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| Source: Play store. |
Japan-based Agung Pambudi, Founder of Halalminds, explains that Muslims who who travel to non-Muslim destinations often find it difficult to find halal products, especially where halal certification is rare.
"In Muslim countries, for example Indonesia, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia, it is easy to find halal products since the certification information is available. However in countries like Japan, mainland China, or South Korea, almost all of the products lack certification. Checking the ingredients of the product is only the way to know if the products are halal," he said.
While many associate food and drink with halal certification, Pambudi says that travellers are also looking for halal medicine and cosmetics. HalalMinds created the app for such challenges.
"The app has a huge database of information about products, including a list of the 'E' numbers used by food labellers in Europe. Once the barcode of the product is scanned, HalalMinds can show the ingredients, translated into
the user's language of choice, and advises if the products are halal," Pambudi explained.
the user's language of choice, and advises if the products are halal," Pambudi explained.
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| Source: Halalminds. The company won a JohnnyTiC award in the Youth Pre- |
The app also includes directories for locating halal restaurants, markets as well as mosques around the world; the Quran in 17 languages, and features around prayers and supplications.
While Halalminds first began as an app for travellers to Japan, Pambudi is now looking beyond its shores. "Our target market is now the world," he said.
Funding is holding the company back, but support for Korea and Taiwan are on the list. New features planned include contributions from users and support for social networks.