Pepperidge Farm Breads

Pepperidge Farm says that the only ingredient in their bread which can even be derived from animals are the mono and diglycerides. However, they get theirs from a plant source.

Classico Pasta Sauces

It seems that most of their sauces are good alhamdulillah, in comparison to a lot of the other brands I've learned about.

Here's what to keep in mind when shopping for their sauces:

• PARMESAN CHEESE: made using microbial enzymes, so if ONLY Parmesan cheese is in it, it's okay
• ROMANO CHEESE: derived from animals
• ALL OTHER CHEESES: are animal derived
• Avoid if any type of alcohol is listed in the ingredients
• Even though mainly Parmesan is used in the Alfredo sauces, the cheese for Alfredo sauces are specially made and therefore DO contain animal ingredients.

Here's the email I received:

Dear Lazeena,

The source of 'enzymes' in our sauces can be animal or microbial. The red sauces that contain Romano cheese, the source of the enzymes is animal. For those red sauces that contain Parmesan cheese, the source of the enzymes is microbial. In all Alfredo sauces, the cheese 'enzymes' are derived from animal sources. Alcohol is not used in our product, if it is used that would appear on the ingredient statement.

Heinz Consumer Resource Center

The website lists their many variety of sauces here, and also includes the ingredients label.


I did my own research and compiled this list of which sauces are halal and which are haram

Halal:

• Triple Mushroom
• Organic Tomato, Herbs & Spices
• Tomato & Basil
• Roasted Garlic
• Traditional Sweet Basil
• Organic Spinach & Garlic
• Marinara with Plum Tomatoes
• Sun-dried Tomato
• Fire-Roasted Tomato & Garlic
• Spicy Red Pepper
• Mushroom & Ripe Olives
• Caramelized Onion & Roasted Garlic
• Spicy Tomato & Basil

Haram/Questionable:

• Four Cheese
• Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions
• Vodka Sauce
• Spicy Tomato & Pesto
• Florentine Spinach & Cheese
• Cabernet Marinara with Herbs
• All Alfredo Sauces

I'd like to at least try these =) mmmm *drool*

V05 Hair Products

I think for a while it's been known that V05 Hair Products contain animal derived ingredients. Well, things are still the same.

Dear Lazeena,

In regards to your query on animal ingredients hydrolyzed animal protein, collagen, and elastin are by-products of the meat processing industry, but none are pork derived.

Animals are not killed for obtaining these ingredients. Some of our products do contain animal ingredients through the raw materials we get from outside sources.

We therefore can not state that our products are animal by-product free.

Sincerely,
"KS"

This picture was taken by someone who found the shampoo bottle in their closet after who knows how long. Point is... it's supposed to be CLEAR! What the heck happened to the shampoo? =/ Ewwww!

V8 Soups

Campbell's V8 Soups are all free of animal derived ingredients. Currently they have only 5 varieties, they are:

• V8 Golden Butternut Squash Soup
• V8 Garden Broccoli Soup
• V8 Southwestern Corn Soup
• V8 Tomato Herb Soup
• V8 Sweet Red Pepper Soup

Wise: Cheez Doodles

It breaks my heart to think about Wise's Cheez Doodles. I was so in love with them. I await the day I can get my hands on a halal version of these. Sometimes if I close my eyes and open my mouth, I can still taste them..... okay not really haha.

All of Wise's cheese flavored snacks contain animal derived ingredients:

• Puffed Cheez Doodles
• White Cheddar Puffed Cheez Doodles
• Doodle O's
• Crunchy Cheez Doodles
• Reduced Fat Crunchy Cheez Doodles

Stride Gum

Dear Lazeena:

Thank you for contacting us about Stride. Your comments and inquiries are appreciated because they provide valuable feedback about our brands.

There are no animal related ingredients in Stride.

Thank you

Gatorade

Believe it or not, just the other day I heard people condemning others for drinking Gatorade. Why? They told them it contained HORMONES! hahaha

Okay this beverage contains electrolytes and vitamins, geared to refuel the body and keep you properly hydrated. This is why when we're sick, sometimes the doctor may tell us to drink Gatorade to add extra vitamins and minerals into our body. There are some added things in Gatorade which cannot be found in water.

So nooo, there are no hormones in Gatorade! But to set the record straight for people who follow rumors:

Lazeena:

You will be glad to know that there are no animal derived ingredients in any of the varieties of Gatorade Thirst Quencher, Gatorade Endurance Formula, Propel Fit Water or the Gatorade Energy Drink.

"G"
Gatorade Consumer Relations

I don't know why everything on the product is in Korean except "Thirst Quencher" haha

Vaseline Products

Vaseline says that their lip products do not contain any animal derived ingredients...

HOWEVER, if their lotions contain GLYCERIN or STEARIC ACID then it does contain animal by-products:

There are no animal products or by-products in Vaseline® Lip products. Additionally, any product containing Glycerin and/or Stearic Acid does contain animal by-products. Stearic Acid comes from beef tallow and Glycerin may be either synthetic or natural which is derived from beef tallow or coconut.

Please check for these two ingredients on their lotion bottles when considering purchasing them.

Herbal Essences

Thank you for contacting Herbal Essences.

The alcohol used in our products is a moisturizing alcohol, also known as fatty alcohol. It may be listed on the label as cetyl, stearyl, myristal, behenyl, or ethel. Fatty alcohol can come from a number of sources such as petroleum, coconut oil, or animal tallow (beef or pork).

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). Ingredients 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

Unfortunately for us, whenever possible isn't good enough. We never know when something has vegetable derivatives or pork derivatives in it. On top of that, since they use both, the machinery is obviously mixed - causing contamination anyway.

"Clairol/P&G uses vegetable sources whenever possible!" what the..?! Everything they listed, which is like half of what's on the bottle's ingredients, are from animals! Thanks, but no thanks. Really, I buy whatever shampoos on sale. The best venue with shampoo if you're really looking for stunning, healthy hair... is something all natural. These shampoos contain all types of weird things. A lot of them have ingredients that cause build up on your hair and causes problems in the long run. Use these salon type shampoos sparingly.

Some people feel since it's just used on hair it doesn't matter.

Please remember this blog is for informational purposes and if you follow that opinion or not is up to you :)

Francesco Rinaldi Pasta Sauce

The following pasta sauces are the only ones without any animal derived ingredients:

• Marinara
• Garden Combo
• Diavolo
• Super Mushroom
• Tomato & Basil
• Mushroom & Onion
• Sweet & Tasty

The rest are not okay. For a full list of their sauces with their ingredients you can check here, in case you're wondering why a certain type is not okay.

I was wondering why Super Mushroom and Mushroom & Onion were okay but regular Mushroom was not, this is because there is cheese in the regular Mushroom variety and the 2 listed on the 'okay' list do not have cheese.

Lazeena

Thank you for the follow up.

You are correct regarding the various sources for enzymes and rennet used to make cheese. We do use a variety of difference cheeses in our sauces, and several are made with enzymes sourced from ruminants (cow, sheep, and goat).

With this in mind however we do make a selection of sauces which do not contain cheese or any other ingredients sourced from animals. Among these are our Marinara, Garden Combo, Diavolo, Super Mushroom, Tomato & Basil, Mushroom & Onion, and Sweet & Tasty sauces.

A complete listing of our sauces is available at:

http://www.francescorinaldi.com/products/products.asp

Clicking on the link for each sauce will bring up the ingredient listing for each.

Please note that our Marinara and our Tomato Basil sauces in 24 oz jars are both certified Kosher.

As always, let me know if I can provide further info

Thanks,
"MS"

Kellogg's Frosted Mini Wheats

This products DOES contain beef gelatin, as stated by Kellogg's on their websites FAQ section.

HARAM:

• Frosted Mini-Wheats® Little Bites Chocolate
• Frosted Mini-Wheats® Little Bites Honey Nut
• Frosted Mini-Wheats® Big Bite
• Frosted Mini-Wheats® Bite Size
• Frosted Mini-Wheats® Blueberry Muffin
• Frosted Mini-Wheats® Cinnamon Streusel
• Frosted Mini-Wheats® Maple & Brown Sugar
• Frosted Mini-Wheats® Strawberry Delight

The only HALAL one is the UNFROSTED variety.

Juicy Juice

Dear Ms. Hosain,

Thank you for taking the time to contact Nestlé®, regarding a list of Juicy Juices which contain animal bi-products. We welcome questions and comments from loyal consumers such as yourself and appreciate this opportunity to assist you.

There are no animal bi-products or alcohol in any of the Juicy Juice flavors. Juicy Juice is made from 100% fruit juice. There are no added sweeteners, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

At Nestlé, your feedback is valuable to us, as it helps us to improve our products and services. We hope you will visit our website often for the latest information on our products and promotions.

Sincerely,
"BW"
Consumer Response Representative

Aside from being one of the better juice choices, Juicy Juice also makes "Harvest Surprise" with added vegetable juice which I've heard is not detectable... perfect for little picky eaters!

Bravo's Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips

Bravo's Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips made by Wise are not halal. I'm sure most people figured so after the Dorito craze and since it contains cheddar cheese - most chips/crackers with cheddar cheeses are not halal. These are not certified Kosher either.

While the Nacho Cheese flavor is not halal, the other flavors they make are. These include:

• White Round Tortilla Chips
• Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips (White Corn)
• Peppercorn Ranch Flavored Tortilla Chips
• Sweet Pepper Flavored Tortilla Chips

JIF Peanut Butter

Don't freak out! This is just to confirm that Jif PB is halal inshaAllah.

Dear Ms. Hosain,

This letter is in reference to your recent contact with Jif. We appreciate the time you have taken to contact us and most certainly enjoy hearing from consumers who enjoy our products.

In response to your inquiry, the Jif Peanut Butter does not contain any animal derivatives.

Sincerely,
"SC"
Consumer Relations Representative

Check out this JIF container from 1958

Dial Antibacterial Body Wash

Okay, clearly the person who responded to this was...

1. Busy eating
2. Falling asleep
3. Drunk OR
   
4. Still learning English

Dear:

Thank for taking the time to contact us regarding Dial Antibacterial Body Wash.

This product contain glycerin. whocj os am animal by-product...........

Consumer Affairs

HAHAHAHAHA

So anyway, there are animal by-products in this body wash, and I double checked after getting this wacko response.

Xtra Detergent & Fabric Softeners

I know... it sounds weird that laundry detergents and softeners can contain animal products in them - but they do. Who wants to cuddle up in their bedsheets which when tossed in the dryer had beef fat rubbed all over them? Bizarre! Okay so maybe that's a little far fetched haha, but technically speaking that's what happening!

Dear Lazeena:

Thank you for contacting us recently regarding XTRA® Liquid Laundry Detergent.
We appreciate your interest in our product.

While our XTRA® Detergents do not contain animal by-products, the fabric softeners and softener sheets do. Other ingredient information is considered proprietary.

Again, thank you for taking the time and having the interest to contact us.

CR
Consumer Relations Representative

From the response, we know that Xtra Detergent is an animal-free product, whereas the fabric softener sheets AND liquid does contain animal derived ingredients in the

Ritz Bits

I remember eating the Ritz Bits with cheese when I was a kid... man they were really good!

When I contacted them they were pretty vague with the answer, nonetheless, they still provided one:

"To the best of our knowledge, there is an animal derived ingredient used in Ritz Crackers containing cheese"

*shrug* It just seems haram to me. It would have been nice to know exactly WHAT was in it, but they haven't gotten back to me about that... for two months now... so yeah...

Well, their cheese is from Kraft... and any Kraft cheddar/American cheese has animal ingredients

Oh and of course the Smore's flavor one is haram as well, because of the marshmallow.

SuperMoist Cake Mixes

Betty Crocker's SuperMoist cake mixes are animal ingredient free - this includes all flavor varieties.

Superpretzel

These are soft, frozen pretzels which you just pop into the oven to bake for a little and they come out as warm, chewy pretzels.

Aside from their original pretzel flavor, they make some "Pretzelfils" which contain cheese on the inside. None of the Pretzelfils are halal, only the original flavored pretzels are okay.

These are the ones that are NOT okay:

• Pizza Pretzelfils
• Pepperjack Pretzelfils
• Mozzarella Pretzelfils
• Superpretzel Softstix (filled with Kraft cheese)

Someone asked me to look this one up. I've never tried these before, but it's been YEARS since I've had a delicious, warm pretzel... so I might just give it a shot. Now that I think about the local mall has a pretzel place and I might be better off with those. Me and pretzels are like a 1 time thing... you know there are some things you just have once in a while, otherwise you wouldn't enjoy them? mmm They make these cinnamon pretzels with a sweet frosting-type cream sauce poured over it... ahh I sense a field trip for tomorrow!

Friendship Dairy Products

On the Friendship site they confirm that none of their products contain any animal derived ingredients and that they're products are even Vegan friendly.

Their FAQ section states:

Are Friendship products considered Vegetarian? All Friendship products conform to vegetarian Diet standards. No animal-based cultures or enzymes are used in Friendship products.

So their sour cream, buttermilk, yogurt, farmer cheeses, and all their cottage cheeses are perfectly fine to eat alhamdulillah.

Tropicana Pure Orange Juice

This refers only to Tropicana Pure Premium drinks which can be found on this page

To make matters clear - some of their flavors contain cochineal/carmine, the insect coloring (which I did a post on previously, which can be found here). For those of you who've decided on avoiding this ingredient, make sure you check your Tropicana for it.

Their orange juices containing Omega - 3 contains fish oil and fish gelatin which is permissible for us, alhamdulillah.

Lazeena:

We'd be delighted to answer your questions about Tropicana Orange Juice.

With regards to animal derived ingredients being included, most of Tropicana's juice products are vegetarian/vegan. There are a few juices which contain cochineal/carmine (which will be listed in the ingredients if contained in a product) and Tropicana Healthy Heart Orange Juice containing Omega-3.

We began listing carmine, a natural color, several years ago on the ingredient labels of those juices containing this ingredient. Primarily, carmine is used in our non-refrigerated juices. However, Tropicana's packaging is clearly labeled and complies with current government regulations.

The source of Omega-3's used in Tropicana Healthy Heart Orange Juice is called MEG-3 (fish oil and fish gelatin). It contains tilapia, sardine and anchovy.

We hope this information is helpful, Lazeena. Thank you for your business and interest in our products.

"M"
Tropicana Consumer Relations

The website does not contain an ingredients list for each flavor, so you'll have to check at the supermarket, here is a list of the Tropicana Pure varieties to check for the dye in them:

• Pulp Free
• Some Pulp
• High Pulp
• Pulp Free Calcium + Vitamin D
• High Pulp + Calcium
• Healthy Kids
• Antioxidant Advantage
• Healthy Heart With Omega-3
• Low Acid
• Golden Grapefruit
• Ruby Red Grapefruit
  
• Ruby Red Grapefruit With Calcium
• Orange Strawberry Banana
• Orange Tangerine
• Orange Pineapple
• Grape
• Cranberry Juice Cocktail
  
• Orchard Style Apple

Am I the only one who prefers the older packaging? :

Gummy Sweetarts & Nerds Rope

These two products contain animal derived gelatin; Gummy Sweetarts and Nerds Rope

Dear Ms. Hosain,

Thank you for contacting Nestlé® Butterfinger® .

I would like to assure you that the only animal-derived ingredients used in our candy products are milk, eggs, and gelatin. The gelatin is used in our Gummy SweeTARTS and Nerds Rope. All of our other ingredients are either from a vegetable-derived source or are created synthetically.

We appreciate your interest and hope you will visit our website often for the latest information on our products and promotions.

Sincerely,

TW
Consumer Response Representative

Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drink

Yoohoo Chocolate Drink has been under speculation for some time. I don't know what people think is in it that can make it haram.

After contacting Yoohoo, they confirmed that Yoohoo does not contain any animal ingredients, other than milk, and no alcohol either (This applies to ALL their Yoohoo varieties: Lite Chocolate, Chocolate, Strawberry, and Double Fudge)

I always have Yoohoo in the fridge <3>

E120 / Carmine dye

E120 is a red food coloring which is derived from insects. This ingredient can be found in a lot of food. Recently, they've started using E120 in the gelatin-free Skittles produced in the UK, which has caused most Muslims up there to stop consuming them.

E120 is most common term for this substance used in ingredient labels, however they may also list it as carmine (dye) or cochineal.

Here is some information on E120:

"A deep crimson dye is extracted from the female cochineal insects. Cochineal is used to produce scarlet, orange and other red tints. The colouring comes from carminic acid. Cochineal extract's natural carminic-acid content is usually 19–22%.[5] The insects are killed by immersion in hot water (after which they are dried) or by exposure to sunlight, steam, or the heat of an oven. Each method produces a different colour which results in the varied appearance of commercial cochineal. The insects must be dried to about 30 percent of their original body weight before they can be stored without decaying.[10] It takes about 155,000 insects to make one kilogram of cochineal.

There are two principal forms of cochineal dye: cochineal extract is a colouring made from the raw dried and pulverised bodies of insects, and carmine is a more purified colouring made from the cochineal. To prepare carmine, the powdered insect bodies are boiled in ammonia or a sodium carbonate solution, the insoluble matter is removed by filtering, and alum is added to the clear salt solution of carminic acid to precipitate the red aluminium salt. Purity of colour is ensured by the absence of iron. Stannous chloride, citric acid, borax, or gelatin may be added to regulate the formation of the precipitate. For shades of purple, lime is added to the alum."


Now what is the Islamic view on E120?

Well from what can be found from within ahadeeth, locusts are the only permissible 'insect' that can be consumed, and is mentioned exactly by name.

Some scholars therefore deem ALL other insects as haram because they cannot be slaughtered in accordance to shari'ah, due to their small size and because they are 'bloodless' which means even if somehow slaughtered at the throat, the blood will not flow.

Imam Malik, rahiemahullah, has classed all other insects in the same category as locusts, making their form of slaughter by boiling, roasting, or piercing it with a stick/needle until it is dead, while saying the name of Allah over it.

Most people pose this question in regards to snails and their permissibility of consumption and this same information is brought up. However, shuyukh who present Imam Malik raheimahullah's argument also are sure to mention that the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wasallam never ate snail, therefore assuming, perhaps because they cannot be slaghtered and do not fall under the category of locusts. Also, the Imam is the only one to hold this viewpoint.

With that its really up to you to draw your own conclusion on eating foods with E120. And even if you follow Imam Malik's route with this one, it's most definite that they are not slaughtered in accordance to shari'ah (Allah's name being recited over it). On top of that, to me it doesn't really seem that a chemical process is taking place, since some people say that when a strong chemical process takes place the substance is an entirely different thing... all that's being done is that the color is being extracted from the insects. Allah knows best!!

Personally, whether it's halal or haram, the thought of those hundreds of thousands of insects being boiled... steamed... roasted... dunked in ammonia... is soooo disgusting!!!! So I will pass on E120... which would mean passing on red M&Ms as well... which is a easy can do in my book.

Usually I like posting pictures on my entries... but I guess considering the topic I'll pass so no one pukes on their computers and then blame me.

But in case you're interested, this is someones screen-shot of an article from when the FDA finally decided that ingredients labels should include E120 specifically rather than hiding it under "artifical flavors". There is an image of the insect in the article, which can be found here

Aquafresh Toothpaste

I've been using this stuff exclusively for years...

Dear Lazeena,

We have received your e-mail and we are happy to respond to your question regarding Aquafresh® toothpaste.

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

We're glad you took the time to contact us and hope this information is helpful.

Sincerely,

-----
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer
Healthcare