Why we avoid carmine (E120)

Carmine (E120) is the only animal-derived food coloring: It's a red food coloring made from cochineal insects. The insects are boiled, and the red pigment is extracted from their bodies. Pretty disgusting, right? Unfortunately, many consumers are unaware of this ingredient in food and consume it unknowingly. (see Source 1 below)

Whether carmine is halal is assessed differently among the four Islamic schools of law.

According to the Hanafi, Shafi'i, and Hanbali schools of Islamic jurisprudence, the consumption of carmine (E120) is considered forbidden. The Maliki school, however, classifies carmine (E120) as halal. (see source 2 below)

Because the consumption of carmine is considered critical by the majority opinion, we consciously decided from the beginning not to use carmine in any of our Miralina sweets!

With Miralina, we want to offer sweets that Muslims can consume without hesitation or doubt.

With our sweets, we've already proven that treats can taste great and look fantastic even without carmine. 🍬 😍

By the way: If you'd like to delve deeper into halal nutrition and learn more, we recommend the book "Halal Lexikon" by Dilara Faslak: https://amzn.eu/d/4Cexqs2