What’s the deal with vanilla extract anyways? What does it do and why are some muslims worried about consuming it? Vanilla extract is commonly found in cakes and other desserts. The general consensus is that vanilla extract is halal and permissible as long as the alcohol level is low and not enough to intoxicate you. I was determined to find out what the general understanding and concusses was on this subject in the islamic community. That shocked me as I never thought a cookie or a piece of cake could be considered haram. I remember eating a few cookies with a few friends and the topic of vanilla extract being halal or not. Yasir Qadhi in his seminar on Fiqh of Food and Clothing has also stated that it is permissible to consume food items containing vanilla extract in minute quantities. If we certify an ice cream product, it means if it contains any alcohol, it is less than 0.1%, the alcohol did not come from an alcoholic beverage, and all the other ingredients are halal.” Now, the vanilla flavoring, which contains 35% alcohol would not qualify for halal certification but its use in the ice cream or other product does not automatically disqualify the ice cream or other product from being halal certified.Īlso, ice cream may contain other ingredients that are haram, so just because the alcohol may not be a concern, it should still be halal certified. On that basis, a consumer product such as ice cream containing less than 0.1% alcohol used for technical reasons would qualify to be halal certified. At less than 0.1%, our testing has confirmed it is not detectable by sight, smell, or taste and it is not intoxicating in any quantity (i.e., eating 10 gallons of ice cream with less than 0.1% alcohol in it will not intoxicate the consumer). It must be alcohol used in the food industry as a processing aid for technical reasons. or anything that is a consumable alcoholic beverage. That is to say, the alcohol cannot be beer, wine, hard liquor, etc. After consultation with Islamic scholars, understanding the food science, and testing we have concluded that products containing less than 0.1% alcohol that is not sourced from an alcoholic beverage can be certified halal. I say information rather than guidance, because we each have to decide for ourselves what is acceptable and what is not acceptable and we must feel at peace with our decision. Of course, not everyone is an expert in fiqh or food science, so we all find ourselves seeking information from authorities in each field. Everyone has to make up their own mind as to what is permissible and what is not permissible. “When it comes to consuming any product, it is a personal decision. However, to get further clarification I wrote to them and this was the response that I received: It was mentioned that products containing vanilla in any form are permissible. However, while buying packaged desserts like ice cream or baked goods or while eating out it is very difficult to find the kind of vanilla flavoring that has been used in that particular product.In one of the issues of Halal Consumer, a publication of IFANCA which is a leading halal certifying agency in North America, there was an article on vanilla flavoring. When I bake myself I do have the option of buying vanilla extract labelled as halal or use substitutes like vanilla bean, vanilla sugar etc. I often receive questions about whether it is permissible to use vanilla extract or consume products containing vanilla extract.
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