Mustaza looking on while Wan Mohd Zaki, Ana Muslim manager, signs the board at the launch of SafwKids.

If you're a Muslim parent and frequently reading the list of ingredients for supplements to check whether it's halal, you'll be pleased to know there's now a halal brand of supplements in the market.

It's called SafwaKids and it offers Chewable Multi-Vitamins and Chewable Fish Oil & Vitamins Plus. The supplements, by Safwa Health Products, are orange-flavoured.

The Chewable Fish Oil & Vitamins Plus contains a high concentration of 125mg DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) and 30mg of EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid), as well as iodine, and vitamins B1 and B12.

Mustaza Syikin, senior product executive, said that supplementation is needed because many children don't take the proper requirements of vitamins and minerals due to poor appetite, fussy eating habits and a lack of the source food (for example tuna and salmon which gives us essential fatty acids like DHA).

“Surprisingly, recent research has linked a poor diet to children's ability. In one of their findings, a link was uncovered between children diagnosed with ADD (attention-deficit disorder), ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder), autism and low IQ, and the lack of essential nutrients needed by the body. And, it was also found that upon supplementation, significant improvements were seen in these children,” said Mustaza.

She explained that research has also found that nutrition deficiency may also affect the emotional and intellectual development of children.

The supplements are certified halal by the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (Ifanca) and Australian Federation of Islamic Councils Inc (Afic) – both recognised by Jakim (Deparment of Islamic Development Malaysia).

Right now, SafwaKids only has these two supplements. However, in the future, if there is a need, more supplements will be introduced.

To appeal to Malaysian children, SafwaKids has teamed up with Ana Muslim, a popular children's educational comic book, to use its characters on the packaging.

For more information, go to safwahealth.com.