Can We Consume Cheese That Says Suitable for Vegetarian despite Having Animal Extract?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

Dairy products such as cheese state that they are suitable for vegetarians, they still can contain DNA extracted from calves in the rennet, but they can also be rennet from plants or fungi and mold. It is hard to know which rennet is used as companies may not give that information out, so would it be haram to consume the products if they contain animal DNA?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

One can consume cheese even though it is animal produce because
the circulation of blood in an organ is the cause of life. No blood flows through the rennet. Therefore rennet is not a living thing. Therefore, it cannot ‘die,’ and it is thus permissible to consume rennet. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar; Marghinani, Al-Tajnis Wa-al-Mazid; Ibn Abd al-Razzaq, Fatawa al-Walwaliji]

Cheese with Rennet other than a Pig Source

Cheese made with animal rennet other than a pig source is halal. The fuqaha explain, however, that it is better to avoid whenever reasonably possible when its source is unknown because of the difference of opinion between the Sunni schools of fiqh regarding its permissibility and the doubt therein. [Salih al-‘Awd, Sana‘at al-Ajban al-Haditha Wa Hukmu Akliha]

Why Does Cheese Say Suitable for Vegetarians?

Since dairy — including cheese — does not require the slaughtering of an animal, it’s usually permitted by lacto- and lacto-ovo-vegetarians, as well as some pescatarians. On the other hand, vegans avoid all animal products or animal byproducts, including dairy and milk.

However, if you would like to avoid and prefer only vegetarian cheese, it may stop giving you any doubts. See the link below for the alternatives.

Check these links:
Cheeses That Are Vegetarian — And Exactly What To Look For | mindbodygreen
Cheese.com – World’s Greatest Cheese Resource
Is Rennet in Cheese Halal or Haram to Consume? (seekers.flywheelstaging.com)
A Guide for Consuming Various Meats, Foods, Alcohol, Animal By-Product Ingredients, and Cosmetics – SeekersGuidance

Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on
SeekersAcademy (seekers.flywheelstaging.com)

I pray this helps with your question.

[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani