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In the Name of God بسم الله

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  • Advanced Member
Posted (edited)

(salam)

Looks like they've started to put animal rennet in their products.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/Story/0,,2078833,00.html

Products with a "best-before" date up to October 1 are still suitable for vegetarians. The company is also offering a refund to those who cannot eat animal rennet on bars that have a later best-before date.

:(

Edited by haider73
  • Advanced Member
Posted

(salam)

Such information forwarded to the general public tends to confuse the public, who then lose confidence in the leadership. It is best to first research the mas'ala and write an informed piece of advice. Below I copy the answer of Syed Muhammad Rizvi, of Toronto. I am sure even more research can be carried out.

ANSWER:

Salaamun `alaykum.

You have asked about rennet derived from the animal which was not killed in Islamic way (zabiha). I had written an article in 1989 and will just summarize the relevant parts in answer to your question:

Rennet or renin is tahir (pak) and halal even if it is obtained from the stomach of an animal which has not been slaughtered Islamically.

An animal not slaughtered Islamically is known as maytah. Maytah is one of the `ayn najis (inherently unclean) things, so how can rennet extracted from a maytah be considered tahir? It is true that maytah is considered `ayn najis, but our mujtahids unanimously have declared that certain parts of the maytah are exempted from the najasat and are to be considered tahir. One of such parts of a maytah is rennet, known in Arabic as anfaha or minfaha. (See al-Khu'i, Minhaju 's-Salihiyn, vol. 1, p. 109; masala No. 393 in the chap. on taharat. This is also in the new edition of as-Sistani. For the view of other mujtahids of our time, see Sayyid Kazim al-Yazdi at-Tabatabai, al-`Urwatu 'l-Wuthqa, p. 20-21.)

Not only is the anfaha considered tahir, it is also considered halal. (See Minhaj, vol. 2, p. 336; masalah No. 1691 in the chap. on food and drink.)

This is not a new fatwa or a new mas`alah; our Imams (a.s.) have given clear guidance on this issue in quite a few ahadith. I will just quote some parts of a conversation between Qatadah and Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s.).

Qatadah: Tell me (the law) about cheese.

Imam (a.s.): There is no problem in it.

Qatadah: But sometimes the anfaha (rennet) from a maytah is put into it.

Imam (a.s.): Still there is no problem in it because there are no veins in it nor any blood or bones; it comes out from between the intenstine and the blood vessels. The case of anfaha is similar to that of an egg which comes out of a dead chicken. Would you eat that egg?

Qatadah: No; nor would I tell others to eat it.

Imam (a.s.) And why is that?

Qatadah: Because the egg is from a maytah.

Imam (a.s.): But if you hatch that same egg and a chicken comes out of it, would you eat it?

Qatadah: Yes.

Imam (a.s.): "Now, what has made the egg haram for you but made the chicken halal for you?! Similarly, the anfaha is like the egg [from the maytah but halal]..." (Wasa'ilu 'sh-Shi`ah, vol. 16, p. 364)

Yours in Islam,

Sayyid M. Rizvi

  • Advanced Member
Posted

Salam

If they say it's animal rennet how do we know which animal they are taking it from? it doesn't say animal rennet (pig) in brackets...

I've always stayed away from anything that says animal rennet anyway...

ws

  • Advanced Member
Posted
Salam

If they say it's animal rennet how do we know which animal they are taking it from? it doesn't say animal rennet (pig) in brackets...

I've always stayed away from anything that says animal rennet anyway...

ws

^^ good point

  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Mahreen
Posted

Mars bars get veggie status back

The move affected Masterfoods' chocolate and ice cream bars

Mars has abandoned plans to use animal products in its chocolate, and has apologised to "upset" vegetarians.

The firm had said it would change the whey used in some of its products from a vegetarian source to one with traces of the animal enzyme, rennet.

The Vegetarian Society organised a campaign against the move, asking members to voice their concerns to parent company Masterfoods.

Mars said it became "very clear, very quickly" that it had made a mistake.

In just one week, more than 6,000 people bombarded the company, which produces the Mars, Snickers, Maltesers and Galaxy brands, with phone and e-mail complaints.

Forty MPs also signed a petition to voice their opposition.

Fiona Dawson, managing director of Mars UK, said the company had listened to customers and decided to reverse its decision.

HAVE YOUR SAY

The Mars turnaround is about profit, not people power

Michael Winston, UK

Send us your comments

"The consumer is our boss and we had lots of feedback from consumers who were unhappy about the change," Ms Dawson said.

"It became very clear, very quickly that we had made a mistake, for which I am sorry.

"There are three million vegetarians in the UK and not only did we disappoint them, but we upset a lot of the consumers."

'Principled decision'

The Vegetarian Society had called the move by Mars "incomprehensible" and "a backward step" at a time when consumers were increasingly concerned about "the provenance of their food".

We are very pleased that they now recognise the importance of integrity to all their customers, especially vegetarians

Dr Annette Pinner

Vegetarian Society

Mars replied that, by admitting its products were no longer suitable for "extremely strict vegetarians", it was making a "principled decision".

Now it insists it will begin changing its recipes back immediately.

Dr Annette Pinner, chief executive of the Vegetarian Society, said she was pleased Mars had been "honest enough" to admit it had "made a mistake".

"A Masterfoods representative has made contact with us and we are very pleased that they now recognise the importance of integrity to all their customers, especially vegetarians," she added.

Rennet is extracted from calves' stomachs and was to have been used in the ice cream versions of all Masterfoods' bars too.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6673549.stm

  • Advanced Member
Posted
(salam)

Looks like they've started to put animal rennet in their products.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/Story/0,,2078833,00.html

Products with a "best-before" date up to October 1 are still suitable for vegetarians. The company is also offering a refund to those who cannot eat animal rennet on bars that have a later best-before date.

:(

This is not a good news for Shia Kids specially,

  • Advanced Member
Posted
Salam

If they say it's animal rennet how do we know which animal they are taking it from? it doesn't say animal rennet (pig) in brackets...

I've always stayed away from anything that says animal rennet anyway...

ws

This is really good point..... I dont eat these staffs like that..... But there are some peoples who eat a lot even they grow up.

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