We all love sweets or jellies, whether it is for their flavour, bright colours or sweetness. But as Muslims are we really sure they are Halal?
If a food is halal this means it is allowed to eat under Islamic law (Shari’ah), the opposite of this is Haram which means it is forbidden. If a food item is halal it means it either does not contain any animal product, or if it does, the animal was sacrificed in a halal way as prescribed by the our Prophet s.w.t. This doesn’t include pork as under Shari’ah law pork is always forbidden/haram. As is alcohol.
It is also important that the sweet is as healthy as possible. This means it shouldn’t contain forbidden things like alcohol or unhealthy ingredients like red dye 40 which can sometimes cause hyperactivity in children.
If a sweet or jelly is halal it must be made from halal ingredients, this means it cannot contain any pig gelatine or anything made from animals not killed in a halal way. It also can’t be made from any colouring or flavouring made from non-halal ingredients like bugs!
A lot of sweets are made from pork gelatine. Gelatine is made from the bones and other parts of an animal. It is often used to give the sweets a ‘squishy’ thicker texture. However other things can also mean the sweets are not halal, this can be adding alcohol or even some food colourings. Sometimes carminic acid is added to sweets to make them red, this is considered haram as it is made from insects which are not halal.
Luckily, more and more companies are making halal sweets. But it is always important to check for a Halal logo on any food before eating it, just to make sure. You can also ask adults to check the ingredients for you or contact the manufacturer of the sweets directly.