What we check, and what we don't

The problem we set out to solve

A sign in a window saying "halal" carries no legal weight in France. The word is not protected, no public authority controls its use in restaurants, and certification is handled by private bodies applying their own standards. The result is that a diner has no straightforward way to tell a restaurant holding a current certificate from one that simply put up a sign.

HalalSpot.fr does not settle that question. It makes the evidence visible: what each establishment provided, who issued it, and whether we checked.

Where the listings come from

Establishments are added from the public lists published by certification bodies, and from the brands' own websites when a chain states which of its outlets are halal. We read these sources directly rather than copying other directories, and we record the date on which we read them.

Nothing in a listing is invented. Where we have no information — no phone number, no opening hours, no photograph — the listing shows nothing rather than a plausible guess.

The three levels, plainly

Certificate from a body — a third-party body, AVS or ARGML, is named. When the listing shows an approval number, we found the establishment on that body's public list: this is the strongest signal the directory carries, because it comes from a third party that inspected the premises. When it shows none, the body was named to us by the establishment without the document being sent, and the listing says so.

Declared by the brand — a chain says that this outlet serves halal food, on its own website or by registering its outlets with us, without naming a certifying body. We label it as a declaration rather than a certificate, because that is what it is.

Verified by us — we contacted the issuing body and confirmed the certificate is current, with its expiry date. This check is what the seal on a listing means, and it is the only claim the site makes in its own name.

What we deliberately do not do

We issue no certification, and we do not intend to. We give no religious ruling on whether a given practice is acceptable — standards differ between bodies on stunning, on alcohol served on the premises, on the separation of preparation areas, and those differences are for you and the establishment to discuss.

We do not publish customer reviews. Fabricated reviews are a well-documented problem in restaurant directories, and under French consumer law a review presented as genuine when it is not is deceptive in all circumstances. Rather than police that, we have left it out.

We do not sell better placement disguised as editorial merit. Where an establishment has paid for prominence, it is marked as such.

Business model

The directory is free for visitors, and the listing is free for the business, with no time limit. Two services are paid and optional: checking the certificate with the issuing body, included in the Premium plan — as the certificate itself has a limited validity, it is re-checked every year — and temporary featured placement, bought as a one-off. The details are in our terms of sale (in French).

Found something wrong?

If a listing is out of date, if an establishment has closed, or if a certificate has lapsed, tell us and we will correct it. Corrections are free and do not depend on any payment.