Halal Lens is an ingredient-scanning feature that determines the halal status of food products based on their ingredient labels.
By simply scanning a product’s barcode or ingredient list with a smartphone, users can instantly check whether the item is safe for Muslims to consume.
Background of Developing Halal Lens
In Japan, most general food products do not display halal-related information, making it extremely difficult to determine their safety based solely on ingredient labels.
Through Halal Gourmet Japan, we have received many comments from Muslim users, such as:
- “It’s hard to understand the ingredient list.”
- “I feel anxious every time I shop.”
- “I can’t read Japanese, so I can’t make a proper judgment.”
To address these challenges and create an environment where people can confidently choose safe food in their daily lives, we developed Halal Lens.
Main Features
Easy halal check with just a smartphone scan
By simply scanning a product’s barcode or ingredient label with your smartphone, you can instantly determine its halal status.
No special knowledge or additional steps are required.
Three-level ingredient-based evaluation
Using our proprietary database and AI analysis, products are clearly evaluated on the following three levels:
Muslim Friendly – Products that do not contain any problematic ingredients and can be chosen with confidence.
Be Careful – Products that contain ingredients which may be interpreted differently depending on country, school of thought, or individual understanding.
Forget It – Products that contain clearly impermissible ingredients, such as pork-derived ingredients or alcohol.
This allows users to make decisions on the spot, without hesitation, as soon as they pick up a product.
Multilingual Support
Ingredient information and evaluation results are displayed in multiple languages, including English and Indonesian.
This makes the app easy to use not only for Muslims visiting Japan, but also for users who are not comfortable reading Japanese.
Database of Over 18,000 Ingredients
Based on an extensive database of raw materials and additives, Halal Lens is designed to cover almost all processed foods sold in Japan.
Our AI can also flexibly respond to new products and newly introduced ingredients.
Situations Where Halal Lens Is Useful
During everyday shopping
You can check a product’s safety the moment you pick it up at a supermarket or convenience store.
For Muslims who have just arrived in Japan
Even without understanding Japanese, users can confirm whether a product is safe, cautionary, or not permissible in their own language.
When choosing souvenirs
You can confidently select gifts such as Japanese sweets or local specialties.
For customer service in retail stores
Store staff can use Halal Lens to provide accurate information to Muslim customers.
Our Vision for Halal Lens
Through Halal Lens, we aim to create
“a society where everyone can confidently choose food and enjoy their meals.”
Food safety is something that should be respected across cultures, religions, and nationalities.
Halal Lens supports a more comfortable daily life and travel experience for Muslims in Japan,
while also contributing to greater transparency within the food industry.
