Halal Shopper’s Guide: What To Eat Halal? What Not To Eat?

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:

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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 a 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 the manufacturer of the food product to find the source of the ingredients. Of course, there is no substitute for authentic, certified halal products.

Related: Halal Shopper’s Guide: What To Eat Halal? What Not To Eat?

Always Eat Halal: Never Eat Haram

HARAM / AVOID

INVESTIGATE FURTHER (Some Questionable Ingredients)

Concerns About Eating Out

• Source of meat and poultry
• Use of haram/questionable ingredients>
• Use of common grills/ovens for pork and other products.
• Use and presence of alcohol within the establishment
• Contamination by servers/cooks touching haram and halal foods

Related: How to Read a Halal Food Label: What to Look for and Avoid

Other info

• Eggs/pancakes cooked on the same grill as bacon
• Beef/fish grilled on the same grill as pork
• Soup containing meat or meat broth
• Steaks wrapped with bacon

Always ask for halal-certified products