Is Carrageenan Halal?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

I was wondering if Carageenan is halal. Also, are products where alcohol is used as a solvent halal? This is in relation to food/drink products.

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

There is nothing wrong with consuming carrageenan. Carrageenan is an extract from Irish Moss and algae, which forms a gel in food systems. It is used as a food ingredient and is halal.

Carrageenan is a natural, plant-based ingredient found in many foods. It is made from red seaweed that is sustainably grown and harvested by family farmers from oceans around the world. One of nature’s perfect stabilizers and thickeners, carrageenan is used to improve the texture, taste, and appearance of many foods. There are three types of carrageenan that are most widely used: Kappa, iota, and lambda carrageenan.

Use of Non-Wine Alcohol

The widespread use of non-wine alcohol in both food items and external products, such as soaps or lotions, is permissible. This is based on the position of Imam Abu Hanifa (Allah be pleased with him) and has been adopted by leading scholars of our time.

I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction, in sha’ Allah.

Related:

• Halal Certified Carrageenan, Carrageenan Halal
• Can We Drink or Sell Products with a Label of 0% Alcohol?
• Halal Research Council
• Carrageenan – Food Ingredient Facts

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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.