Halal Shopper

This guide is intended to help halal consumers select acceptable food products in the supermarket. Products contain many ingredients in varying quantities, including trace amounts of haram or questionable ingredients. This list includes some of the more common ingredients that must be avoided or investigated before consumption. It is not a comprehensive list. In the listing, IFANCA has categorized ingredients as either one of the following:

HARAM / AVOID: These are unquestionably haram and are found in large percentages within a product. Examples are lard, which is 100% pork fat, or gin, which is hard liquor (alcoholic beverage). Muslims should not consider buying these products.

INVESTIGATE FURTHER: These components of food or pharmaceuticals are used in small quantities and can contain subcomponents that mainly come from haram animals, alcohol, or halal animals slaughtered by non-Muslims. An example is whey, a dairy product, which is the liquid left after making cheese. The cheese may be made with enzymes from pork, calf, goat or microorganisms. Muslims are required to eat pure (halal) foods. With the complexity of food manufacturing, it is difficult for the Muslim consumer to determine the appropriateness of many food products. We hope this guide will serve as a handy and easy way to verify the acceptability of food products. For more information, please contact IFANCA or contact the manufacturer of the food product to find the source of the ingredients. Of course, there is no substitute for authentic, certified halal products.