Criteria Used in Identifying Halal Food Products

Method of data collection:

1. Visiting the major supermarkets in the region, examining each product for ingredients declaration on the package.
2. Checking for different kosher symbols on the package which meet with the Islamic dietary requirements.
3. Inquiring (limited) with the food manufacturers for the source of questionable ingredients, incidental or hidden ingredients or processing aid ingredients by phone or letter.
4. In the absence of a Halal or kosher symbol, selecting a food product which is made with Halal ingredients only determined by 27 years of diversified food manufacturing, R & D, Quality Assurance experience in food industry and knowledge of food ingredients.

Not all Kosher certified food products are consider Halal because they are made with Haram ingredients according to MCG criteria such as listed below. If one of them present in kosher certified product then MCG will not consider it Halal:

• Gelatin from pork and non zabiha cow
• Kosher Gelatin except fish gelatin
• L-Cysteine made from human hair or chicken or duck feathers
• Wine
• Liquor
• Beer batter
• Rum flavor
• Ethyl Alcohol as a main ingredient appears on the ingredient list
• Cochineal or Carmine, a red color from insects
• Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce
• Yeast Extract or Autolyzed Yeast made from brewer's yeast, a by product of beer making
• Torula Yeast grown on alcohol
• Nucleotides (building block of nucleic acid) are obtained from yeast cells grown on alcohol, used in Infant Milk formulas to help babies build a good immune, digestive system and decreased incident of diarrhea
• Vanilla Extract
• Wine Vinegar
• If ethyl alcohol is used as a solvent in natural or artificial flavors.
• Confectionary Glaze or Resinous Glaze made Shellac which is dissolve in alcohol and then alcohol is evaporated

Consultation with Islamic Scholars:

We are grateful to following Ulema or Islamic Scholars who help us in deciding the Halal status of certain food ingredients and food products based on their knowledge of Islamic dietary requirements.

Our main religious advisors:

• Mufti Mohammed Hafeezur Rahman Khan of Chicago Muslim Sunni Society Chicago, IL (773-275-7130)
• Mufti Syed Ahmedul Quadri of Islamic Academy of Dallas, TX (972-423-2626)
• Mufti Khalil Ahmed of Jamia Nizamia, Hyderabad, India(Phone 01191-9849071327, jamianizamia@yahoo.com)
• Mufti Mohsin Muki of Chicago Muslim Sunni Society Chicago, IL 773-801-9101

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Halal

The Halal status is given to a food product on the following basis:

1. The food product is made from only pure Halal ingredients with Halal processing aid or hidden ingredients and no natural or artificial flavors (except those in which alcohol was not used as solvent)).
2. The Halal food product is not made with pork, pork-by-products, bacon, ham, lard, pig enzymes, any other meat-by-products:
   • Gelatin from pork and non zabiha cow
   • Kosher Gelatin except fish gelatin
   • L-Cysteine made from human hair or chicken or duck feathers
   • Wine
   • Liquor
   • Beer batter
   • Rum flavor
   • Ethyl Alcohol as a main ingredient appears on the ingredient list
   • Cochineal or Carmine, a red color from insects
   • Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce
   • Yeast Extract or Autolyzed Yeast made from brewer's yeast, a by product of beer making
   • Torula Yeast grown on alcohol
   • Nucleotides (building block of nucleic acid) are obtained from yeast cells grown on alcohol, used in Infant Milk formulas to help babies build a good immune, digestive system and decreased incident of diarrhea
   • Vanilla Extract
   • Wine Vinegar
   • If ethyl alcohol is used as a solvent in natural or artificial flavors.
3. Halal or Genuine Kosher certification was also used as criteria for assigning the Halal status for a food product, which meets the Islamic dietary requirements. Because no Halal certified food products are available throughout USA except few such MCG Halal certified Seneca Foods Onion Chips and few from other organizations. The use of genuine Kosher certified food products as Halal is for temporary period only until the Halal symbol carrying food products are available in supermarkets throughout USA. Not all Kosher certified food products are Halal. The only one is Halal, which meets the Islamic dietary requirements. According to Quran our good & pure foods are Halal for Ahlekitab and their good and pure foods are Halal for us.
4. Only hand slaughter Zabiha meat from Halal animals by a Muslim is used as a criteria for MCG defination of Zabiha meat. Machine slaughtering for zabiha meat is not acceptable according to our ulema.

HALAL IF NO ALCOHOL IS USED IN FLAVORS:

The criteria for food products under this category is the same as the Halal category except the food products here are made natural or artificial flavors. The natural and artificial flavors used in these food products may or may not contain alcohol as a solvent but these flavors are not made with animal derived ingredients and they are genuine kosher certified. It is beyond our scope to find each food product in this category, which may or may not be made with alcohol containing flavors. We request our brothers and sisters to call food manufacturers to find out about alcohol in flavors. Ask them whether alcohol was used as a solvent in flavors. The alcohol is a hidden ingredient in flavor. The food companies do not have to mention alcohol in ingredients statement according to FDA food regulations. We may even find the industry to respond to our Islamic dietary needs by using alternate solvents such as Propylene Glycol. Some Islamic scholars would not consider a food product Halal if alcohol or if flavor in which alcohol was used as a solvent even if it was completely evaporated during processing. If alcohol is converted to another chemical then it would be Halal but chemically it will not happen.

Not Halal

The following food products are included in this category:

• The Haram food products that are made with pork-by-product ingredients and wine.
• The food products that are made with kosher gelatin and bear the kosher symbol K but did not meet the Islamic dietary requirements.
• The Haram food products that are made with pork gelatin and bear the kosher symbol K.
• The products made with ingredients derived from non-zabiha meat by- products.
• The products made from fat based ingredients without Halal or kosher certification and with no guarantee they meet the Islamic dietary requirements.
• The products that are made from natural and artificial flavors which are not Halal or Kosher certified with or with out alcohol as a solvent.
• The products that are made with alcoholic fermentation and may contain 2-3 % alcohol such as naturally brewed soy sauce.
• The products that are made with human hair L- Cysteine with or with out kosher certification.
• The products that are made with questionable ingredients and whose source are not verified as Halal.
• The products, which are kosher certified and bear kosher symbol but do not meet the Islamic dietary requirements.

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Halal Selection

Click on the table title to sort alphabetically.

Product Name	Questionable Ingredients	Halal Criteria	Haram Criteria
Spaghetti Sauce	May contain animal enzyme based Romano cheese and other cheese, Flavors, alcohol in flavor as a solvent and Wine.	Presence of Halal or kosher symbols U or K or in the absence of kosher symbol made with all Halal ingredients	Presence of animal enzyme based cheese, non Halal or kosher ingredients, wine, alcohol in flavor as a solvent
Snacks such as Potato chips, Mayonnaise, Salad dressing, Cake Mixes, Seasoning & Coatings	Mono and Diglycerides, Polysorbate 60 or 80, Dairy products such as whey, lactose , Caseinates, Cheese solids, Lard (in Cake Mixes only), WineVinegar, Wine in Dijon Mustard, colors, Flavors from non Halal source and alcohol in flavor as a solvent	Presence of Halal or kosher symbols such as UD or KD	Use of animal based or non Halal or kosher ingredients or flavors with alochol as a solvent, alcoholic fermentation by-products such as beer batter
Peanut Butter	Presence of non Halal Mono and Diglycerides.	Presence of Halal or kosher symbols U or K	Presence of Mono and Dglycerides from animal source or non Halal or Kosher
Margarine, Macaroni and Cheese Dinner	Dairy products from animal based enzymes such as Whey, whey protein concentrate, Sodium Caseinate, Lactose, cheese solids, Mono and Diglycerides, Flavors, colors from non Halal source, alcohol in flavors as a solvent.	Presence of Halal or kosher symbols such as UD or KD	Use of animal based or non Halal or kosher ingredients, flavor with alcohol as a solvent
Ice Cream	Mono and diglycerides, Polysorbate 60 or 80, Sorbitan Monstearate, Gelatin, Dairy ingredients, Liquor, Rum flavor, Flavors with alcohol as a solvent, Flavors, colors from non Halal source and vanilla extract with alcohol.	Presence of Halal or kosher symbols such as UD or KD	Use of animal based or non Halal or kosher ingredients or flavors with alcohol as a solvent or alcoholic fermentation by-products or vanilla extract with alcohol
Fruit Juices and Fruit drinks	Beta carontene with gelatin, vitamins, flavors with alcohol as a solvent, flavors, colors & emulsifiers from non-Halal source.	Presence of Halal or kosher symbols such as U or K	Use of animal based or non Halal or kosher based ingredients or flavor with alcohol as a solvent or alcoholic fermentation by-products
Fish Sticks and related products	Dairy ingredients such as Lactose and whey, Mono and diglycerides, Flavors from non-Halal source and flavor with alcohol as a solvent.	Presence of Halal or kosher symbol such as UD or KD	Use of animal based or non Halal or kosher ingredients, flavor with alcohol as solvent
Evaporated Milk/ Non dairy creamer	Vitamins, flavors, emulsifiers, stabilizers, flavors with alcohol as a solvent for evaporated milk and Sodium Caseinate, Lactose and whey solids, Mono and Diglycerides, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Artificial Flavors & colors for Non Dairy Creamers from non Halal source.	Presence of Halal or kosher symbol such as UD or K	Use of animal based or non Halal or kosher ingredients, flavor with alcohol as a solvent
Dairy products	Enzymes such as rennet, lipase, animal enzyme in dairy flavors, mother starter culture media, bulk starter culture media, dairy flavors, animal enzyme derived dairy ingredients such as Caseinates, Lactose, whey, whey protein concentrate, gelatin from pork, kosher gelatin from pork or non zabiha beef, gelatin from koshered animals, flavors and flavors with alcohol as solvent and Vitamins from non Halal source.	Presence of Halal or orthodox kosher symbol such as U, Kuf K	Use of animal based / non Halal or kosher ingredients or flavor with alcohol as a solvent. K or Ko symbols with kosher gelatin in dairy products does not meet Halal requirements.
Cookies, Crackers, Cakes and other Bakery Products	Mono and Diglycerides, Polysorbate 60 or 80, Sorbitan Monostearate, Beta Carotene with gelatin, Glycerin, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Enzyme modified Lecithin, Gelatin, Tocopherol, Whey, Lactose, Caseinates, Cheese, Enzyme modified milk, Flavors, Rum flavor in cakes and BHT(with non Halal carrier) from non Halal sources.	Presence of Halal or kosher symbol U or K	Use of non Halal or kosher or animal based ingredients, flavor with alcohol as a solvent
Hot and Cold Cereal	Marshmallow, Glycerin, Gelatin, Flavors, Flavors with alcohol as a solvent, Whey, Lactose, Caseinate and other dairy products, Vitamins and BHT(with non Halal carrier) from non Halal source.	Presence of Halal or kosher symbol U or K	Use of non Halal or kosher or animal based ingredients, flavor with alcohol as a solvent
Candies, Chewing Gums, Chocolate and Granola Bars	Mono and Diglycerides, Polysorbate 80, Sorbitan Monostearate, Beta Carotene with gelatin (may be from pork), Glycerin, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Enzyme modified Lecithin, Gelatin (may be from pork), Tocopherol, Whey, Lactose, Caseinates, Gum base, Softener, Stearate, Flavors, flavors with alcohol as a solvent and BHT (with non Halal carrier) from non Halal source.	Presence of Halal or kosher symbol U or K	Use of non Halal or kosher or animal based
Breads, Buns and Hard Rolls	(a) Dough conditioners such as Mono and Diglycerides, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Ethoxylated Mono and Diglycerides, Hydrated Monoglycerides, DATEM, Poly- sorbate 60 which may be from animal source including pork. (b) L-Cysteine from human hair. (c) Dairy ingredients such as unsalted butter, buttermilk solids, Sodium Caseinate and whey which may not be Halal or kosher. (d) Additive such as flavors, sour dough, kosher flavor with alcohol as a solvent, enzymes grown on non Halal medium, BHT (with non Halal carrier) and color which may not be Halal or kosher.	Presence of Halal or kosher symbol U or K or in the absence of kosher symbol, made with All Halal ingredients	(1)Use of non Halal or kosher ingredients or (2) Made with animal based dough conditioners (3) L-Cysteine from human hair (4) flavor with alcohol as a solvent
Apple Sauce	Food flavor which may not be Halal, or kosher or kosher flavor with alcohol as a solvent.	Presence of Halal or kosher symbol U or K or made with Halal ingredients	Presence of non Halal or kosher flavor or flavor with alcohol as a solvent b

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