Halal alcohol

Both rules prohibit pork and some birds of prey for hiunan consiunption. Halal flavourings must not contain any alcohol. As far as kosher is concerned, alcohol is permitted. This has to be kosher, coming from grapes it has to be manufactured by Jews. 

Halal applications can be the same as the kosher items, except that no ethyl alcohol is allowed and, of course, no pork products for either kosher or halal. 

The mullah will consider everything halal except pork, carrion (meat of dead animals), blood, improperly blessed meat, alcohol and intoxicants. 

Any potable alcohol, such as ethyl alcohol (ethanol) is the alcohol of concern to halal food or flavor production. Propylene glycol, frequently used in food and drug industries, is not a concern. Alcoholic beverages such as beer and wine or distilled spirits (vodka, whiskey, etc.) are forbidden under halal guidelines. 

In the flavor business, alcohol can be present in an ingredient in many ways. We try to analyze possible alcohol presence through several methods. For example, intentionally added ethanol is a zero tolerance ingredient, per all halal guidelines worldwide. I can also review the alcohol content in an orange oil, and if present, may be permitted by halal law since it is intrinsic to the natural fruit oil. Please see the below listing ... 

Alcohol from fermentation will be found in vinegar, but vinegar itself is an acceptable product for halal, so the presence of the fermented alcohol will not be cause to ban the product from use. The only time fermented alcohol will be forbidden above a certain percentage is when found in a potable beverage. The beverage would then be considered an intoxicant... 

The primary considerations for the flavor industry are the use of any meat or meat byproduct in process flavors, gelatin in process flavors or coacervation processes, and the use of alcohol as a component on any basis in a flavoring are all prohibited. There are various organizations that oversee halal certification of foods. Unlike the kosher certification, halal certification is younger and thus less well organized. Two organizations that come up on a web search are IFANCA (The Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America, 5901 N. Cicero Avenue, Suite 309 Chicago, IL, 60646) and Halal Transactions, Inc., P.O. Box 4546, Omaha, NE, 68104). 

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