Why vegan sweets don't necessarily have to be halal – an explanation

In our online shop we sell halal sweets made with beef gelatin. We also sell vegan sweets that are made entirely without gelatin and are halal certified.

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

In this article we would like to answer two questions:

• Are halal sweets also vegan/vegetarian?
• Are vegan/vegetarian sweets also halal?

Are halal sweets always vegan?

This question is easy to answer: no, not always. For sweets to be classified as vegan, they must be made entirely without animal products. However, many halal sweets are made with beef gelatin and are therefore not vegan. There is one company worldwide that produces halal-certified sweets that are also vegan, or rather, gelatin-free. You can find these vegan halal sweets here.

Are vegan sweets automatically halal?

At first glance, one might assume that vegan sweets are always halal because they are sweets without gelatin – and therefore without pork. However, vegan sweets can contain ingredients that are forbidden (haram) in Islam and therefore not halal. These include:

• Alcohol is forbidden in Islam due to its intoxicating effects. However, many non-fresh foods, such as vegan sweets, contain flavorings to enhance taste and aroma. Most flavorings used in the food industry, however, use ethanol or alcohol as a carrier substance. If the flavoring in vegan sweets is dissolved in alcohol (ethanol), they cannot be classified as "halal."

• Cross-contamination. If vegan sweets are manufactured in industrial facilities where non-halal products (containing, for example, pork) are also produced, traces of these substances can transfer to the vegan sweets. This contamination prevents the vegan sweets from being classified as "halal."