A graphic, which claims that Cadbury's Oreo biscuit is forbidden for Muslims as it contains "fat and pork milk", is going viral on the internet warning people against consuming the product.
An archive of the post can be seen here.
(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)
(Archives of similar claims can be found here, here, and here.)
What is the truth?: Oreo products produced and distributed in India have a green mark, which confirms that they are 100 percent vegetarian.
We reached out to Mondelez International, which owns the brand 'Oreo' to verify the truth behind the claim.
Their spokesperson told The Quint, "All products manufactured by Mondelez India Foods Pvt Ltd in India are of vegetarian origin. The green dot on the wrapper confirms that."
How did we find out?: We reached out to the contact for 'Zamjan realtors' to verify if they are the source the graphic.
We noticed contact details mentioned at the bottom of the graphic.
(Source: Viral image/Screenshot/Altered by The Quint)
We received a response via text message on WhatsApp, where one Syed Mukaram said that they "are not aware" of the post, adding that somebody had used their logo and contact details to share the post on social media.
"Ignore that post and don't forward it," he said.
What does Oreo's website say?: A keyword search led us the 'frequently asked question' (FAQ) section of Oreo's official United Kingdom website.
While answering the question if the products are halal, the company said, "biscuits produced in Europe are not Halal certified but their composition or production does not make them unsuitable for Muslim diet."
It also mentioned five products that come under the exception to this category.
As per the company, except five products, Oreo biscuits are not unsuitable for Muslim diet.
(Source: Oreo UK website/Screenshot)
We also found a tweet from Oreo dated 15 January, where it said that their products in the United States and Canada are not halal certified.
The company advised the user to check the ingredients to know whether it would be suitable for their diet.
The Quint reached out to Mondelez India for their inputs over e-mail, where their spokesperson said that all products manufactured by the company in India were of " vegetarian origin," which was confirmed by the green dot on the wrapper.
FSSAI certification: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) mandates the use of differently coloured dots to denote whether the product is vegetarian, non-vegetarian, or contains eggs.
It also specifies the use of symbol consisting of a green colour filled circle in the case of vegetarian food.
The "green mark" on product means vegetarian.
(Source: Amazon India/Screenshot/Altered by The Quint)
It directs that "pork fat, lard and beef fat or extract" shall be declared by their specific names. If a product uses any of these products, FSSAI requires the producer to specify the name of the animal whose extracts have been included.
What is a halal product?: According to the Jamiat Ulama Halal Foundation (JUHF), the word halal is of Arabic origin, which means allowed or permissible by the Islamic Sharia Law.
Conditions for halal: According to the JUHF's website, there are a few requirements for food items to be certified as halal.
The product should not consist or contain any part of matter of an animal prohibited by Islamic Sharia Law for a Muslim to consume or that has not been slaughtered in accordance with the same law.
It must not have anything which is impure, or 'najis' – which is specified under three categories:
Severe (such as dogs, pigs, and their descendants).
Medium (with the exception of above two, such as blood, pus, etc).
Light (namely urine of a baby boy solely fed on breast milk and is less than 2 years old).
Conclusion: The graphic stating that Oreo biscuits 'haram' for Muslims because they are made of pork fat and milk is misleading.
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