Religious Chocolate: Kosher and Halal

Religious Chocolate: Kosher and Halal
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Last month the Daily Star, a Lebanese publication, highlighted the growth of the market for halal chocolate. A religion’s dietary laws whether in Islam or Judaism, may inform chocolate. Some Jews may prioritize a kosher label; some Muslims a halal label. Generally, the kosher seal marks that the chocolate facility has been inspected by an appropriately trained rabbi to ensure that it has not been contaminated by pork products, shellfish, or their derivatives. The kosher label identifies whether the chocolate may be eaten with dairy meals or meat meals. Some producers kosher certify some of their products. Other companies kosher certify every product. Cleaning the chocolate line with water is required for the purposes of kosher certification for the festival of Passover or for switching from dairy chocolate to non-dairy chocolate. This gets tricky because water does not mix well with chocolate. Water residue in the line can ruin the chocolate. While there are some newer kosher approaches concerned with worker justice and protection of animals, this traditional certification (hechsher) of chocolate does not guarantee ethical standards. In Islam that may be the case as well.

Humaira Batool of the Halal Research Council in Pakistan explains that halal certification of a chocolate requires testing and analyzing the chocolate for standards defined in Islam for halal foods. This ensures that the chocolate contains no pork or, pork derivatives or liquor. A Canadian Muslim halal consumer group lists permitted chocolates at its website. Cadbury Australia currently lists its halal-certified candy and chocolate treats at its website, emphasizing that the gelatin in these products is also certified halal. The company became enmeshed in chocolate religious conflict in England in March 2017. However, when a photo of a Cadbury halal certificate, possibly from 2014, resurfaced on Twitter in March 2017, British customers attacked Cadbury for “appeasing the local Muslim population.” A spokesperson for Cadbury’s international conglomerate owner Mondelēz responded with this explanation of its halal-friendly, uncertified chocolate:

“In the UK our chocolate products are suitable for vegetarians and those following a halal diet, however they are not halal certified. As our chocolate products do not contain meat, the ritual of halal does not apply and in the UK carry no halal certifications of any kind. The only animal-related products we use in our British chocolate are milk and eggs.”

Chocolate sadly became a victim of this unfortunate backlash against Muslims. Nevertheless, the halal certification drives preferences in primarily Muslim markets. The Malaysian chocolate company Dazzle Food Sdn., which exports to Singapore, Indonesia, China and the Middle East, claims that halal certification boosted sales 20-30% in the last three years. The Director-General of the Malaysian Cocoa Board says: “If you don’t carry the halal logo, you can’t capture their market.”

Is a kosher or halal or kosher certification a priority for your chocolate?

Deborah R. Prinz lectures about chocolate and religions around the world. The second edition of her book, “On the Chocolate Trail: A Delicious Adventure Connecting Jews, Religions, History, Travel, Rituals and Recipes to the Magic of Cacao” (Jewish Lights) is scheduled for fall of 2017. She co-curates an exhibit about “Jews on the Chocolate Trailfor Temple Emanu-El’s Herbert and Eileen Bernard Museum, New York City.

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