The Halal Welfare Organisation has taken maximum care and effort publishing the following details of various ingredients so that consumers can benefit the basic knowledge of major ingredients, extracts, food additives, food enzymes, processing aid and carriers use for the production of processed and non processed food.

However, HWO will not take any liability, responsibility or whatsoever in terms of the 100% authenticity of the ingredients as some extracts or ingredients are vague related to their sources. The manufactures have not clearly specified/stated the source of extracts in the ingredients on various products.

It should be noted that a product being imported from a Muslim Country is not necessarily a guarantee that it is completely Halal. Similarly, food often imported from abroad into Muslim countries without the screening or detailed labelling of ingredients is really a grey and suspicious area. This is an area refer to further investigation by specialists.

Surprisingly, products for example cow milk, butter or goat cheese on the shelves does not actually mean that its Halal for consumption as the preservatives may contain animal fats which may not be Halal. This should be checked carefully by a consumer before its consumption. Easy solution for a consumer/ layman is to ring or write the manufacturer’s or retailer’s customer service and enquire the details of all ingredients including the preservatives and all related sources.

Nowadays, food technologists have applied various methods of alternative extracts or sources which are 100% suitable for vegetarians.

HWO as an endorser is working hard talking to the producers and retailers regarding detailed labelling in order to protect the consumer rights and protection.

HWO aims to educate the consumer to acquire the basic knowledge of ingredients. An alphabetical guide of Halal and Haram ingredients is stated below. Also a handy app. is under progress in order to provide the maximum consumer confidence and support for the consumption of Halal food.

The definition for the following terms are stated below :

An ingredient is a substance that forms part of a mixture (in a general sense). For example, in cooking, recipes specify which ingredients are used to prepare a specific dish. Many commercial products contain a secret ingredient that is purported to make them better than competing products. In the pharmaceutical industry, an active ingredient is that part of a formulation that yields the effect expected by the customer.

National laws usually require prepared food products to display a list of ingredients and specifically require that certain additives be listed.

In most developed countries, the law requires that ingredients be listed according to their relative weight in the product. If an ingredient itself consists of more than one ingredient (such as the cookie pieces which are a part of "cookies and cream" flavour ice cream), then that ingredient is listed by what percentage of the total product it occupies, with its own ingredients displayed next to it in brackets.

A preservative is a substance or a chemical that is added to products such as food, beverages, pharmaceutical drugs, paints, biological samples, cosmetics, wood, and many other products to prevent decomposition by microbial growth or by undesirable chemical changes. In general, preservation is implemented in two modes, chemical and physical. Chemical preservation entails adding chemical compounds to the product. Physical preservation entails processes such as refrigeration or drying.[1] Preservative food additives reduce the risk of foodborne infections, decrease microbial spoilage, and preserve fresh attributes and nutritional quality. Some physical techniques for food preservation include dehydration, UV-C radiation, freeze-drying, and refrigeration. Chemical preservation and physical preservation techniques are sometimes combined.

‘Food additive’ shall mean any substance not normally consumed as a food in itself and not normally used as a characteristic ingredient of food, whether or not it has nutritive value, the intentional addition of which to food for a technological purpose in the manufacture, processing, preparation, treatment, packaging, transport or storage of such food results, or may be reasonably expected to result, in it or its by-products becoming directly or indirectly a component of such foods.

‘Food enzyme’ means a product obtained from plants, animals or micro-organisms or products thereof including a product obtained by a fermentation process using micro-organisms.

‘Processing aid’ shall mean any substance which:

• (i) is not consumed as a food by itself;
• (ii) is intentionally used in the processing of raw materials, foods or their ingredients, to fulfil a certain technological purpose during treatment or processing; and
• (iii) may result in the unintentional but technically unavoidable presence in the final product of residues of the substance or its derivatives provided they do not present any health risk and do not have any technological effect on the final product.

‘Carriers’ are substances used to dissolve, dilute, disperse or otherwise physically modify a food additive or a flavouring, food enzyme, nutrient and/or other substance added for nutritional or physiological purposes to a food without altering its function (and without exerting any technological effect themselves) in order to facilitate its handling, application or use;

GM FOOD : According to the World Health Organization, "Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) can be defined as organisms (i.e. plants, animals or microorganisms) in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination. The technology is often called 'modern biotechnology' or 'gene technology', sometimes also 'recombinant DNA technology' or 'genetic engineering'. Foods produced from or using GM organisms are often referred to as GM foods.

An alphabetical list of Halal, Haram & Mashkook / Mushbooh ingredients to look out for:

Halāl ( "permissible"), is an Arabic term also spelled hallal or halaal, is any object or action which is permissible to use or engage in, according to Islamic law. The term covers and designates food and drink as well as matters of daily life.[1] It is one of five Ahkam—fard (compulsory), mustahabb (recommended), halal (allowed). Haram is an Arabic term meaning "forbidden". Thus it may refer to: either something sacred to which access is forbidden to the people who are not in a state of purity or who are not initiated into the sacred knowledge; or to an evil thus "sinful action that is forbidden to be done". The term also denotes something "set aside", thus being the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew concept קָדוֹש‎ Qados. Acts that are haram are typically prohibited in the religious texts of the Quran and the Sunnah. The category of haram is the highest status of prohibition.

Makruh In Islamic terminology, is a disliked or offensive act literally "detestable" or "abominable" one of the five categories in Islamic law. Wajib/Fard (obligatory), Mustahabb/mandub (recommended), Halal/Mubah (permitted), Makruh (disapproved), Haram (forbidden). Though it is not Haram (forbidden) or subject to punishment, a person who abstains from this act will be rewarded. Muslims are encouraged to avoid such actions when or as possible. It is one of the degrees of approval (Ahkam) in Islamic law.

Examples : Examples of something considered Makruh are the use of a great amount of water for the pre-prayer ablutions (ritual washings) known as the wudu and ghusl, the consumption of Onion before attending the mosque. An example of a food which considered Makruh for Muslims of the Hanafi Madh'hab is prawns (but only on Hanafi Madh'hab). Hanafis believe that you should refrain from it and eat something else if possible.

Mushbooh / Mashkook is a food designation in Islam. Literally meaning "doubtful" or "suspect," foods are labelled mushbooh when it is unclear whether they are Halal (consumption is permitted) or Haraam (consumption is prohibited). This clearly means that it is an area to investigate carefully the ingredients and their entire sources satisfactorily before the consumption.