Understanding

Halal Foods
Toronto is a diverse city with people from many cultures and religions. Muslims
practise the religion of Islam. Muslims follow certain Islamic dietary laws, which
define foods and beverages as either Halal (permitted) or Haram (not permitted).
The information in this guide helps you identify acceptable foods for Muslims.

Haram foods (not permitted by Islam)

Haram foods Specific examples of Products where you may find
(not permitted) Haram foods/ingredients these Haram foods/ingredients

Canned beans, deli meats, frozen

Pork, ham, bacon dinners, processed foods, soups,
Pork and all its
Caesar salad, salad dressings
by-products (anything
made from pork) Bread, crackers, pies, baked
Lard
products
Pepsin1 Cheese, yogurt

Non-Zabihah meat
Chicken or beef that has not
(Zabihah is a process
been slaughtered according
of slaughtering animals Meat dishes, prepared foods
to Islamic dietary laws; meat
according to Islamic
that is not certified as Halal
dietary laws)

Animal shortening Baked products, desserts

Other by-products that Broth Soups, sauces
come from pork or non-
Zabihah meat Rennet1 Cheese

Desserts, candy, baked goods, ice

Gelatin2
cream, pudding, yogurt

Alcohol (ethanol) and All alcoholic drinks e.g.

Desserts, some packaged foods
foods containing wine, beer, etc.
alcohol3 Pure or artificial vanilla Baked products, desserts, candies,
extract/essence4 yogurt
See footnotes on page 2
Halal foods (permitted by Islam)
Any food is Halal as long as it does not contain or come into contact with any of the
Haram ingredients shown on the first page. For example, yogurt is Halal but not if it
contains gelatin as one of the ingredients.
How do you know if a food is Halal?
Sometimes it’s not clear. Each ingredient in a food must be Halal for the food to be
considered Halal. Some ingredients can cause confusion because it is not easy to
identify the source of certain ingredients in packaged foods, such as sodium stearoyl-
lactylate or lipase. Consumers can ask for more information from the food company.
The question to ask of food companies is: Where does each ingredient in the food
come from?

A flow chart to follow:

Where does each ingredient
in the food come from?

Meat Other Plant

(synthetic, micro-
organisms, chemical)

Pork Other meat, (e.g.,

chicken, beef, lamb) Halal Halal

Not Halal Certified Not Halal

Halal
If the source of an ingredient is from
a plant or other source, it would most
If the source of an ingredient is from an likely be considered Halal, unless
animal, it must come from Halal certified the process5 used to make the food
meat to be acceptable. contains Haram ingredients.

Footnotes
1 Pepsin and rennet are Haram (not permitted). Microbial enzyme can be used instead of pepsin and
rennet; microbial enzyme is Halal.
2 Fish gelatin is Halal.
3 Despite their name, sugar alcohols such as sorbitol and mannitol do not contain ethanol. Most of
them are Halal but it is best to check this with the food company.
4 Most flavour agents such as vanilla extract/essence are Haram (not permitted) because alcohol is
used in their production. However, if there is no more than 0.1% ethanol in the final product, then it
is considered acceptable. Also, powdered vanilla is Halal.
5 There could be processing aids that may contain Haram ingredients, such as gelatin or certain
enzymes. Note that the food label will not have processing aid information on it. That is why it is
important to call the food company and/or look for proof of Halal certification by a Halal certifying
organization.
What is an ingredient list? Example of an
ingredient list for yogurt
An ingredient list shows all of the ingredients in a
packaged food. Ingredients are listed in order of
weight, beginning with the ingredient that weighs
the most and ending with the ingredient that
weighs the least. An ingredient list must be on
every food package.

Ingredients to check
This chart lists some common ingredients that could
be Haram. The list is not complete — these are just
some common examples. Contact the food company
to check the source.

Common
Foods where
Ingredients sources
What to check for this ingredient is
to check of these
commonly found
ingredients

Need to determine whether an

Artificial/ Wide variety of
animal derived ingredient or alcohol Varied
natural flavour packaged foods
was used to make the flavour

Need to determine the source

of the L-cysteine, if the source
L-cysteine Human hair Bakery products
is human hair it is Haram (not
permitted)

Cheese, processed
cheese, products
Lipase Pork
containing cheese or
yogurt
From plant sources, these
ingredients are Halal, but from Bread, baked
animal sources they are Haram Pork, products, processed
Mono and
(not permitted) non-Zabihah foods, animal
diglycerides
beef shortening and some
margarines

Sodium Pork,
stearoyl- non-Zabihah Bakery products
lactylate beef

If rennet is used to make whey, the

Cheese, crackers and
whey is Haram (not permitted). Cheese
Whey many other packaged
If microbial enzyme is used instead by-product
foods
of rennet, the whey is Halal.

3
 Frequently asked questions
How do you know whether meat is Halal?
• As of April 4, 2016 Halal meat must include, somewhere on the package, the name of
the certifying organization that certified the meat as Halal.
• Currently, when looking for Halal meat, the package should have the name of a Halal
certifying organization and not just a Halal symbol. However, this labelling requirement
will not come into force until April 4, 2016.
• If the package is not clearly labelled, contact the company.
What about foods other than meat?
• By April 4, 2016, all food that claims to be Halal will be required to include the name of
the organization certifying that the food is, in fact, Halal.
• More and more products (e.g., yogurt and cheese) are getting certified and it is indeed
the best way to know whether a product is Halal.
• Halal symbols or pictures are not sufficient indicators that the food product is Halal; it
must have the name of the certifying organization.
• Most often you will need to read the ingredient lists on foods to check whether they are
Halal. For example, cheese could contain rennet.
• When in doubt, call the food company to determine the source of ingredients.

Are Halal and Kosher the same thing?

• No. Kosher refers to foods that are permitted according to the Jewish religion.
• Kosher and Halal food practices are different.
• Kosher symbols should not be used to check whether a product is Halal.

What about vitamins and medicines?

• There could be Haram ingredients, such as gelatin or other animal derived ingredients,
in some vitamins and medicines.
• Just like with food, it is important to check the ingredients to ensure that they are all
Halal.

Key tips
• Look for Halal certified food ensuring that the name of the certifying organization is
shown on the food package, especially for fresh meat such as chicken and beef.
• Plant-based foods are generally Halal.
• Read the ingredients list carefully and regularly, as ingredients can change without
notice.
• Contact the food company when in doubt about the source of any ingredient and/or
contact a Halal certifying organization for more information.

416-338-7600 toronto.ca/health

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