When it comes to dining out or grocery shopping, Muslims living in the West and other parts of the globe struggle a little more than Muslims Halal in the Gulf region. When I’m in Jeddah, I hardly ever or hardly ever look at the ingredients list to check for illegal ingredients like rum, wine, lard, pork, or anything connected to pork. In Saudi Arabia, you can choose your food items off the shelf at the grocery shop without giving it a second thought if they contain ingredients that are prohibited by Islam.

Many chocolate truffles in the West contain rum, which contains alcohol, contrary to what you might anticipate. Travelers who enjoy chocolate should exercise additional caution. 

Muslims should exercise caution when choosing the foods, they consume as well as when taking vitamin supplements. Did you realize that gelatine is a common ingredient in vitamin supplements? Did you also know that the gelatine in these vitamins is almost certainly manufactured from pork if they are produced in the West?

Chris Daniels, a nutrition and health writer for the San Francisco Gate, says that gelatine is a protein extract from the collagen present in animal connective tissue. All types of gelatine are made from pulverized bones and skin from cows, pigs, or fish. Boiling the bones, ligaments, and tendons of creatures like hogs, cows, and calves produces gelatine.

Gelatine

Since gelatine has no flavor or smell and is simple to digest, it is the perfect material for encapsulating vitamins. Vitamin capsules, gummy vitamins, and soft-gel vitamin tablets like Vitamin D all contain gelatine. When you purchase vitamins with gelatine capsules, the ingredient will be mentioned on the bottle or package; if neither Kosher nor Halal certification is stated, the gelatine is almost certainly from pork.

Pig skin, also known as pork skin, is one of the main sources of edible gelatine in the United States, whether it is used to make processed meats, candies, Jell-O, other treats, or vitamin supplements. These pork skins would typically be thrown away as food refuses at meat-processing plants. Instead, the skins are stripped of fat and hair and transported frozen to a facility where the skins’ collagen protein is extracted and converted into gelatine.

Some businesses create gel capsules for vitamins that use a vegetarian gelatin substitute, but you must make sure the source of the gelatin is disclosed on the packaging. Agar-agar and carrageen, which are made from various types of algae, are vegetarian substitutes for gelatin that are also acceptable to Muslims.

Another preference, which is more widely accessible, is to buy halal vitamins, which are free of meat or products derived from pork, as well as any other prohibited ingredients. A growing number of businesses are creating halal-certified vitamins, indicating that an independent organization has conducted an inspection and determined that all parties engaged in creating the dietary supplement adhere to Islamic dietary laws. 

Foods that have received the halal certification display a particular seal or sticker to show that they have undergone independent inspection and approval.

Knowing the origin of the components and how they were prepared is necessary to produce halal vitamins. The presence of animal gelatine, such as that from pigs, which is rigorously prohibited in Islam, is one of the main causes for a vitamin to be considered non-halal.

There are many different types of kosher vitamin supplements available right now, including kids’ chewable vitamins and kids’ gummy vitamins with various fruity flavors. Prenatal vitamins, calcium, and vitamin D for strong, healthy bones, as well as a number of multivitamins and mineral pills, are also available.

Alcohol-Containing Ingredients

Supplement flavors and colors may contain alcohol that is not permitted under Halal dietary legislation. Alcohol is most frequently found as a preservative in liquid plant tinctures.

Additionally, alcohol can be used as a solvent in the production of supplements, so when adhering to Halal, it is crucial to check the component list for products containing alcohol.

Even though Jewish law does not forbid alcohol, it must be made in accordance with Kosher standards, which may not be the case for alcohol-based products found in many supplements. Online supplement stores frequently allow you to search for goods without alcohol.  

Glycerin

Glycerin, which is frequently used in the production of supplements and medicine capsules, is typically made from animal fat. Glycerin might not be Halal or Kosher, depending on the species of mammal used.

However, while adhering to these nutritional principles, plant-based glycerin may be appropriate. In addition, glycerin is commonly found in soaps, lotions, hair products, and cosmetics.

A vegan supplement will help allay your concerns if you’re unsure of the sort of glycerin that is present in a vitamin or dietary supplement.

Kosher and Halal Certifications

These are very common ingredients that may prevent a supplement from adhering to the Jewish or Islamic dietary rule, though this list of ingredients is not an exhaustive list of what is prohibited when following a Kosher and Halal diet.

One can check for certifications that confirm whether a supplement complies with Kosher and Halal standards when reading supplement labels. You can search for the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (ifanca) certifications on labels and packages to identify food products and supplements that have received Halal certification.

Similarly to that, the Orthodox Union (OU) is a company that grants Kosher certification to goods. To make sure you’re receiving supplements that match your dietary requirements, you can frequently filter by these certifications when purchasing supplements online. 

Since they are subject to stricter regulations than the majority of supplements on the market, many customers who do not observe Kosher and Halal seek out supplements with these certifications. There are many brands and types to choose from, despite the fact that navigating Kosher and Halal supplements can be difficult and may require additional time and effort.

Last but not least, Muslims can get the nutrients they need from Oribionature to keep a healthier lifestyle by purchasing high-quality vitamins made in accordance with true halal standards. Their entire line of goods is vegetarian-friendly, devoid of pork, alcohol, and gelatine.