Muslim Consumer Group: Your Source for Halal Foods Information

FAQ:

Is Milk Halal:

The answer is yes.

Milk from buffalo, camel, cow and goat is Halal by itself however milk in the US and Canada from cows and goats must be fortified with vitamins A and D by law. California is the only state where milk can be sold without vitamin fortification.

What are the source of Vitamins A and D:

Vitamin A for milk fortification is produced commercially by reacting calcium carbonate with water and then esterified with palmitic acid (it could be from a plant or an animal or a synthetic but soy fat based is used only).

Vitamin D3 is produced from sheep's wool Lanolin (Halal) without sluaghtering the sheep.

Presence of Polysorbate 80 as an emulsifier in Vitamin Mixes:

A fat based emulsifier Polysorbate 80 is added to the vitamin mix for milk fortification as a processing aid ingredient. Polysorbate 80 helps vitamins in the mix to distribute evenly in the milk so that it is satisfy the law requirement of a specific amount of vitamins per quart of milk. Polysorbate 80 is not listed under the ingredients list on the milk containers because it is considered a a processing aid ingredient. Soy fat or vegetable fat based Polysorbate is always used in the Vitamin Mix for milk.

Vitamin Mix for milk is always Halal in USA and Canada:

Every dairy in USA and Canada has to use only Kosher certified (meets the Halal requirements) Vitamins because there is no non Kosher certified vitamins available. Any brand of milk in USA and Canada is Halal.

Composition of Vitamin mix for milk fortification:

The ingredients of Vitamin Mix for milk fortification are Vitamin A, Vitamin D3, Water, Polysorbate 80 (an emulsifier), Propylene Glycol (to prevent freezing) and Sodium Benzoate as preservative. Ingredients other than Vitamin A and Vitamin D3 will not appear on the ingredients list of milk containers because they considered as processing aid ingredients.

VITAMIN MIX MANUFACTURERS:

Following are only 6 manufacturer of Vitamin Mix for milk and they areTastemaker, Bungi Foods, Vitamins Inc., Danisco-Grindsted, BASF, and Roche vitamins.

Brewer Yeast:

Brewer yeast is used in beer making. After beer making it is separated from beer, washed, dried and used in food products. MCG does not consider it Halal because alcohol or beer during beer making penetrate inside the brewer yeast cells and will not convert into a new thing.

Confectionery Glaze:

Confectionary Glaze or Resinous Glaze is made from Shellac (Shellac is a insect secretion) which is dissolved in alcohol, and then alcohol is evaporated and glazed on the surface of food products. It is also part of sprinkles on top of bakery products and ice cream. MCG does not consider it as a Halal ingredient because of alcohol.

What are Nucleotides

Nucleotides (building block of nucleic acid) are obtained from Torula yeast cells grown on alcohol, used in Infant baby formulas to help babies build a good immune, digestive system and decrease incidents of diarrhea. MCG does not consider it as Halal ingredient.

What is Cochineal or Carmine

Carmine or Cochineal is a natural red color made from red female beetles in South America. All insects except locust are Haram under Hanafi fiqah.

Is Kosher Gelatin Halal

No, Kosher gelatin is not Halal because it is made either from pork or non zabiha beef and therefore kosher gelatin from pork is Haram. A liberal kosher symbol K appears on yogurts containing kosher gelatin because some Rabbis consider kosher gelatin from pork as kosher.

Is Gelatin Halal

Gelatin is Halal only if it is made from fish bones and skin or if gelatin is made from a zabiha slaughtered cow.

Vanilla Bean Specks:

Vanilla bean specks are made mostly from vanilla bean seeds which are obtained after alcohol extraction of Vanilla Beans for vanilla flavors. The seeds leftover after alcohol extraction are dried and grind to make vanilla bean specks. This is called exhausted Vanilla bean specks in the food industry. Vanilla beans specks without alcohol extraction are very expensive, so many ice cream manufacturers use exhausted types of vanilla bean specks. Our ulema consider exhausted vanilla bean specks as not Halal because it is obtained after alcohol extraction. Alcohol is used on vanilla beans to get vanilla flavor and it contaminates the Halal vanilla bean seeds.

What is Torula Yeast, and is it Halal

Torula Yeast has the capacity to utilize pentose sugars. It is not used in making bread, beer or wine. It is grown on refined sugar feed stocks such as cane sugar, corn syrup, glucose, or alcohol. Torula yeast is grown on alcohol in USA to manufacture Nucleotides for infant formula and this is the reason Nucleotide is not a Halal ingredient. In other countries if it is grown on cane sugar, corn syrup, or glucose then it will considered Halal. Torula yeast grown on alcohol is also used in other food products then it is not considered Halal by MCG according to its criteria.

What are the ingredients of Haram Soy Sauce

The Naturally Brewed Soy is the Haram soy sauce. It is made just like wine containing 2-3% alcohol. The ingredients list contains Wheat, Soy and other ingredients. Food companies do not mention Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce under the ingredients statement. They just mention soy sauce but within parenthesis they write Wheat and Soy. This is the only way to find a Haram Soy Sauce.

What are the ingredients of Halal Soy Sauce

All purpose soy sauce or non naturally brewed soy sauce is a Halal soy sauce made from water, salt, hydrolyzed soy protein, corn syrup and sodium benzoate. La Choy All Purpose Soy sauce is a Halal Soy Sauce.

Which Vinegar is considered Halal

Distilled white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, malt vinegar, corn (Maize) sugar vinegar are considered Halal. Wine Vinegar and Balsamic vinegar are not considered Halal because of leftover wine in wine vinegar and high content sugar containing grape in Italy, which in turn provides more alcohol available to convert it to vinegar, causing some alcohol to remain.

Halal status of Yeast Extract or autolyzed Yeast:

If the yeast extract or autolyzed yeast is made from baker's yeast then it is a Halal ingredient. However if it is made from brewer's yeast, a by-product of beer making then it is not considered as Halal according to the MCG criteria because beer can penetrate in the yeast cells and never convert other things. Autolyzed Yeast Extract or Yeast Extract from beer is use mostly in cheese and crackers to provide bitterness. Autolyzed Yeast Extract from baker yeast is used in food products such as soups and other products to give a meaty taste without adding meat.

Is Vanilla Extract a Halal ingredient

No, Vanilla Extract is used as a flavor and it is made from vanilla bean extract. It contains a minimum of 35% ethyl alcohol otherwise it will not be called vanilla extract according to the FDA regulations.

Halal Status of Chocolate Liquor:

Chocolate Liquor is manufactured from grinding the cocoa nibs from cocoa bean. It is a Halal ingredient and does not contain any liquor or alcohol.

Are all natural or artificial flavors Halal

No, in order for a natural or artificial flavor to be Halal, it has to be made from Halal flavoring material and a Halal solvent such as vegetable oil or propylene glycol. If ethyl alcohol is used as a solvent then MCG will not consider it as Halal according to the MCG ulema. If a Kosher symbol (which meets the Islamic dietary requirements) appears on a food package containing natural or artificial flavor, this indicates that it is manufactured from Halal flavoring material but ethyl alcohol may or may not be used as a solvent. It requires further investigation from food manufacturer to confirm that no alcohol is used as a solvent. Only food manufacturers know whether alcohol is used as a solvent or not in natural or artificial flavors.

Are all apple juice brands Halal

No, only those apple juice brands which bear a Kosher symbol on the containers are considered Halal because it indicates no pork gelatin. There are some apple juice manufacturers who still used pork or beef gelatin in apple juice processing.

Halal status of L-Cysteine:

L-Cysteine is an essential amino acid and it is used as a dough conditioner in bagels, pizza, bread, and hard rolls. If L-Cysteine is manufactured from human hair then it will be Haram. If it is obtained from non zabiha or dead chicken/duck feathers then it will not be Halal according to MCG's criteria. Halal L-Cysteine is made from synthetic sources and Halal fermented processes. MCG consider it Halal if it is made from either synthetic or fermentation sources.

FD&C yellow No. 5 or FD&C red No. 40 colors:

FD&C yellow No. 5 or FD&C red No. 40 are chemical dyes and they are Halal if used in pure granular or powder form but if the FD&C colors are required to make it in liquid form then a solvent is needed to make FD&C colors in liquid form. Liquid FD&C colors are used in liquid foods such as soft drinks. Vegetable oil or glycerin is used to make liquid artificial colors. Liquid FD&C colors are Halal only if vegetable oil or soy fat based glycerin is used. If glycerin is obtained from pork fat then liquid FD&+C colors will be Haram. A Halal or Kosher symbol (which meet the Islamic dietary requirements) appears on a food package containing these colors indicates that no pork or beef fat glycerin was used as a solvent.

Is Whey a Halal ingredient

Muslims think that if whey is a milk based ingredient then it has to be Halal, but this is not true. There are two kinds of whey, one is sweet or rennet whey and the other is acid whey. Acid whey is obtained during the making of acid type cheese such as cottage cheese. Sweet or rennet whey is used more in food products then acid whey. Sweet whey or rennet whey is a by-product of rennet cheese such as cheddar cheese or Mozzarella cheese. Whey is a portion of milk remaining after coagulation and removal of curd. Whey is Halal only if the Halal starter culture bacteria, Halal medium on which starter culture bacteria are grown (Starter culture bacteria are Halal if they are obtained from milk source not meat source, and media on which these starter culture bacteria are grown. These requirements can only obtained if the cheese and whey are Halal or Kosher certified (which meet the Islamic dietary requirements). A Halal or Kosher symbol (which meet the Islamic dietary requirements) appears on a food package containing whey indicating that it is manufactured under Halal or Kosher supervision. MCG considers Lactose Halal only if it is Halal or Kosher certified.

What is Mono and Diglycerides

Mono and Diglycerides are fat based emulsifier and are made by reacting glycerol (fat based) with fats and oils. Mono and diglycerides can be made from beef, pork, or soybean fat. Only soybean or zabiha slaughtered cow fat based Mono and Diglyceries are Halal. A Halal or Kosher symbol (which meet the Islamic dietary requirements) on a food package containing Mono and Diglycerides indicates that it is obtained from soybean fat.

What is Lactose

Lactose is a milk sugar. It is a disaccharide carbohydrate that is a part of milk. It functions as a flow agent, humectants, crystallization control agent and sweetener.

It is commercially obtained from rennet whey and its Halal requirements are the same as rennet whey. Lactose is also used in medicine.

MCG considers Lactose Halal only if it is Halal or Kosher certified.

Fat based E-Numbers such as E-Number 471, 472, 472e

E-numbers 471-472 are mushbooh because they can be made with pork fat or soybean fat. They are Halal only if made from soybean fat. Only manufacturer knows the source those E-Numbers. But if a claim " Suitable For Vegetarian" appears on a food product package in Europe then it means these E-Numbers are obtained from soybean or vegetable fat.

Processing Aid Ingredients or Hidden ingredients in food products and food ingredients:

FDA will allow up to 2% of processing aid ingredients or hidden ingredients in a food product or in a food ingredient without reporting them in the ingredients statement. Only Halal or Kosher symbol on food products or food ingredients protect Muslim consumers from adding Haram processing aid ingredients or hidden ingredients in food products or ingredients by food manufacturers. Example of Hidden ingredients are use of pork gelatin during apple juice processing if the apple juice bottle do not have a kosher symbol.

What are Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Butyl Alcohol, Lauryl and Oleyl Alcohol used in Personal Care Products. Are they Halal:

All above alcohol are not Ethyl Alcohol but they are fatty alcohol or fatty waxes made from either animal fat such as pork fat or vegetable fat such as soy fat. Only manufacturer will know the source of these ingredients. If any personal care company says that no animal derived ingredients are used in their products containing above alcohols it means they are obtained from vegetable fat.

Shellac:

Shellac is a inscet resin secretion by female lac bugs (Kerria lacca on the trees in India and Thailand. It is available in dry flake form. It is dissolved in ethyl alcohol to make liquid shellac. The Shellac in its dry flake form is Halal but not in its liquid for. The liquid shellac is used as glazes such as confectionary glaze on food products and pharmecutical glazes on medicine.

Shellac is made by scrapping from the bark of the trees where the female lac bug (Kerria lacca) deposits its secretion in the form cocoons like tunnels. The raw shellac is made of bark shavings and lac bugs removed during scraping and it is place in in canvas tubes and heated over a fire. This causes the shellac to liquify, and it seeps out of the canvas, leaving the bark and bugs behind. Then this hick, sticky shellac is dried into a flat sheet and broken into flakes and bagged. So the dry shellac flakes do not contain any part of insects.

Ingredients of Confectionary Glaze:

Uses of Dewaxed Bleached Shellac in Confectionery The main uses of Dewaxed Bleached Shellac in the confectionery industry are for the coating chocolate goods, such as extruded chocolates, chocolate covered nuts and resins, and similar products. The bleached shellac coating performs one or more of the following functions:

Enhances and protects the gloss, Serves as a barrier to moisture either entering or leaving the confection, prevents blocking together and extends shelf-life

Solvents Pure ethyl alcohol is the usual solvent for shellac for confectionery glazes. But each country has its own special regulations for the denaturing of alcohol, and isopropyl alcohol is also widely used. In the USA alcohol containing 35 percent of shellac is deemed to be denatured.

Formula for Chocolate Varnish

Shellac 50 grams, Sumatra benzoin150 grams, Vanillin1 gram, Alcohol 800 grams

Courtesy of http://indianshellac.com/confectionery.html

Ingredients of Halal Salted Butter:

The salted butter is made with cream mechanically separated from cow's milk and salt. So all salted butter from any brand is Halal regardless of Halal or kosher symbol.

Ingredients of Unslated Butter:

The ingredients of unsalted butter is pasteurized sweet cream and natural flavoring or pasteurized sweet cream and lactic acid. Unsalted butter is Halal only if it is made with pasteurized sweet cream and lactic acid. But some time dairy companies add lactic acid and termed it as natural flavoring. It is better to call companies to confirm it.The natural flavoring is also made from Star Distillate. Starter Distillate in many unsalted butter brands contains Diacetyl. As we reported in our Ingredients section about Starter Distillate as "Besides diacetyl, starter distillate also contains minor amounts of acetaldehyde, ethyl formate, ethyl acetate, acetone, ethyl alcohol, 2-butanone, acetic acid and acetone. Since this minor amount of ethyl alcohol Starter Distillate is consider not Halal. If the dairy companies guarantee that their Starter Distillate do not contain minor amount of alcohol then it can be used. But our advice is to always use salted butter or if you see Pasteurized Sweet Cream and Lactic Acid under ingredients statement of Unsalted Butter then you can use the unsalted butter for example Horizon's Organic Unsalted Butter.

Please do not consumed fried fish or fried potatoes if the company or sea food restaurants makes the Beer Battered fried products:

Many food companies and restaurants manufacture or serve beer battered fried fish or potatoes products in USA, Canada and Europe.

They use same fryers and same vegetable oil to fry both beer battered fish or potatoes and non beer battered fish or potatoes products.

In seafood restaurants if you see beer battered under menu then please do not order any fried fish such as Red Lobster and other sea food restaurants.

Similarly frozen fried fish and frozen fried potato brands such as Gorton, Van De Kemps, McCain, Or-Ida make frozen beer battered fried fish and fried potato. So non beer battered frozen are contaminated with beer because beer cannot be removed from frying vegetable oil. The oil is recycled to remove only large and small particles of products left over in the oil. So all their non beer battered fried are contaminated with beer in the batter.

The grilled or broiled frozen fish or potato products are not contaminated with beer. But make sure those products are Halal. A list of Halal frozen broiled or grilled frozen fish and potatoes are listed on our website.

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