Why vegan sweets do not have to be halal - an explanation

In our online store we sell halal swe ets with beef gelatin. In addition, we sell vegan sweets made completely without gelatin and halal certified.  

We see many devout Muslims who follow a halal-compliant lifestyle and eat all vegan sweets without hesitation because they equate vegan with halal.

In this article we would like to answer two questions:

• Does halal candy equal vegan/vegetarian?
• Do vegan/vegetarian sweets also equal halal?

Do halal sweets always equal vegan?

This question is easy to answer: no, not always. For sweets to be classified as vegan, they must have been produced completely without animal additives. However, many halal candies are made with bovine gelatin and in this case are not vegan. There is one company in the world that produces halal certified candy that is also vegan or without gelatin. You can find these vegan halal sweets here.  

Do vegan sweets equal halal?

At first glance, you might think that vegan sweets are always halal, because they are sweets without gelatin - and therefore without pork. However, vegan sweets can contain influences that are forbidden in Islam (i.e. haram) and are therefore not halal. These are:

• Alcohol is prohibited in Islam due to its intoxicating effect. However, many non-fresh foods, such as vegan sweets, contain flavors that serve to enhance taste and fragrance. However, most flavors used in the food industry have ethanol or alcohol as a carrier. If the flavoring of the vegan sweets was dissolved in alcohol (ethanol), a classification as "halal" cannot be made.

• Cross contamination. If during the manufacturing process the vegan sweets are produced in industrial facilities where also non-halal products (containing e.g. pig) are produced, a transfer of traces to the vegan sweets takes place. Due to this contamination, the vegan sweets can also not be classified as "halal".