Halal Gummies & Starbursts

A lot of people have been emailing me and asking if I have any halal gummies in stock, and the answer is YES, alhamdulillah. I also have Starbursts too. The gummies I currently have are the softest ones I've ever tried mashaAllah! You can place your order through this website inshaAllah, and you can check out the other products:
http://shopthesouq.com/category/halal-snacks/

Shaikh Abdullah Hakim Quick's family's home was damaged by a fire this weekend!

Click here to read up on what happened and how YOU can help, inshaAllah

Nature's Gate Haircare

Nature's Gate haircare is both animal byproduct and alcohol free, alhamdulillah (this information can be found on the bottle too)

I bought a set of the shampoo and conditioner yesterday and used it for the first time today. My hair is definitely a bit softer than it was before, so hopefully this shampoo is a keeper! My body and hair tends to get used to things very quickly, but hopefully it won't get used to this set inshaAllah. It had a very faint, fresh, and natural smell to it.. which I really like. I don't like those neon colored shampoos that have really strong smells, this is one was really nice mashaAllah.

After checking out their website, I see they carry a line of organic products too as well as oral care, body care, and more products. I paid less than $11 for both the shampoo and conditioner, online it's a big more expensive though. Check around at your local store for it. I found it sitting in a corner with some other animal byproduct free shampoos. However, some of them shot up to even $30+ per bottle! Yikes!N

Mystery Animal Source in Cheetos

Hi Lazeena,

Thank you for writing to us. The list on our website is a list of products that DO NOT contain pork. The enzyme used to make the cheese used in Cheetos Crunchy is from an animal source, but not pork.

Most cheese is made using animal enzymes animal. The source of the enzyme lends to the flavor of the cheese.

We consider you a valued consumer and hope you will continue to enjoy snacks from Frito-Lay.

Best regards,
"B"Frito-Lay Consumer Affairs

This is not the first time Cheetos has told me about 'other animal ingredients' in their Cheetos. In 2 previous e-mails they've told me the same exact thing. Also, whenever I inquire about what specific animal they tell me 'not pork' or 'if you have any allergies or religious dietary restrictions please avoid eating Cheetos'

Skittles

I'm sure to most of you this is old news by now. Skittles indeed have been gelatin-free since around January, but there are still some people slowly finding out about it and rejoicing that they are now able to taste the rainbow alhamdulillah haha.

However, most likely there is a small trace of alcohol in it, for those who are wary of alcohol in foods, wAllahu ta'ala alam.

Oops

I haven't posted in almost 2 months! I'm so bad! Please leave suggestions on products/brands we should look into inshaAllah. JazakAllah khayr, and thanks for not sending me vicious hate mail for my lack of updates! =)

Lender's Bagels

Here's an email I received from Lender's Bagels. The bagels contain an ingredient derived from CHICKEN FEATHERS (?!?! eww..! who'd a thought?!) However, I haven't found information that would deem them as haram as the laws for zabiha meat and zabiha animal hide/exterior are different. I guess it just makes the bagels weird for now, until I find more info.

Dear Lazeena:

In the baking process yeast converts sugar into carbon dioxide and allows baked products to rise. HFCS is the sugar source in Lender's bagels that facilitates that process.

The dough conditioner in bagels, l-cycsteine is sourced from chicken - chicken feathers to be exact. This might render the bagels unacceptable for vegetarian consumption.

Beyond those requirements, the details of individual ingredients are part of our confidential formulation which we are not able to disclose.

Thank you for your e-mail.

Sincerely,
"LG"
Consumer Insights Representative

Lipton's Soups

A red flag with this brand, which will now queue us to be more careful with other brands is that in their soups they may list NATURAL FLAVORS in the ingredients section, which can be derived from animals. So the next time you see NATURAL FLAVORS on anything you buy... be wary...

Hello ,

Thanks for writing!

Most of our soups contain meat, meat derivatives, or dairy products.

Here are some exceptions :

MEAT, DAIRY & EGG FREE:

RECIPE SECRETS:
- Onion
- Onion Mushroom
- Vegetable

MEAT FREE, WITH DAIRY AND/OR EGGS:

CUP-A-SOUP:
- Broccoli & Cheese
- Cream of Mushroom
- Spring Vegetable
- Tomato

Ingredients of animal origin may be listed as meat (e.g., chicken or beef), fat (as in chicken fat), extract (such as beef extract, broth, or natural flavors).

But, we checked with our brand management, and they informed us that the natural flavors may or may not be derived from animal origin. There are many mixtures that we purchase from hundreds of flavor suppliers. If you are uncomfortable about the natural flavorings used they recommend that you do not use the product as we cannot guarantee that it is not of animal origin. We hope this information is helpful.

Kind regards
Your friends at Unilever

Here are the safe ones as mentioned above:

Apple & Eve Juices

Dear Lazeena:

Thank you for your e-mail regarding the Apple & Eve 100% juices.

None of our juices contain any animal derived ingredients or alcohol. Our 100% juice contains only juice with no artificial ingredients, sugars or sweeteners.

Best regards,
"RA"

Colonna Brothers Grated Cheeses

All of Colonna Brother's grated cheeses are halal alhamdulillah because they use microbial enzymes in them - which seems to be the case with most grated cheeses.

You can find their grated cheeses here

This is their email:

All enzymes found in Colonna Brothers Grated Cheese are microbial, not animal based.

Regards,
"DY"
Colonna Brothers Inc.

Dawn, Joy, & Ivory Dish Liquid Detergent

Dawn, Joy, and Ivory dish liquid detergents do not contain any animal derived ingredients. However, ethyl alcohol is used in all of these brands.

Thanks for contacting us.

No Animal derivatives Not found in any Dawn, Joy or Ivory product.

Ethyl alcohol is used in all versions of Dawn, Ivory, and Joy. That is the only type of alcohol in Dawn.

"KA"
P&G Team

Andy Capp Fries (Hot Fries, Cheddar Fries...)

Dear Lazeena,

All of the Andy Capp Fries would be considered to contain animal derivatives. The Cheddar Fries, Chili Cheese and the White Cheddar steak Fries all contain cheese. The Hot Fries contain whey. The whey is animal derived.

Sincerely, Consumer Affairs

**New Hijabs, Pins, Gummies and other candies!**

I've finally gotten the new items for my little online souq

They include:

• New hijabs! (pashminas, shaylas, amiras, and square hijabs)
• New hijab pins
• Candies: Halal Starburst (Original and Strawberry Mixed flavors) Halal gummies (variety of flavors)
• Chocolates: I've added a few chocolates which are not native to the US, so it's something sweet to treat yourself to! ;)

Check out http://souq.shutterfly.com for the products, information, pricing, and how to order.

Keep checking on and off too, I'll be adding items periodically over the next week. If you want me to hold something for you (at a negotiated and reasonable amount of time) then I am willing to do that too.


continued on my other blog..

Smashbox Cosmetics

Please be careful when shopping for cosmetics from Shambox. Take extra care in which varities you get as well. A lot of them contain insect coloring among other animal derived ingredients they didn't delve too much into in explaining. I've provided links for all the cosmetics below, just click on the name and it'll take you to Smashbox's website with the product info.


EMAIL FROM SMASHBOX:

Thank you for contacting us. "Animals" is a term widely recognized to mean mammals. Our cosmetics are free of animal ingredients. Some vegans may also consider "insects" to be animals. Some time ago, Smashbox determined that our official interpretation of "No animal ingredients" means "No animal ingredients…insects are not animals". We have continued to use Carmine, Beeswax, and Honey in some of our cosmetic formulations. Our brushes are not cosmetics so technically are not subject to this claim, we continue to produce both synthetic and natural fiber brushes.


Our Core Item Vegan List is as follows:


Anti-Shine, Neutral

Artificial Light Luminizing Lotion in Diffuse, Flash & Glow

Bronze Lights in Suntan Matte & Sunkissed Matte

Camera Ready Full Coverage Foundation, All Shades

Camera Ready Full Coverage Concealer, All Shades

Compact Anti-Shine

Cream Eye Liner in Picasso, Thunder, Caviar, Midnight Brown, Scout, Lava, Putty & Image (MIDNIGHT PURPLE variety NOT INCLUDED!!!)

Eyelights in Flash (BEAM and STROBE varieties NOT INCLUDED!!!)

Eye Shadow in Vanilla, Sand, Bliss, Platinum, Nude, Shell, Oyster, Ink, Java, Safari, Walnut, Ambient, Eye Shadow in 24K, Serpent, Lagoon, Obsidian, Blackout, Envy, Flirt, Champagne, Zoom (MINX, BRAZILIAN BRONZE, CABERNET, CINNAMON TOAST,SPELLBOUND, FIZZ, RAPTURE, FLAMINGO, HONEY, TORCH, and SIENNA varieties are NOT INCLUDED!!)

Eye Shadow Trio in Smashbox.com, Twilight, Microfilm, Shutterspeed (CENTER STAGE, PANORAMA, HEAD SHOT, MULTI-FLASH, ON STAGE and VIEWFINDER varieties are NOT INCLUDED!!!)

Filter (Photo Finish Primer Pen)

Fusion Soft Lights, Baked Starburst

Fusion Soft Lights, Dusk (INTERMIX variety is NOT INCLUDED!!!)

Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder, All Shades

Jet Set in Midnight Black, Dark Brown, Bronze, Navy Blue (MIDNIGHT PURPLE variety NOT INCLUDED!!!)

Lip Brilliance, Transparencies (LIGHTBOX, SKYBOX and STAGE 2 varities are NOT INCLUDED!!!)
Lip Enhancing Gloss in Starlit, Flash, 35MM, Aura, Crystal, Pop, Spark, Afterglow, Expose, Candid, Siren, Scoop, Radiant, Debut, Fame, Luxe, Surge, Hype, Pixel, Beauty, Pout, Electric (ICON and ILLUME varieties are NOT INCLUDED!!!)

O-Bronze

O-Glow

O-Gloss

O-Plump

Photo Finish Lipstick, All Shades

Photo Finish Foundation Primer, All Sizes

Photo Finish Color Correcting Primer, All Shades & Sizes

Photo Finish Bronzing Foundation Primer, All Sizes

Photo Finish UVA/UVB SPF 15 Foundation Primer, All Sizes

Primer Light, All Sizes

Waterproof Shadow Liner Duo in Cashmere & Smolder (GODDESS and SLATE varieties are NOT INCLUDED!!!)


Best Wishes,

SMASHBOX COSMETICS

Pert Plus Shampoo

Dear Valued Customer,

Thank you for contacting Pert Plus Consumer Relations.

Like most shampoo's, the Pert Plus line does contain tallow which is a animal derived ingredient and alcohol in some of the fragrances.

A complete list of ingredients can be found on the back of all Pert Plus bottles.


Thank you for contacting Pert Plus Consumer Relations.
"DJ"
Consumer Response Representative

Nature's Own Breads

Dear Lazeena:

There are no alcohol containing ingredients used in our Nature's Own formulas.

Some of our products do contain butter from cows and some contain honey.

L-cysteine is not an ingredient in the Nature's Own formulas.

The Double Fiber 20 ounce bread contains Omega 3 from a fish oil source.

Thank you for your interest in our products.

"CM"
V P Technical Services/Quality Assurance/Regulatory Flowers Foods

This response is for all their products (their breads, muffins, English muffins, bagels, buns, and rolls). If yo visit their website and select a specific product, it will list the ingredients there for you.

Curel Lotion

For Curel lotion, the company is 'unsure' of what specifically goes into it and basically takes whatever materials are available at the time and use it in their lotions.

Dear Lazeena:

Our Biore products have only plant derived or synthetic ingredients.

For Jergens, our Naturals Renew, Naturals Hydrate and Naturals Refresh are also free of animal derived ingredients However, for our other products, we cannot guarantee the lack of animal derived ingredients because we use multiple suppliers for a variety of our materials who can change sources at any time due to market conditions.

Cordially,
Kao Brands Consumer Relations Dept.

Ban Biore Curel Jergens John Frieda

Tom's of Maine (Toothpaste, Deodorant, Mouthwash, Soaps)

Tom's of Maine's products are animal ingredient free and also alcohol free alhamdulillah. My parent's have been using their mouthwash for years and I swear my dad woke up with fresh breath... okay sorta... but my point is it's good, strong stuff....... and halal too! Wippie!

"Our support of non-animal-testing models also includes the belief that we don’t need to use animal ingredients to create effective products. Just one example: glycerin, used in toothpastes and soaps, is often made from animal ingredients, but ours is vegetable-based." Taken from here.

"Because of health concerns, we do not use alcohol in our products..." Taken from the FAQ section.

Check out their website to get familiar with some of their products!

Bertolli Pasta Sauce

If you buy Bertolli's pasta sauces, please keep these matters in mind:

• Any label listing CHEESE, or any type of cheese, is most likely derived from PORK.
• Avoid any variety with BEEF/MEAT FLAVORING
• Of course avoid all of their VODKA SAUCES, because obviously there is Vodka inside
• They also said they use SHERRY WINE in their products, but didn't specify if this was always on their label or if you used it in all the sauces. I would switch to a different brand to be on the safer side.

Hello Lazeena,

Thanks for writing!

Bertolli sauces do not contain animal or animal derived ingredients unless listed on label, e.g., cheese, cream, etc. The label may also specify that the product is flavored with "beef" or "meat" . The "Meat" is always beef. However, the cheese in products may be produced using ingredients derived from pork. You must check each label. If the product contains cheese, then you must assume it contains a pork derivative.

The wine used in our product is a sherry wine with a very minimal alcohol content. The Unilever and home cooking processes almost eliminate the alcohol entirely. The wine is really just a flavoring agent.

In our Vodka sauce, the recipe includes 2 1/2% Vodka for flavoring purposes only. Most of the spirits evaporate during the reheating process leaving behind only the flavor.


Kind regards,
Your friends at Bertolli

Nestle Hot Chocolate

A lot of hot chocolates contain MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES and/or WHEY.

This is what Nestle had to say about their hot chocolate:

Dear Lazeena,

None of the Nestle Hot Cocoa flavors contain any animal derivatives except the products with marshmallows, as the gelatin comes from pork.

Sincerely,
"BW"
Consumer Response Representative

Aussie Shampoo

Aussie and Herbal Essences are both owned by the same company, so the response I got from them was the same I'd received for Herbal Essences ... that they sometimes use animal products but cannot indicate exactly when.

Thank you for contacting Aussie.

All of our products may or may not contain animal by-products, depending on what ingredient source was available at the time of manufacture. The ingredients used may be derived from a variety of vegetable sources or animal sources (typically beef or pork). I

ngredients that may be derived from animals are fatty alcohols, fragrance, gelatin, glycerin, hydrolyzed collagen, keratin amino acids, and tallow glycerides. Clairol/P&G uses vegetable sources whenever possible!

The Consumer Relations Team

Arm & Hammer Liquid Detergent

Dear Lazeena:

Thank you for contacting us recently regarding ARM & HAMMER® Liquid Laundry Detergent.

We appreciate your interest in our product. We do have animal by-products in our detergent.

"RER"
Consumer Relations Specialist

(This includes all varieties of Arm & Hammer Liquid detergents)

Wise Dips and Salsas

None of the Wise Dips or Salsas are halal. I do not know what exactly is in them but customer service told me that they are not kosher, meaning that they do contain animal byproducts.

The Dips and Salsa products include:

• Bravos Mild Salsa
• Bravos Medium Salsa
• Bravos Hot Salsa
• Wise Nacho Cheese Dip
• Wise French Onion Dip
• Wise Green Onion (Dip Mix)

Here are some images to help you see what the actual product and packaging looks like:

Sensodyne Toothpaste

Dear Lazeena,

We have received your e-mail regarding Sensodyne® toothpaste.

Sensodyne® toothpaste products do not contain animal derivatives. The toothpaste does contain glycerin; however, the glycerin is from a vegetable source.

Sincerely,
"R"
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare

V8 Juices

V8 juices are all halal and vegan even. They have 3 different types (V8 Splash, V8 Juice, & V8 V-Fusion) with several flavors, all of which are permissible inshaAllah.

Smucker's Jellies, Jams, and Preserves

Dear Lazeena ,

In response to your inquiry, Smucker's Jelly, Jam and Preserves do not contain any animal derivatives or alcohol.

Sincerely,
"TG"

Tums

The only Tums varieties that are not okay are EX Sugar Free and Tums Smoothies.

The rest do not contain animal derived ingredients, they are:

• TUMS Dual Action
• TUMS Quik Pak
• TUMS Ultra 2000
• TUMS EX 750
• TUMS Regular Strength
• TUMS Kids
• TUMS "To Go"
  

Dear Lazeena,

We have received your e-mail message regarding Tums® antacid/calcium supplement.

The Tums® EX Sugar Free and the Tums® Smoothies contain animal derivatives.

All other variants of Tums® do not.

We appreciate your taking the time to contact us.

Sincerely,
"S"
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare

Hostess Snacks

Hostess, my friends, is a big no-no. None of their products are okay.

Here is a list of Hostess Products:

• Twinkies
• CupCakes
• HoHo's
• Suzy Q's
• Ding Dongs
• Donettes
• Mini Muffins
• Sno Balls
• Fruit Pies

I used to be a Fruit Pie addict! I loved the apple ones, but a few years ago I stopped finding them at the store and eventually gave up on them.

Here's a summary of what the email says for any lazy bums who don't feel like reading it =)

1. FRUIT PIES contain BEEF FAT
   
2. SHORTENING on the ingredient label can be from either VEGETABLE or BEEF sources
3. BEEF FAT is used in the CREAM FILLINGS
   
4. BEEF FAT is also used in the FRYING OIL
   
5. GELATIN on the ingredient label is always from PORK

Here is the email:

Dear Lazeena,

Thank you for your thoughtfulness in contacting us regarding the shortening ingredients used in our products.

Our Hostess Fruit pies contain beef fat. The shortening ingredients noted on our labels are: vegetable (may be soybean and/or canola and/or cottonseed and/or palm oil) and beef shortening. "Beef Fat" when noted, is a very small trace used in the creamy fillings of our cakes for taste. Also, it is used in a trace amount in the vegetable oil frying medium.

Gelatin, when noted on the ingredient legend is pork sourced. Gelatin is used in the squiggle of our Hostess® and Dolly Madison® cupcakes and also in the Hostess® SnoBalls.

Thank you for contacting us...

Sincerely,
CM
Consumer Response Representative

Jergen's Lotion

Lazeena:

We are always pleased to hear from our consumers and your comments are very important to us.

For Jergens, our Naturals Renew, Naturals Hydrate and Naturals Refresh are free of animal derived ingredients

However, for our other products, we cannot guarantee the lack of animal derived ingredients because we use multiple suppliers for a variety of our materials who can change sources at any time due to market conditions.

Thank you for the opportunity to be of service.

Cordially,

Kao Brands Consumer Relations Dept.
Ban Biore Curel Jergens John Frieda

So from the Jergen's Natural's collection of Lotions, 3 of the 4 are okay - Natural Soothes are NOT. Aside from the Natural Collection, they also have a Soften, Smooth, Enhance, Nourish and Preserve collection of lotions which all seem to have animal bi-products.

The links are provided for the different collections, so if you use Jergen's you can double check and compare the bottle image on the site to the one you have to be sure if you're using an okay one or not.

Barilla Pasta Sauce

Pasta sauces seem to be a tricky product. Here is an email from Barilla stating that only a few products contain ingredients that we cannot consume, however, they said that they share equipment between all the other flavors so there's contamination between ingredients. They shouldn't be allowed to mix equipment! That's bad for Halal eaters, Kosher eaters, and Vegans customers!

Good Morning Lazeena,

Thank you for your recent email to Barilla America, Inc.

The Barilla Green & Black Olive contains wine. The Barilla Three Cheese sauce contains cheese. Both of these products are made on the share equipment with our other sauces.

We hope that you continue to enjoy Barilla Pasta & Sauces.

Regards,
"D"
Consumer Relations Barilla America, Inc.

Biore Facial Products

Lazeena:

Our Biore products have only plant derived or synthetic ingredients.

Thank you for the opportunity to be of service.

Cordially,

Kao Brands Consumer Relations Dept.
Ban Biore Curel Jergens John Frieda

Silk Soy Milk

Taken from Silk's website:

Are Silk products vegan?

Yes, completely! There are no animal derivatives hidden in any of the ingredients. The lactic acid and live cultures used in Silk soy yogurt come from a vegetable source. All vitamins used to fortify Silk Soymilk are derived from vegetable sources including calcium carbonate that comes from limestone.

Snyder's of Hanover (Pretzels and Snacks)

Snyder's of Hanover says that any of their products labeled as Kosher, does not contain any animal derived ingredients. They sent me the Letter of Certification by the Orthodox Union, I'm not sure if the link will work or not.

In any event, inshaAllah just check for whatever has the kosher sign (in this range of products) and they are safe for consumption inshaAllah.

They make several pretzel snacks, some chips and a few popcorn flavors. This is their product page

(Just a collage of some of their products, I don't know which ones here are halal or not)

For some reason in the string of 4 emails I sent in response to their emails, even though I signed my name LAZEENA each time, this person called me LATEEN each time! ughh.. LOL

Lateen,
I hope this helps.

There is no meat or meat derived ingredients in our products if they have the OU symbol on the package.

However, if you must avoid milk this ingredient will be listed in the ingredient section.

Thanks for your interest in Snyder's of Hanover.

Philadelphia Cream Cheese & Neufchatel Cheese

Nothing beats this stuff, thank Allah it's halal!

Hi Lazeena,

Soft cheeses utilize another method of coagulating milk by the growth of pure cultures of bacteria in the milk and the development of lactic acid.

Our cream cheese products such as PHILADELPHIA BRAND Cream Cheese and Light PHILADELPHIA BRAND Neufchatel Cheese fall into this category.

"KM"
Associate Director,
Consumer Relations

Coffee-Mate Creamers

Nestle says that none of their creamers contain any animal derived ingredients *phew* alhamdulillah. The only thing in it animal derived is something from milk, and milk is okay for us.

Dear Lazeena,

The only animal derivative in our products is sodium caseinate, a milk derivative, as stated on our label...

Sincerely,
"BW"

Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa

All but the flavors with marshmallows are okay.

Dear Lazeena,

The mono & diglycerides in Swiss Miss products are all plant derived.

The marshmallows in varieties that contain marshmallows are made with gelatin derived exclusively from North American Pork.

Sincerely,
"E"

Kraft: Snackwells Cookies

These snacks contain gelatin in them, which is derived from either beef or pig. I believe all of them contain gelatin - I may be wrong. If it doesn't contain gelatin then as of right now I do not know if they are still okay... but most of these are to be avoided inshaAllah

Ensure Drink

Hello Lazeena,

Thank you for contacting Abbott Nutrition.

Ensure(R) products do not contain animal ingredients aside from cow milk proteins.

Please let us know if we can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,
"L"
Consumer Relations
Abbott Nutrition

Ricola

Dear Lazeena,

In response to your question, Ricola does not contain any ingredients derived from animal ingredients or alcohol.

Sincerely, Ricola USA Inc.
"FF"
Customer Relations

Nesquik

This includes all flavors of the beverage.

Dear Ms. Lazeena,

We have reviewed your email and researched your inquiry.

Our Ready to Drink product is Kosher OUD which indicates dairy only. "Kosher OUD" also means no other animal products.

Sincerely,
"BW"
Consumer Response Representative

Prego Pasta Sauce

Prego's pasta sauces are ALL haram, except for the Organic Sauces:

• Organic Tomato & Basil Italian Sauce
• Organic Mushroom Italian Sauce

I wasn't told what was in the rest of them which made them impermissible, but I was advised by Campbell to not consume them if I didn't eat products with animal derivatives in them. The Organic sauces are also Vegan I was told.