Halal Food Guidelines on E numbers

[Anthea]

E-Numbers:

E- means EC (European communities)

E-Numbers are assigned to various food additives. Some E-Numbers are banned in some countries. In UK Numbers without E prefix are allowed but they may not be allowed in other country.

E-Numbers are divided into following category:

E-Numbers = Food Additives
100-180 Colors
200-252 Preservatives
260-297 Acidities
300-385 Antioxidant
400-429 Thickeners
430-499 Emulsifiers
620-640 Flavor Enhancer
950-967 Sweeteners

Halal Status:

The Halal status was given to the ingredients which are obtained from 100% Halal raw materials without use of alcohol. These are plant and chemical based material.

Haram:

Those are obtained from animal source or use of alcohol. All non-zabiha Halal animal by-products were considered as Haram

Pork and by-producta are considered 100% Haram.

Mushbooh:

Mushbooh status was given to those E-Numbers where source of raw material was not known, it could be from plant source or animal source and also lack of information of use of alcohol with based ingredients.

Hidden ingredients: Hidden ingredients such as carrier or solvent used in liquid colours, Beta Carotene (in US fish gelatin is used as a carrier), antioxidants such as BHT, BHA and many other ingredients.

HARAM E - NUMBERS:

The following ingredients are considered as Haram:

E 120: Cochineal (red color from insects) according to Hanafi Muzhab
E 124: If Cochineal Red A is used
E 441: Gelatin, if it is from pig
E 542: Edible Bone Phosphate if it is from pork bones

Sources of food ingredients in different countries may be different.

Warning: Some ingredients are not 100% pure. Hidden ingredients or processing aid ingredients are added to help dissolve or mix or process a food ingredient in a food system. These hidden ingredients are not reported along the food ingredients names or ingredients statement of a food product where they use if they fall under regulatory allowance such as a maximum 2% of the total formula of a food ingredient or food product in US. For example Beta Carotene food ingredient in US is not 100% pure, it is 98% pure and 2% may include vegetable oil or fish gelatin. Please verify the Halal status of the hidden ingredients from food ingredients suppliers or food manufacturer in your country.

Remember Gelatin and Alcohol are used in a great many non-edible products.

[Piling]

Ibn Sîna (Avicenna) used to drink wine every night, recommended alcohol for some medicine prescription and Razî wrote that being drunk one time per month was quite healthy.

My dearest Sohrawardi, Al Shayk Al Ushraq, who was described by Shahrazurî as a 'perfect ascetic', mentioned, in one of his mystical treaties, the 'delicious smell of Arak'.

People should not be obsessed by such things. It is just a contemporary 'fashion' ; during the first times of Islam, it was not a such Ironed Law.

As Jesus told : What enters in you is not impure, but only what it comes out after