genes.
Today, most cheeses in the North American markets are questionable as most companies are not legally required to disclose the source of the enzyme, so unless the product specifically states a non-animal source for rennet, you won't know, one must ask the company from where the enzyme is sourced from.
Airlines offer a variety of meal choices to meet passenger needs. There are vegetarian meals, seafood meals and others. Some airlines even offer Muslim meals. In general, the Muslim meals are not certified by a qualified halal certifying agency. This means it is not known if the meat and other ingredients are derived from halal animals and are free of pork products and alcohol. Airlines will provide certified halal meals when they see sufficient demand to justify it. Every Muslim traveler should request a halal meal and, if unavailable, the traveler should make sure the request is recorded so it can be considered by the airline in the future.
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