Follow Up – Lays 100% HALAL

I am writing as a follow up article to Zaira’s post of “Lays – 100% HALAL.” The whole issue of Lays being HARAM falls onto the claim that Lays uses an ingredient known as E-631, which is a flavor enhancer.  E-Code ingredients are known to be extracted from pig fats and nowadays there are several E-Codes that are used across the world as ingredients in many products. Just to add more to the current topic, the Chinese Salt that we use in our foods at home or in restaurants is also known as MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) or more commonly Ajinomoto, is also an e-code number E-621.

The issue of Lays being classified as HARAM is because of the flavor enhancer E-631, since e-codes are known to be extracted from pig fats. I googled for the Lays issue in Pakistan and was lucky to find out a blog named Mukalma, which gives a decent explanation of the extraction of the E-631. I am quoting the text from the blog below:

“Some googling tell that E631 can be generated in 3 different ways:

1. It can be obtained from sardines (fish).

2. It can be made from brewer yeast extract which is a by-product of beer making process.

3. It can be extracted from pig meat.

If method #1 is used then it is Halal. If method #2 is used then it is not Haram but it is better to avoid it. However if method #3 is used then most certainly it is Haram.”

So we should understand the fact that pig fats is not the only source of E-631. Yes, it is used in other countries because extracting E-631 from pig fats is the cheapest method available. But we should at least respect the Islamic bodies who certify Lays as not being HARAM.

Moving on to the proof of the claim of Lays being HALAL, the following are a series of images and scanned copies that certify the fact. I must mention that I got motivated to look for this after Naveed’s humble comments of sharing the letters and certificates that Pepsi Foods has issued, and fortunately I was lucky enough to find the scanned copies of the letters on another blog post known as Mukalma. Thanks to Naveed for motivating me to do so once again .

These letters are gathered by Mr. Umar Shafiq who is a regular blog reader of Mukalma, which seemed like a great blog to be a follower of. Thanks to Umar for sharing them at Mukalma, so we also got a chance to benefit from them. Another thing that the author of Mukalma mentions is that E-631 is also present in snacks like Kolson Slanty, Kurkure and Cravys, hence on the same logic as Lays, should these be declared HARAM as well?

Below are the letters from Pepsi Pakistan that show that the E-631 ingredient used in Lays is from a Halal source:

E631 is an ingredient used in the flavoring masala for Lays. The masala is called Masala Magic PC, which is bought and imported from IFF (International Flavors and Fragrances) – Thailand. The following certificate from IFF is another proof of Halal masala being used in Lays in Pakistan.

To add more credibility, The Central Islamic Committee of Thailand certificate below has ensured that the Masala Magic PC, product of IFF, is Halal:

In order to tackle this situation and the negativity, Lays has started a campaign to ensure all the consumers that it is a Halal product. The Islamic Committee and Jamia Ashrafia has certified and endorsed Lays as being 100% Halal. The following is a media statement and the print campaign started off by Lays on 14th May 2009:

It’s been a long post but I guess being educated enough, all of us should start looking and understanding logic rather than falling for things without logic.

Although, one of our blog readers Mr. Farhan questioned on Zaira’s post ”Lays – 100% HALAL,” that “What about Lays in other countries?” I would like to say that the information given above is for PAKISTAN only and is not relevant to other countries.

On the other hand, we should definitely be careful in consuming the IMPORTED Lays available at the stores these days since they are not made in Pakistan.

Tags: 100%, 14th May 2009, ajinomoto, aligncenter, attachment, blog, brewer yeast, caption, Chinese Salt, chips, e 621, E-Codes, E621, E631, fats, Flavor, flavor enhancer, googling, Halal, Haram, IFF, ingredients, International Flavors and Fragrances, Islamic Committee, Jamia Ashrafia, Lays, Masala Magic PC, Mr. Farhan, MSG, Mukalma, Muslims, Naveed, pakistan, Pepsi, Pepsi Cola International, Pepsi Foods, pig, Pig fats, pig meat, print campaign, sardines, snacks, Thailand, The Central Islamic Committee of Thailand, width, yeast extract, Zaira

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