Nutella USA, while responding to a question on Twitter clarified that their product is not halal. Halal means ‘permissible’ or ‘lawful’ in Arabic while ‘haram’ means forbidden. Halal is usually associated with dietary laws as per Islam and meat needs to be processed as well as prepared as per those requirements.
No, they are not halal.
— Nutella (@NutellaUSA) September 13, 2020
Muslim fans were clearly not amused. However, instead of taking out their anger on the hazelnut chocolate spread brand, they decided to convince the brand and themselves that while it is not ‘halal certified’, it is still halal by default.
It’s just not certified halal but it is halal by definition as long as there are no animal by products (aside from dairy) or any alcohol in it
— 𝔑𝔞𝔣𝔣𝔶 🖤🍒 (@nafology_) September 14, 2020
When a heartbroken fan asked for proof that Nutella is not halal, another fan explained how there are no animal products (except dairy) or alcohol in it, it is halal by default, not just ‘halal certified’.
Yes they are. Paying a Rabbi/Imam/Priest to sign a piece of paper doesn’t make things halal or not halal. All of your ingredients are halal, your product couldn’t be “not halal” even if you wanted them to be.
— Taha Meli Arvas (@TahaMArvas) September 14, 2020
One angry fan who is also an Islamic scholar, was mighty upset at Nutella informing people about their own product not being halal.
They can't officially declare it "Halal Certified" due to regulations and laws that prevents them more doing so.
— Hasib Noor (@hasibmn) September 14, 2020
It does not mean it's not halal.
Some even suggested how Nutella USA should learn social media from other brands which know how to communicate about labelling.
This is a typical example of a company's social media account answering a question they don't have proper knowledge about. They could have said Nutella are not halal certified. I think companies in the UK are much more educated about halal labelling than the US. https://t.co/elpAG7ftT1
— Mohammad Zaheer (@mzaheer88) September 14, 2020
Some were upset that Nutella USA being non-halal means that Nutella hates Muslims.
So u hate Muslims is what ur saying? https://t.co/yZZLn9FMsX pic.twitter.com/1YVbhjzhqx
— Leena (@al33nah) September 14, 2020
And of course, some fans don’t really care much about labels.
I will eat nutella even if it had orphan tears as an ingredient https://t.co/Lltt3rZfFU
— Ahmed Almansoori (@Hackmed804) September 14, 2020
In reality, the halal certification depends on the country one lives in. US and Canada laws do not require certain products to be halal certified while the same products with same ingredients are halal certified in other countries they are sold. You could read more on halal and non-halal products here.
