What is the Sharai ruling on consuming Mono and Diglycerides.
I read somewhere that it should be avoided unless the source is mentioned.
Looking at the ingredients in grocery items, many items contains these and source is not mentioned so should it be avoided?
Bismillahi Ta’ala
Walaikum Assalam Warahmatullah
Mono and Diglycerides are glycerol molecules sourced from the glycerolysis of fatty acids from either plants, seeds or animal fats.
For muslim halal consumption, our requirement would be that if the glycerolysis is done on animal fats, then those animals should be halal zabeehah. While, Darul Iftaa Canada is still conducting our research on whether such a form of glycerolysis brings about absolute change (metamorphosis) in the modality of these fatty acids, the current stance of Darul Iftaa Canada (askhalal.ca) is it is necessary to find out the source of such glycerides.
The food industry is getting very concerned of the dietary needs of vegans and vegetarians. This gives us an advantage since the vegan diet does not equally accept animal based glycerides too.
When you see any product and see any of these ingredients (mono and diglycerides, glycol, glycerol, glycerin, propylene glycol, Esters of fatty acids etc.) then you must abstain from that product until there is some form of clarification that it is not sourced from animals.
As a procedure you should contact the company and confirm from them if the product has any animal ingredients, byproduct or any animal enzyme utilization in the preparation of any of its ingredients.
Alternatively, if the item has a Kosher certification, then you should check if it is a milk item. In this case a Kosher-Dairy stamp helps remove any possibility of animal ingredients, byproduct or any animal enzyme utilization. The same is the case for Kosher-Pareve stamp.
If you find that you are not able to discern which ingredients are to be checked, you could join our AskHalal Whatsapp Group and follow the guidelines to post the product for us to review and guide you through the process for a resolution.
Finally, as a muslim, keep in mind that the “tawaqquf” i.e. abstention that you do out of caution is itself an ibaadah and reward-worthy from Allah. This is regardless of whether the product is in reality halal-suitable or not.
Wallahu A’lam
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Faisal al-Mahmudi