UK’s first ever halal takeaway service launches £100k crowdfunding campaign

A new startup is to bring halal takeaway food to UK consumers with the recent launch of an equity crowdfunding campaign with Seedrs.

Launched yesterday (August 1), the London-based company’s campaign has already surpassed the half-way mark of its £100k target. Said to be the UK’s first halal food delivery portal, HalalEat offers a wide range of takeaway options - from Moroccan, American to Italian - for customers to order online.

The idea was brought to attention when founder and CEO, Abul Rob, who previously worked at Just Eat and Hungry House, was on a business trip only to find he was unable to find a local takeaway that offered halal food.

Seeing this as an opportunity for the takeaway industry to meet the needs of halal consumers, Abul launched HalalEat in November 2015.

He said: “A large percentage of the population feel unable to confidently order takeaway online from a platform they can trust. At HalalEat, we work closely with halal certification organisations, such as the Halal Food Authority, to ensure all of our restaurant partners are vetted.”

The majority of Muslims abide by a Halal-only diet - whether it’s because of their faith or personal choice - and with over 1.1m Muslims living in London alone, this startup can provide them with the comfort of knowing their takeaway is halal-friendly.

The UK’s takeaway economy is expanding every year; British people supposedly spent an estimated £9.9bn on takeaways in 2016. Although HalalEat’s restaurant partners are primarily in East London, the company has coverage in Birmingham, Luton, Portsmouth and Kingston, and will tap into a national audience in the future.

Saqib Mohammed, CEO of the Halal Food Authority, said: “We fully support HalalEat and wish them every success in their campaigns that will offer tangible benefits to consumers and help the growing Islamic economy.”

Funding from the Seedrs campaign will be put towards HalalEat’s next stage of growth, including the development of a HalalEat app for smartphones and tablets for consumers to easily access halal food wherever they may be.