Which food additives are haram?

Out of more than 470 additives this site classifies, only five are rated haram: carmine (E120), bone phosphate (E542), shellac (E904), L-cysteine (E920) and L-cystine (E921). Each is made from an animal or insect source that the halal rules we apply do not permit. A much larger group, including gelatine (E441, E428), mono- and diglycerides (E471), lecithin (E322) and sorbitan tristearate (E492), is doubtful (mushbooh) rather than haram, because the same code can come from a plant or an animal and the label does not say which. Most other additives, from citric acid to sodium benzoate, are halal.

Published October 9, 2026

The five additives rated haram

Carmine, listed as E120 and also called cochineal or carminic acid, is a crimson colour extracted from cochineal insects. It is the best-known haram additive. The verdict follows from the raw material: an insect source that the rules this site applies do not permit. Scholars do differ here. The Hanafi school holds insects impermissible, while the Maliki school permits eating them and Indonesia's fatwa commission (MUI) has ruled cochineal permissible, so a product certified by an authority following that ruling can legitimately contain it.

Bone phosphate, E542, is calcium phosphate made from ground animal bone and used as an anti-caking agent. The strict reading behind this verdict requires the bones to come from permitted, halal-slaughtered animals, which bone supply chains cannot demonstrate. A lenient reading holds such phosphates permissible through complete transformation (istihala).

Shellac, E904, is a glaze made from the resin secreted by the lac insect, used as a glazing agent to give confectionery and chocolate a shiny coating. Some scholars compare it to beeswax and honey, which are permitted secretions, and several certification bodies certify food-grade shellac on that basis. The stricter reading applied here points to the Hanafi objection to insect derivatives and the practical difficulty of separating the resin from insect residue during harvesting, so the stored verdict is haram.

L-cysteine, E920, and its close relative L-cystine, E921, are amino acids used as improving agents in baked goods such as bread rolls. Historically L-cysteine was made from human hair, and scholars agree that no part of the human body may be used in food. Duck feathers are another source, which raises the ordinary slaughter question, while synthetic and fermentation-produced L-cysteine raises no objection. Because a label never says which process was used, the site rates both codes haram; a halal certificate that names the source is what settles a specific product.

Doubtful, not haram: the families people confuse

These additives are often assumed to be haram, but on this site they are doubtful (mushbooh). The difference matters: haram means the source is prohibited, while doubtful means the substance may well be permissible but its origin is unresolved.

Gelatine is the most argued-over case. Its official number is E428, but labels often print E441 for it, even though the international list assigns 441 to a rapeseed-oil emulsifier. Pork gelatine is impermissible by broad agreement, beef gelatine needs a halal-slaughtered animal for most certifiers, and fish gelatine is accepted by all schools. Since the label rarely names the source, both E428 and E441 are rated doubtful.

Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, E471, are emulsifiers made from edible oils and fats that may be vegetable or animal. Lecithin, E322, usually comes from soya, sunflower or rapeseed oil and sometimes from egg yolk; none of these sources is prohibited, but the label often shows only "emulsifier". Sorbitan tristearate, E492, is made with stearic acid that can come from palm oil or from beef or pork fat. All three are doubtful only because the source is unknown, and the doubt falls away once the manufacturer declares a vegetable source or a halal certificate covers the product.

Scary names that are halal

Several additives sound alarming but are halal by origin. Sodium benzoate, E211, is a preservative made from petrochemical and mineral raw materials, with no animal or alcohol source at any stage. Citric acid, E330, is made by growing a mould on plant sugars; the fermentation produces an acid, not alcohol.

Maltitol, E965, is called a "sugar alcohol", but the phrase describes its chemical structure only. It is made from plant starch, is not ethanol and does not intoxicate. Glycerol, E422, can historically come from animal fat, but modern glycerol is mostly a by-product of plant-oil processing or fully synthetic, and the site rates it halal. Carrageenan, E407, comes from red seaweed and is often used as a plant-based replacement for gelatine.

A halal additive does not make the whole food halal. A dessert containing citric acid and gelatine is still judged on the gelatine.

How this site decides

Every verdict uses one of four labels: halal, haram, doubtful (mushbooh) or unknown. The rules follow the OIC/SMIIC standards for halal food and food additives, and the fact that decides most verdicts is whether a substance can be animal-derived. An additive from a prohibited source is haram; one that may be plant or animal with no way to tell from the label is doubtful; one of plant or mineral origin, or from a permitted animal source such as beeswax, is halal.

These are automated classifications, not a fatwa and not a halal certificate. Sources vary between producers and even between production runs, so for a specific product the certification mark on the pack is the authority. To check a particular food, open its product page or scan the barcode in the app.