Muslims shocked to learn that crisps contain alcohol

['Abd-al Latif]

Senior Muslim figures have said that they are shocked that a number of Walkers snacks contain traces of alcohol and eating them is therefore against their religion.

A tiny amount of alcohol is used in some products as a chemical agent to extract flavour.

The use of alcohol was discovered by Besharat Rehman, who owns a halal supermarket in Bradford, and reported in the Eastern Eye. Mr Rehman said: “Our suppliers were unaware of the alcohol. Walkers must make it clear on the packaging so customers can make an informed choice.”

Shuja Shafi, who chairs the food standards committee of the Muslim Council of Britain, said that he intended to investigate. “Certainly we would find it very offensive to have eaten food with alcohol.”

Masood Khawaja, of the Halal Food Authority, said that it had raised labelling issues and alcohol flavouring with Walkers before. “They should have looked into the matter and solved it instead of hiding behind labelling regulations. It does not matter what percentage of alcohol is involved.”

However, a Walkers consumer care team representative was unapologetic. She said: “There is not enough room on the packaging to list things beyond allergy-causing ingredients that can make people ill. A minimal amount of alcohol is used to extract the flavour of some crisps.”

Snacks that are likely to be boycotted by Muslims are Sensations Thai Sweet Chilli, Doritos Chilli Heat Wave and Quavers Cheese

taken from here

[S_87]

:sl:

all three of them crisps are yum!

[------]

:salamext:

Doritos Chilli Heat Wave

WAT THE!?

NO!! imsad

[Trumble]

I wonder if the same "senior muslims" would be just as "shocked" to learn that many fruits contain traces of alcohol as well - perfectly naturally?

Surely the whole point of the Qur'anic prohibition on alcohol is its intoxicating effects and consequent undesirable effect on human behaviour, not to stop consumption of everyday foods that contain tiny traces of the stuff?

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[Muezzin]

Crisps are bad for you anyway.

I do wonder about that comment about being 'offended' to have eaten such things... I wouldn't be offended, I'd just be sort of embarassed at my own silliness.

[sur]

i heard even Coke contains alcohol. !!!!

Companies might add alc. to many other drinks without mentioning it in "Ingridients", to make ppl adicted so that ppl would crave for buying such products.

[KAding]

i heard even Coke contains alcohol. !!!!

Companies might add alc. to many other drinks without mentioning it in "Ingridients", to make ppl adicted so that ppl would crave for buying such products.

I heard thats not true. !!!!

There that's settled ;).

[Muezzin]

Isn't it funny how all these products tend to be junk food...

It's not really good for us in the first place, so why are we getting up in arms about it? Heck, bread contains trace alcohol (it's a byproduct of the process of... bread-baking), but nobody is getting angry about that. Also, nobody is declaring bread haram, because it's just a trace of alcohol, and you'd probably have to bread-binge for eight years before getting a little tipsy.

Ker-raaazy.

[Malaikah]

:sl:

I just wanted to clarify - as long as the level of alcohol in the crisps is so low that you can pretty much never get drunk from it, even if you eat to your hears content, it is permissible to actually eat!

Really, what is the point of this story? Muslims are not boycotting these foods, they are just not eating them. You might as well say vegetarians are boycotting hamburgers, or obese people are boycotting salad.

I really liked the above comment on the article (from the website). lol, nice to know that not all ppl who bother to post their views on news articles aren't ignorant.

[Noora]

Good point mailakah..I dont think its permissable because you need to have it in huge consumption to get tipsy..As far as i know its forbidden period...if that was true then people can say well if i have a glass of wine once a day and i dont get tipsy its ok....
If it has any traces no matter how small..its best to avoid it...And yes they are not good for you anyway....so really its a bonus.....

[chacha_jalebi]

^ i understand that point

but for meee alcohol is alcohol!!!

so i would just give it up and the only crisps that is oooo yeh on that list is quavers, that doritos crisps stinks!

so hah not much of a effect

see £1 chicken & chips for life:D

[Malaikah]

You don't have the avoid the chips, they are halal!

I'm not making this up, I've heard it from many, many shaykhs. (Not about these specific chips, obviously).

[snakelegs]

:sl:
I just wanted to clarify - as long as the level of alcohol in the crisps is so low that you can pretty much never get drunk from it, even if you eat to your hears content, it is permissible to actually eat!

is this true? i drink non-alcoholic beer, which contains a small amount of alcohol. you couldn't possibly manage to drink enough of it to feel any intoxication. would this be permissable for muslims?

the other question i have is doesn't alcohol evaporate when heated (which i would think it would be, in the crisps process. (i don't really know what crisps are, lol)

[MEHNAZY]

I have to think, with all the food-stuffs in production, many contain some form of alcohol, added or formed naturally. And as someone else has mentioned, many fruits produce their own alcohol naturally.

[Malaikah]

is this true? i drink non-alcoholic beer, which contains a small amount of alcohol. you couldn't possibly manage to drink enough of it to feel any intoxication. would this be permissable for muslims?

It is permissible provided that the amount of alcohol let in it is insignificant - i.e. not enough to make you drunk no matter how much you drink.

However it isn't something that would be your first preference.

[snakelegs]

It is permissible provided that the amount of alcohol let in it is insignificant - i.e. not enough to make you drunk no matter how much you drink.

However it isn't something that would be your first preference.

thanks! actually, this is what i thought.
but i think there is a lot of misunderstanding among musims about this.
as for first preference, i am lucky to prefer water over anything. but i like the non-alcoholic beer once in a while (i hate soda pop).

[crayon]

Non Alchoholic beer is quite fine, I'm sure, it's really popular here, and it's allowed to be sold in stores.

edit- non alcoholic beer is the same as a malt beverage, right? According to wikipedia, talking about malt beverages, "A non-alcoholic beverage brewed in this fashion is technically identical to "non-alcoholic beer." Such a beverage may be prepared by either removing alcohol from the finished product or by using a slightly altered brewing process which yields very little alcohol (technically less than 0.5% by weight)."

So I guess they remove the alcohol at the end of the process.

[------]

:salamext:

I just wanted to clarify - as long as the level of alcohol in the crisps is so low that you can pretty much never get drunk from it, even if you eat to your hears content, it is permissible to actually eat!

Alcohol is still alcohol no matter in what quantity! What is wrong with you people?!

That's like saying I'll have bit of pork, doesn't matter it's only a bite.

ITS HARAAM!!! :-\

[Malaikah]

:sl:

It's not like that at all sister - it would be haram if a person were drinking actual alcohol - but he/she isn't, he is eating chips that has a tiny bit of alcohol in it, the percentage of which is so low that if can NEVER intoxicate him/her.

Remember the hadith - that which intoxicates in large amounts is forbidden in small amounts.

If the crisps do not intoxicate in large amount (and I don't think they do), then they are not haram in small amounts.

InshaAllah I'll see if I can find an article that explains it properly.

[------]

:salamext:

^ Please do.

[crayon]

Media Tags are no longer supported

Good video that explains it perfectly, mashallah.
Wa Allahu A'lam.

[crayon]

:O
I had no idea Robitussin had so much alchohol, and that it's haram!! We use it all the time!

[Malaikah]

:sl:

What's Robitussin?

I can't watch the video because my internet is being ridiculously slow, but ehres a nice short article about it:

Question: In vanilla flavoring and many other flavorings there is alcohol. I am not sure of the percentage. These flavorings are used in icecream and many other processed foods and beverages. So can we eat these things?

Answered by the Fatwa Department Research Committee - chaired by Sheikh `Abd al-Wahhâb al-Turayrî

Sheikh Salman al-Oadah states the following:

Alcohol is forbidden because it intoxicates. The exact percentage of alcohol in a food or beverage has no effect on the ruling. The ruling applies to the food or beverage itself taken as a whole and not to its composition. Anyway, such small percentages of alcohol generally do not have any affect on a person who consumes the product.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whatever intoxicates in large quantities, then a small quantity of it is forbidden.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (1865), Sunan Abî Dâwûd (3681), Sunan al-Nasâ’î (5607), Sunan Ibn Mâjah (3392), and Musnad Ahmad (5648)]

As long as the food or beverage in question does not intoxicate even when large quantities are consumed, then it is not prohibited.

The only other possible objection that might be raised against such a product is that alcohol is considered an impure substance according to many scholars. However, it is an established principle in Islamic Law that minute quantities of an impurity that are completely submerged in pure substances do not make those pure substances impure. The quantity of alcohol in such a product is generally so minute as to be effectively non-existent as far as matters of purification are concerned.

And Allah knows best.

http://islamtoday.com/show_detail_se...main_cat_id=30

Whether there is a difference of opinion on the issue, I wouldn't have a clue.

[crayon]

It's a cough syrup.

Also, while we're on the subject, is using mouthwash halal? It has alcohol in it, quite a bit, i think, but we're not swallowing it. Well, we shouldn't be.:P Anyone know?

[czgibson]

Greetings,

It's easy to see why there's disagreement over this.

Remember the hadith - that which intoxicates in large amounts is forbidden in small amounts.

If the crisps do not intoxicate in large amount (and I don't think they do), then they are not haram in small amounts.

Using equally valid logic, with the same hadith:

If the alcohol (found in crisps) intoxicates in large amounts (which it does), then, according to the hadith, it is forbidden in small amounts.

:?

Peace

[------]

:salamext:

I is confused...

[Malaikah]

If the alcohol (found in crisps) intoxicates in large amounts (which it does), then, according to the hadith, it is forbidden in small amounts.

Yeh, a lot of people actually get confused like that!

But the thing is - the hadith is referring to the thing as a whole, not the stuff in it. Get what I mean?

Because the food itself isn't alcohol, the alcohol just makes up part of it. The food is the crisps. You look at the crisps- can they ever make someone drunk? No? Then they are halal.

Even look at it logically speaking - during the Prophets time they didn't have molecular science that can tell them if there is any alcohol in the food!

Now, lastly, the act of putting alcohol in food - even if it is a tiny bit (like in these crisps) is not allowed. It is a sin. But eating it is permissible.

[crayon]

Ahhhh, it makes so much more sense now. Thank you!
"you must spread some reputation around before giving it to Malaikah again." ;)

[aadil77]

It is permissible provided that the amount of alcohol let in it is insignificant - i.e. not enough to make you drunk no matter how much you drink.

However it isn't something that would be your first preference.

no actually thats not true, alchohol is not naturally formed in crisps - ITS added so it haraam , in bread its naturally formed so thats not haraam

its not about whether it would make you drunk

[Noora]

It's a cough syrup.

Also, while we're on the subject, is using mouthwash halal? It has alcohol in it, quite a bit, i think, but we're not swallowing it. Well, we shouldn't be.:P Anyone know?

Mouthwash isnt forbidden because you are actually just gurgling it and spitting it out...you are not drinking it...

[Ibn Al Aqwa]

Snacks that are likely to be boycotted by Muslims are Sensations Thai Sweet Chilli, Doritos Chilli Heat Wave and Quavers Cheese

:ooh:

naah yiraa!

[MinAhlilHadeeth]

:sl:

Whether there is a difference of opinion on the issue, I wouldn't have a clue.

:wasalamex

I think there is. I believe shaykh al-Albanee (rahimahullaah) opposed this view, as I have read it in his book at-tasfiyah wat-tarbiyyah. InshaaAllaah I'll fish my book out later and post up the daleel he gave.

[Noora]

If there was a small doubt wouldnt it better to avoid it , i mean surely we arent going to die(ok some might) if we didnt eat these crisps...there are other alternatives....i will certainly not eat them...better for the hips anyway...:zip:

[Malaikah]

:sl:

You say that Noora, but you'd be surprised to know how many food actually have traces of alcohol in them. :uuh:

[Noora]

mailakah..every food item that has added alcohol into it i will avoid no matter how many items there is...im very particular about these things...doesnt matter whether i like it or not...its not up to me...

[Malaikah]

That's not my point - the point is that you maybe very well already be eating many products that contain alcohol and don't even know it.

[Noora]

That's not my point - the point is that you maybe very well already be eating many products that contain alcohol and don't even know it.

true..but i can only go by the things i know....

[czgibson]

Greetings,

The crisps that have been listed are all delicious - I can see why Malaikah is holding out on this one! (Just kidding. :D)

Yeh, a lot of people actually get confused like that!

Inevitably, yes. :)

But the thing is - the hadith is referring to the thing as a whole, not the stuff in it. Get what I mean?

I do see what you mean; your interpretation certainly relies on that being true. Could you explain how you know that it is referring to whole things rather than parts? I assume it's indicated somehow in the Arabic?

Because the food itself isn't alcohol, the alcohol just makes up part of it. The food is the crisps. You look at the crisps- can they ever make someone drunk? No? Then they are halal.

That seems perfectly reasonable to me.

Even look at it logically speaking - during the Prophets time they didn't have molecular science that can tell them if there is any alcohol in the food!

Which does lead to the question of why, whenever a new product is found to contain haraam content, many Muslims will then stop using it, even if its inclusion is otherwise unnoticeable.

Peace

[------]

:salamext:

Just a quick reminder brothers and sisters:

On the authority of Al-Hasan bin Ali, the grandson of the messenger of Allah, who said : I memorized from the messenger of Allah his saying :

"Leave that which makes you doubt for that which does not make you doubt."

narrated by Tirmithi and Nasaee, and Tirmithi said it is true and fine hadith.

[Malaikah]

The crisps that have been listed are all delicious - I can see why Malaikah is holding out on this one! (Just kidding. :D)

lol no, I've never even heard of these 'crisps' (we actually call them chips...)

I do see what you mean; your interpretation certainly relies on that being true. Could you explain how you know that it is referring to whole things rather than parts? I assume it's indicated somehow in the Arabic?

I don't know, actually. It's how my teacher (a qualified shaykh) explained, as well as many other shaykhs.

Which does lead to the question of why, whenever a new product is found to contain haraam content, many Muslims will then stop using it, even if its inclusion is otherwise unnoticeable.

Well, sometimes it is justified (for example, if the product had 5% alcohol, that's way too much), some times it may be ignorance (for example, many of us are taught that alcohol is forbidden but it was only a year or so ago that I learned that it was permissible to eat food that contained alcohol as long as the food itself can never make you drunk), other times it could be because there is a difference of opinion (such as one of the brothers posting that because the alcohol has been added artificiality, the food can't be eaten no matter how little alcohol there is).

[------]

:salamext:

The crisps mentioned in the first post:

...

...

[Noora]

**** i sure will miss the cheese quavers....