How Halal Food AI checks a product
Halal Food AI reads a product's ingredient list and checks it against a fixed set of rules written for halal checks. AI is used to read the label text; the verdict comes from the rules, not from the AI's opinion.
Where the product data comes from
A barcode lookup uses Open Food Facts, an open database of food products and their ingredient lists, together with corrections from the app's users that have been reviewed and approved. For a photo or a typed ingredient list, the text is read with AI and then checked by the same rules.
How ingredients and E-numbers are judged
Every result is one of four: Halal, Suspect, Not Halal or Unknown, with the reasons listed. The rules look for pork, alcohol, gelatin, carmine (E120), animal-derived additives, enzymes and emulsifiers whose source is not stated, and meat with no halal label. Depending on the ingredient and what the label says about its source, a match makes the result Not Halal or Suspect.
Additives are checked against a table of 316 E-numbers. It is built on a published additive listing from Singapore's Islamic council (MUIS) and adjusted where other authorities take a different position, with each adjustment documented. Where scholars disagree about an additive, the app marks it Suspect and says why, so you can decide.
When the ingredient list is missing or only partly readable, the result is Unknown or Suspect. The app does not guess Halal.
Certification marks
The app does not recognise certification logos. When the product data or the printed label says the product is halal, that counts in its favour, but the app still lists any doubtful additives, and pork, alcohol or carmine still make the result Not Halal. A certification mark from a body you trust remains the strongest sign on a pack.
What the app cannot know
No ingredient check can see how meat was slaughtered, which processing aids were used, or whether a factory shares its lines with non-halal products. Recipes change and the same product can differ between countries, so the database and the pack in your hand can disagree. Read the result as a check of the ingredient list, not as a certificate.
When a result is wrong
If you think a result is wrong, report it from the result screen and add photos of the pack. Reports are reviewed, and approved corrections apply to everyone who scans the product. Products that are missing can be submitted the same way. The support page has the details.