Oreo Says Its Cookies in US and Canada Aren’t Halal But There’s More

Who here doesn’t love Oreo cookies? Most of us here can’t get enough of them. Which is why we were all shocked when we came across this tweet recently:

https://twitter.com/Oreo/status/1127225123386339328

Going by this official tweet from Oreo Cookie’s Twitter page, Muslims from all across the world will be understandably apprehensive about consuming the world-famous cookies.

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But There’s More

However, it seems that the person handling this account may not have done their research properly. Or maybe they did, and wanted to eliminate any possibility of doubt? Its a bit complicated than that and we break it down for you.

As per Oreo’s own FAQ:

 

Basically, Oreo cookies are made with ingredients that do not contain any alcohol and animal extracts at all, making it perfectly veggie-friendly. By extension, anything that’s veggie-friendly is Halal and kosher.

However, here’s where it gets a bit tricky. The FAQ also mentions that these cookies might not be suitable for vegans, due to something they call milk as cross contact. If you are confused as to what that means, basically the company says that the equipment or ingredients used to make Oreo cookies may have come into contact with milk. This term alone opens up a debate about these cookies not being ok with vegans , especially those who tend to shun all animal-related produce, which also includes milk.

Just to clear the confusion caused by the initial tweet here’s where most Oreos are manufactured at:

Oreo is manufactured by Mondelez Malaysia (Kraft Foods). There are hundreds of halal certified products using Oreo as their ingredients. To be certified, all ingredients and the process together has to follow the standards of halal certification

Oreo = fulfilled the requirement https://t.co/6RAyak7NuR

— 키라님⁷ (@jiminandme) May 14, 2019

For those who like imported Oreo cookies, some caution is called for. For those who prefer the local version of Oreo cookies, read on.

Are Oreo Cookies Halal in Pakistan and Other Muslim Countries?

The most simplest answer is the most obvious one. Oreo cookies are made by Continental Biscuits in Pakistan, who are certified halal.

Even their packaging comes with a Halal label.

So in Pakistan and select Muslim countries, there’s no issue about Oreos being haram.

And of course, people had a field day with this thing:

Good morning to everyone except the guy who is researching if Oreos are halal.

— Shaykh Azhar Nasser (@ShaykhAzhar) May 14, 2019

https://twitter.com/KhaledEreikat/status/1128164139598139392