Cheez-Its!

"Lazeena,

Thank you for emailing us your questions regarding Sunshine® Cheez-It's®. We appreciate your interest in our company and products and are happy to answer your questions.

Kosher law is very complex. Some animals are prohibited from being consumed while others are allowed. If our product is labeled as Kosher, it does not contain any non-Kosher ingredients but may still contain Kosher approved animal ingredients including some meats and milk.

It appears that you are interested in knowing if Sunshine® Cheez-It® Original crackers contain any animal ingredients. The only animal derived ingredient in these crackers is milk. The enzymes used to make the cheese are from a microbial (yeast) source. No animal enzymes are used in Cheez-It® products.

No Cheez-It® products contain alcohol. If a product's ingredients include natural and/or artificial flavors, these ingredients can be processed with alcohol. However, during the baking of our crackers, all of the alcohol is evaporated leaving no alcohol in the final product.

I do hope this information answers your questions and that you will be able to enjoy our cheezy crackers!


Sincerely,


R.A.J.
Consumer Affairs Department"

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'

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.

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

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:

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

Smartfood: White Cheddar Popcorn

Ah, how I miss thee!

Dear Lazeena:

We are pleased to respond to your recent inquiry concerning pork-related ingredients used in some of our seasoned products.

While some Frito-Lay snacks do contain enzymes from porcine sources, many do not.

Smartfood has animal enzymes in the cheese.

Sincerely,
"T"
Consumer Affairs

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*

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

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

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.

Rennet & Whey Explained, and Kraft cheese products

I'm not a nutritionist or food expert, but for those of you who are unclear about what rennet and whey are, I'll put it in simple terms to inshaAllah be easily understood.

Rennet is a substance usually taken from baby calves to aid in the production of cheese. There are microbial substitutes that are sometimes used, but this is on a rare occasion and is usually specified on the foods packaging. Why is it taken from a baby calf's stomach? Because this is an enzyme found specifically in their stomachs to help them digest their mother's milk. The enzymes that make up rennet coagulates milk, causing it separate into curds and whey, to help form cheese.

So therefore, whey is the liquid leftover after milk has been curdled and strained. So if the whey was produced using an animal derived rennet, then the product containing whey is not permissible for consumption. This by-product is used in a lot of cheeses, cookies, crackers, breads and pastries. So you shouldn't only look for whey in cheese products!

Ok, so moving onto the Kraft cheeses. I did not even have to email the company about these questions because they were found on their FAQ page.

KRAFT SINGLES:

What is the enzyme derivative of KRAFT Singles?

The process of converting milk into cheese is dependent on coagulating through the use of an enzyme. The enzymes in this product are sourced from both microbial fermentations and animal sources. The animal sources are cow, sheep, and goat.

Well, sometimes they DO use microbial enzymes, which would make the cheese undeniablyhalal. However, because they bounce between microbial and animal enzymes, we never know which is being used at the time we pick up a pack of cheese, and also the equipment would be mixed without being cleaned as well. So we should avoid Kraft Singles inshaAllah, I believe they aren't even kosher either.

VELVEETA CHEESE:

Is VELVEETA Kosher?

Due to an ingredient in this product and/or the manufacturing process, VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product is not certified Kosher.

Again, this would be an animal derivative in used in Velveeta cheeses and are not halal.

KRAFT MACARONI AND CHEESE:

What enzyme derivative is present in KRAFT© Macaroni & Cheese?

....The enzymes used to make our cheese powder in packages of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese are derived from an animal source (calves and sheep).

And so again, this too contains animal derived enzymes.

Conclusion: Please be sure to check your food ingredients for RENNET, WHEY, and ENZYMES.

Pepperidge Farm Goldfish

Here's an email I got from Pepperidge Farm regarding their Cheddar Cheese Goldfish snacks. I'm still waiting on a response regarding the other flavor fish shaped snacks they produce.

The source of cheese enzymes in our Cheddar Cheese Goldfish is beef

Short, not-so sweet, and to the point. I don't know what other proof people need. A lot of people don't believe me when I tell them they're animal by-products in the,. This is the 3rd email I've sent them in the past 5 years and it's always the same response.

Cabot Cheese

As salaamu alaikum

As we know, it is very hard to find cheeses that are halal. Many of them contain whey and enzymes derived from animals.

A brand some of you may know about is Cabot. Their cheeses are halal, kosher, and approved by the Vegetarian Society alhamdulillah.

Their cheeses come in small, rectangular blocks and they carry a variety of flavors such as Cheddar, Chipotle Cheddar, Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Cheddar, Mild and Sharp Cheddars, Colby and Monterey Jack, among some other flavors and some sliced cheeses.

Their products can be found around the US. Take advantage of their Cabot Product Search to see if any local markets carry their cheeses. You can even order from online!

Here is the email sent to me by their Customer Satisfaction Rep.

Thank you for contacting Cabot and asking your fine question. Here at Cabot, everyone from the farm to the shipping docks feels a strong commitment to the quality standards of our award-winning products. We are always happy to provide our consumers with information that will help them to better understand... and enjoy...Cabot products.

Traditionally, the rennet used for making cheddar cheese was derived from the lining of calves' stomachs. Today, however, Cabot utilizes a microbial-based enzyme that mimics the rennet to manufacture ALL of its award-winning cheeses. The enzyme is added to the milk to coagulate it into curds and whey. Cabot's enzyme is approved by the Vegetarian Society and our Cabot cheeses are certified kosher and halal.

All Cabot Cheeses are animal by-products free, including Pig. Also, our cheeses are made without any animal rennet. During the cheese making process, the whey is drained from the curds and only the curds are used in producing the cheese. The only product that contains whey protein concentrate is our Cheddar Shake. The mono-diglycerides that are listed in our 75% Reduced Fat Cheddar is plant based.

Thank you again for contacting Cabot. Please feel free to contact us anytime with questions, comments, or concerns. We pledge to continue working diligently to ensure you receive natural, wholesome, satisfying products.