Why vegan sweets do not have to be halal - an explanation

In our online shop we sell halal sweets with beef gelatine. We also sell vegan sweets that have been produced completely without gelatine and are halal certified.  

We see many believing Muslims who orientate themselves towards a halal-compliant way of life and consume all vegan sweets without hesitation, because they equate vegan with halal.

In this article we would like to answer two questions:

• Are halal sweets also vegan/vegetarian?
• Are vegan/vegetarian sweets also halal?

Are halal sweets always the same vegan?

This question is easy to answer: no, not always. In order for sweets to be classified as vegan, they must have been produced completely without animal additives. However, many halal sweets are made with beef gelatine and are not vegan in this case. There is a company worldwide that produces halal certified sweets that are also vegan or without gelatin. You can find these vegan halal sweets here.  

Does vegan candy equal halal?

At first you might think that vegan sweets are always halal because they are sweets without gelatine - and therefore without pork. However, vegan sweets may contain influences that are forbidden in Islam (i.e. haram) and are therefore not halal. These are:

• Alcohol is forbidden in Islam because of its intoxicating effect. However, many non-fresh foods, such as vegan sweets, contain flavors that are used to enhance taste and smell. Most of the flavours used in the food industry, however, have ethanol or alcohol as a carrier. If the flavour of vegan sweets has been dissolved in alcohol (ethanol), it cannot be classified as "halal".

• Cross-contamination. If the vegan sweets are manufactured in industrial plants where nonhalal products (containing e.g. pork) are also produced, traces are transferred to the vegan sweets. Due to this contamination the vegan sweets cannot be classified as "halal" either.