Since Pakistan is an Islamic country, it is easier to find halal food products as compared to other countries. Major non-halal food items like pork and alcohol are banned within the country.

However, several brands have come under fire in the past after rumors spread that their products contained haram ingredients. For this reason, it is important to know which brands these are as unfounded speculations are a major concern and can be detrimental to the trusts a customer places in a company. The following brands are an example of this.

1. Mentos candy

When Mentos gum was listed as haram by SANHA, the halal food certification agency of Pakistan, many wanted to know whether the Mentos candy we’ve all been consuming since childhood was also haram. The reason Mentos gum was declared haram was because it contains two ingredients, E120 and beef gelatin, that are haram for Muslims. However, the good news is that the Mentos candy sold in Pakistani supermarkets is free from haram ingredients.

2. M&Ms

After Skittles, a childhood favorite, was declared to be haram by SANHA, many people questioned whether M&Ms were also haram due to the similarities between the two. Skittles were declared haram because they contained E120, a flavor enhancer that is made from insects. Fortunately, however, M&Ms do not contain E120 or any other haram ingredients and are perfectly safe for Muslims to consume.

3. Lay’s

Recently, a controversy rose around Lay’s and their world-famous potato chips as many alleged that one of the ingredients used in the chips, E631, contains pig fat. As pig fat is haram for Muslims, this rumor spread like fire but, fortunately, there was no truth to it. E631 is, in actuality, a flavour enhancer that can be obtained from several different sources, such as pigs, plants, and fish, and the one used in Lay’s crisps is derived from plants. Pepsico Pakistan, the parent company of Lay’s in Pakistan, swiftly clarified that all of Lay’s products are completely halal and this fact was affirmed by SANHA.