A clarification has been issued by the UAE authorities regarding a social media claim about Oreo biscuits being non-halal. The UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MoCCAE) said that the news about Oreo biscuits containing pig fat and alcohol is not true.
They clarified that the manufacturing process nor the product itself uses any kind of animal-origin ingredients or any sort of by-products from animals like fat or grease.
MoCCAE Clarifies About The Issue
In order to confirm the claims, a laboratory test was done and it was proved that the product contains ingredients that are mentioned on its label.
There was no presence of any hidden ingredients, especially pork or alcohol. The authorities went on to clarify that the allegation that Oreo biscuits contain alcohol is entirely untrue because of the dry composition of the product itself.
The UAE officials assured that every imported and traded food product is passed through strict quality-checking procedures. They also pass through approved standards and specifications dictated by the country with respect to religious and cultural sensitivities.
Together with MoCCE, the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) also gave clarification on the matter. ADAFSA said that the fake news spreading in the media about a product called Oreo biscuits manufactured by the American company Mondelez International containing ethanol and lard (a fat derivative of pig fat) is not at all based on any sort of scientific proof.
Other than the customary safety and quality control is done on the products imported into the Emirates, ADAFSA also does periodic tests of food products being sold in the UAE market to make sure that they are suitable for human consumption and also to verify if they contain the same ingredients as mentioned in their labels. These food products are not released into the market until the safety check is not completed.
The present rumor surfaced initially in 2019 with a social media message from the official oreo account. The official statement was misinterpreted by some people to spread fake information about the contents of the product.
The official product statement stated that oreo biscuits are not completely vegan-certified in USA and Canada as the equipment that was used to manufacture the product might have come in contact with milk. Generally, vegan-friendly products are considered halal but in this case, the product being not vegan-friendly doesn’t mean that they contain non-halal products.
Furthermore, there was confusion while translating one of the ingredients used in the product. The ingredient called ‘Chocolate liquor’ should have been translated as ‘Cocoa paste’ in Arabic and this confusion also led to the misinformation.
The Dubai municipality issued a clarification in 2019 regarding the same matter. They clarified that the Oreo biscuits marketed in the UAE are manufactured in Bahrain and so there is no doubt about the product being halal. The same news has resurfaced in social media after two years.
The UAE has a globally advanced Halal system formed on the basis of best practices in the food industry. UAE has given great detail into the establishment and development of the Halal industry and recently, the nation has switched to a high-quality infrastructure that fulfills the requirements of sustainability and international best practice standards.
According to the UAE Cabinet Decree No- 10 of 2014, every company concerned with the manufacture or marketing of food products or other related products in the UAE shall obtain a Halal certificate for its final product and also for the raw materials used to manufacture the product.
These certificates are issued by the Halal certification bodies working under the Ministry and the certification should be based on the standards and requirements laid out in the Cabinet Decree No-10 of 2014.
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A Halal National mark has been introduced by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology to label products that have cleared the Halal quality standards. This mark is granted to the products only after fulfilling the dictated standards and regulations under the UAE System for Control of Halal Products.
The Halal mark is issued by the Department of Conformity under the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology and this mark is part of an ideal model that is meant to validate the entire supply chain of halal products in the UAE according to the Sharia law.
Even though the Halal mark is an optional step in the supply chain, any product, local or global that has open compliance with the rules and regulations of the Islamic Sharia law should obtain the halal certification from the concerned authorities.
Regarding the latest controversy, the MoCCE warned the public to not trust such kind of fake news and to verify the credibility of news before sharing it on a public platform. The main aim of this kind of fake news is to create confusion and panic among the public.