Graphic claiming Oreo biscuits contain ‘pork fat and milk’ is Fake!

Mondelez India’s spokesperson confirmed to Fact Crescendo that Oreo biscuits in India is vegetarian product.

A graphic poster circulating on social media claims that Cadbury’s product Oreo biscuit is forbidden for Muslims because it is made from ‘fat and pork milk’. Sharing this poster user’s mention that Cadbury themselves have agreed that their product contains pork fat and milk.

The text in the poster reads, “Share it for the sake of God. Open your eyes to the moon and back. The company that officially announced that the biscuit is forbidden for the Muslims because it is made from fat and pork milk. Share it so that your friends can be aware too.”

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Fact Check- 

We started our investigation by observing the viral poster very carefully where we found a logo, contact number along with an email ID- zamjamrealtors@gmail.com. We contacted this number and a Syed Mukaram interacted with us. He told us that he did not issue any such poster and that his logo was falsely used in the viral poster. He advised social media users not to forward this post without verifying. 

What does Oreos website mention?

We visited the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section on Oreo UK’s website. We found that the company has answered to the question ‘Is Oreo Halal’ here. They mentioned, “Oreo biscuits produced in Europe are not Halal certified but their composition or production process does not make them unsuitable for Muslim diet. The exceptions to this are Oreo Strawberry Cheesecake, Oreo Choc’o Brownie, Oreo Enrobed Milk & White, Oreo Cadbury Coated and Oreo Crunchy Bites Dipped.”

This FAQ clearly mentioned that the biscuits produced in Europe are NOT halal certified. Next, we came across a tweet by Oreo Cookie mentioning that, “Halal Certification will depend on the country you live in. OREO cookies in the US and Canada are not Halal Certified. We always recommend checking the ingredients and the label to guarantee the suitability for your diet.”

What is Halal Product?

Halal originates from the Arabic word namely halla, yahillu, hillan and wahalalan, which means allowed or permissible by the Islamic Shariah law. When food or goods are described as Halal or are described in any other expression to indicate that the food or goods can be consumed or used by a Muslim. Such expression means that the food or goods are:

1. Does not contain anything which is impure/ ‘najis’ according to Islamic Shariah Law and Fatwa

2. Does not contain any part of a human being or its yield which are not allowed by Islamic Shariah Law and Fatwa

3. The food products must not have anything impure or najis that can be broken down into 3 categories:

a. (severe) such as dogs, pigs and their descendants or birth from either one of them;

b. (medium) which is with the exception of the above two, such as blood, pus, faeces and etc; and

c. (light) namely urine of a baby boy who is solely on breastfeeding and has not reached the age of two years old.

What does the Cadbury Oreo Company has to say about this?

Fact Crescendo connected with the Mondelez India Spokesperson from Mondelez India Foods Private Limited- Rakhee Bansal. She informed us “All products manufactured by Mondelez India Foods Private Limited in India are of vegetarian origin.  The green dot on the wrapper confirms that.”

What does the green dot imply?

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) mandates the use of differently coloured dots to denote whether the product is vegetarian, non-vegetarian, or contains eggs.

FSSAI’s website states that every package of Vegetarian Food shall bear a declaration to this effect by a symbol and ‘Green’colour code for this purpose to indicate that the product is Vegetarian Food. The symbol shall consist of a green colour filled circle.

The website also mentions that products containing pork fat, lard and beef fat or extract thereof shall be declared by their specific names.

Below you can see the packet of Oreo biscuits available on Amazon India for sale. It contains the green dot as mandated by FSSAI.

Conclusion-

Fact Crescendo found that the claim made along with the viral image is False. Cadbury’s product Oreo biscuit is not forbidden for Muslims in India. Oreo biscuits manufactured by Mondelez India Foods Private Limited in India are of vegetarian origin. It does not contain pork fat and milk in it.