8 Products You Didn't Know Were NOT Halal

1. Grandma Utz Chips

Many oil-fried potato chips, such as Grandma Utz's  brand, are traditionally fried in lard. It's hard to miss this fact, as 'lard' is visibly displayed on the ingredients list. This is the case with the majority of Grandma Utz's brand, so be very weary of purchasing a pack of these. 

Alternatively, look instead for potato chips that are fried  using vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower or corn oil. As a substitute, one may forgo fatty oils altogether, and opt for a healthier alternative in kettle cooked and baked chips.

Aside from the oil chips are fried in, these snacks also come in a wide variety of flavors which can be problematic for the halal conscious consumer. Be sure to check the back of the package for the ingredients, flavors, and seasonings. Keep your eyes peeled for masked names like 'tallow', (animal fat), 'shortening' (same), pepsin (enzymes from the stomachs of pigs), or 'suet' (fat from around the kidneys of animals). Vegan certified chips, such as Kettle Foods Organic Potato Chips  and Good Health Potato Chips are sure to contain no animal byproducts. 

2. Planters Dry Roasted Peanuts

 
It's easy to assume that roasted peanuts are simple in ingredients: salt and peanuts. However, Planters Peanuts are not entirely simple nor are they animal-product free. By glancing through the ingredients list, among the spices, you will find that it contains gelatin derived from pork.

The gelatin, along with the salt and spices, helps to create an added flavor, making Planters Dry Roasted Peanuts unfit to consume for the halal conscious consumer as well as those on an exclusively plant based diet.

As an alternative, you can make your own roasted peanuts at home or look out for nut brands that have no animal by-products such as Blue Diamond Growers  and Wonderful Pistachios and Almonds.

3. Pillsbury's Pie Crust 

Many store bought pie crusts, and traditional pie crust recipes include lard as a way to hold the ingredients together.  One such example is Pillsbury's Pie Crust . The flakiness of Pillsbury's Pie Crust is due to the  lard (pig fat) making it unfit for halal consumption.

In order to confirm the use of lard, we reached out to Pillsbury to request their ingredients list, and though they didn't have the list on hand, they promised to email us which we have yet to receive.

As a halal substitute for Pillsbury's Pie Crust, instead of lard, Trader Joe's Frozen Pie Crusts contains butter.

4. Marshmallows (Jet-puffed Kraft, Kroger, Campfire, and many more)

It's almost a guarantee that marshmallows contain gelatin in order to maintain its soft spongy consistency (unless otherwise stated on the label). Famous American brands such as Jet-puffed Kraft marshmallows, Campfire marshmallows , and  Kroger marshmallows  are all made with pork gelatin. Moreover, household cereals from well known companies such as Kellogg's , and General Mills contain marshmallows with beef and pork gelatin.

As an alternative, look for gelatin-free marshmallows or those labeled with halal, vegan, or kosher certifying seals, such as Trader Joe's peppermint mini marshmallows.

5. Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats Cereal (Krave Treat Bars, Rice Krispies, etc)

Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats cereal contains gelatin that derived from the skin, bones, ligaments and tendons of beef. Other Kellogg's products that contain gelatin include: all cereals with marshmallows , rice krispies treats (and squares), frosted pop-tarts , fruit flavored fruity snacks , and krave treat bars.

In order to avoid sneaky gelatin based cereals, you can opt for the Kellogg's All Bran Flakes or Crunchy Nut Glorious Oat Granola .

6. Jell-O

Jell-O is widely known as a gelatin-based dessert that comes in a variety of fruity flavors. Its wiggly jiggly texture is attributed to the use of gelatin as a gelling agent, which is extracted from collagen tissue of animals, typically pork and beef.

As an alternative for Jell-O, try to find similar products that are made of plant-based ingredients (agar-agar) such as those from  Simply Delish.

8. Altoids

Some of the famous Altoids breath mints contain gelatin of pig origin. Whilst there  are many flavors of Altoids, the original sugared ones contain gelatin whereas the the non-sugared Altoids are in fact halal, as they do not contain any animal products in them.

Skittles , Tic Tac , and Mento s are all halal and a delicious chewy sweet alternative.

We live in a heavily processed world where foods are stripped of their natural goodness and altered with animal byproducts. With the dissemination of knowledge provided by halal certifying bodies, we are able to take care of our health and our spiritual well-being at the same time.