Want to try Twizzlers but not sure if this candy is halal or haram?
Do you only use food and drinks permitted according to Islamic law, trying to make everything you consume halal, but you lack information about the halal status of some food products?
How to determine whether Twizzlers are halal or haram if the halal certificate is not marked on the packaging?
On these questions, we will answer n the following text.
If the halal certificate is not marked on the packaging, then the product’s halal status is determined based on the ingredients used in its production.
The manufacturer must highlight the list of these ingredients on the packaging, and it can be used to find out which additives, preservatives, or flavorings were used, which could affect the product not being halal.
From the list of ingredients, it can also be concluded which are the sources of the ingredients which is one of the important factors based on which the product’s halal status is determined.
Whether a product is halal or not can be influenced by the processes during production and how the product is stored and distributed.
For a product to be halal in the production facilities, it must not come into contact with anything that is haram and does not conform to Islamic guidelines on food production.
Also, the product must not be stored or distributed with non-halal products.
In this text, we will present some facts based on which you can conclude whether Twizzlers are halal or haram.
What kind of candy are Twizzlers?
Twizzlers are chewy candies that are perfect for chewing and are not sticky. This candy will not stick to your fingers or teeth.
The Hershey Company produces Twizzlers in different sizes, but the method for all of them is the same: after mixing all the ingredients, they are squeezed into long ropes and then cut.
The original types of Twizzlers are Twists, Nibbles, and Bites.
We already said that Twizzlers are a kind of chewy candies perfect for chewing.
Gelatin is used to produce chewy candies because it is necessary to provide a dense structure suitable for chewing and firm but also elastic enough to require little effort to bite or chew.
In addition to gelatin, and sugar, various flavors, colors, and other ingredients, such as corn syrup, are generally used for chewy candies.
Chewy candies include gummies, fruit chews, caramels, and taffy.
This type of candy is significantly different from hard candies or chocolate due to its specific texture and mouthfeel.
Gelatin is an essential ingredient of chewy candies, obtained from a natural animal source by cooking animals’ ligaments, bones, skin, and tendons.
Gelatin obtained from pork is not halal, and gelatin obtained from beef is halal, provided that the livestock is slaughtered according to halal protocol.
Many manufacturers of food products use some substitutes instead of gelatin in production.
These are some alternatives to gelatin: Kudzu, Pectin, Cornstarch, Guar Gum, Instant Clear Gel, Tapioca or Arrowroot Starch, Vegan Gel, Carrageenan, and Agar Agar.
No gelatin is used in the production of Twizzlers. After all, none of the ingredients used in the production of Twizzlers are of animal origin; they are prepared on a plant basis.
What ingredients are used in Twizzlers?
In the production of Twizzlers are used these ingredients: Palm oil, enriched wheat flour, corn syrup, corn starch, soy lecithin, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, salt, artificial flavor, artificial colors, and glycerin.
Enriched wheat flour is flour to which vitamins and minerals have been added. However, some essential and nutritious ingredients are lost in obtaining flour by grinding wheat grains.
There are two ways to obtain wheat flour: grinding with steel rollers and grinding with stone rollers.
According to some theories, heat is generated when grinding with steel rollers, which negatively affects the wheat germ and leads to the loss of many enzymes and vitamins.
According to the same theories, more useful substances are retained in the flour when grinding with stone rollers.
For the production of Twizzlers, flour is enriched with vitamin B, iron, and some other useful substances.
Corn syrup contains different amounts of sugar depending on the variety of corn from which it is obtained.
Corn syrup contains glucose, higher oligosaccharides, and maltose.
Corn syrup, in the food industry, is used to increase volume, soften the structure of products, improve taste and prevent sugar crystallization.
Corn syrup is also known as a confectioner’s glucose and glucose syrup.
Corn or glucose syrup can be obtained from some other sources besides corn. For example, it can be produced from potatoes, tapioca, and wheat.
Corn syrup is sticky and sweet, and combined with other ingredients in the production of Twizzlers, its specific properties ensure that the product’s structure is soft and chewy.
This natural ingredient is used in the food industry as a sweetener to help thicken the mixture.
The sources for obtaining corn syrup are natural, so this herbal syrup is also halal.
Corn starch is the ingredient that provides the structure to Twizzlers. This ingredient makes the structure chewable and is used as a thickening agent.
Corn starch is obtained from corn and is known as corn flour.
Corn starch does not contain proteins, only carbohydrates, so this ingredient is gluten-free.
This is a natural ingredient and is halal.
Sugar is the main sweetener in the production of Twizzlers.
Sugar is found in the fibers of almost all plants, but only in sugar cane and sugar beet is there enough of it to be processed efficiently and for production to be profitable.
Sugar beet is grown in slightly colder climates, and sugar cane is on plantations in the tropical climate zone.
The production and trade of sugar changed the course of history and civilization.
Only from the 18th century was sugar available and at an affordable price for use by the broadest class of consumers; until then, sugar could only be used by well-to-do and rich people.
Before the expansion of sugar production and trade, various other products were used as sweeteners in kitchens, the most common of which was honey.
If you’re wondering if Twizzlers contain a lot of sugar, we’ll tell you right away how much it is, so you can judge yourself.
Each Twizzlers has about forty calories and a little more than five grams of sugar.
If it is known that twenty-five grams of sugar per day is the recommended upper amount that can be safely consumed for women, and thirty-six grams for men, then it is easy to calculate how many Twizzlers per day you can eat without exceeding the recommended amount.
Sugar is a natural ingredient and is halal.
Palm oil is obtained from the palm tree. The fruit is reddish due to its high beta-carotene content, and its size is slightly larger than an olive.
The seeds of this tropical fruit are also used to obtain, albeit of a lower quality and not-so-healthy oil.
Palm oil is used both as a crude and refined oil, but only about one-fourth of its total amount appears on the market in its crude, unrefined state.
Refined palm oil has a pleasant taste and a much weaker smell than raw palm oil.
Crude palm oil has a recognizable reddish color, while refined, processed palm oil is a pale yellow.
Refined palm oil is an important ingredient in many food products, from sweets to pastries. Refined palm oil is also one of the ingredients in the production of Twizzlers.
Palm oil is a natural vegetable oil and is halal.
High fructose corn syrup is significantly different from corn syrup.
High fructose corn syrup is made by converting a large percentage of the glucose found in corn syrup into fructose. This process of converting glucose into fructose uses the enzyme D-xylose isomerase, which has been isolated from several bacteria.
This process results in a much sweeter substance.
Citric acid is an essential ingredient in the production of Twizzlers because it provides a distinctive sour taste.
Citric acid is often obtained from lemons or limes but is found in every citrus fruit.
Because citric acid is obtained from citrus fruits, it is a natural and halal vegetable acid.
Glycerin is an agent used in the food industry for producing sweets, biscuits, ice cream, cocoa, chocolate products, and many bakery products.
In the production of Twizzlers, glycerin increases volume and retains moisture.
The caloric value of glycerin is the same as that of sugar, but its consumption does not increase the glucose level in the blood, so diabetics can also consume it.
Glycerin as an ingredient in the production of Twizzlers could be a problem because it can be obtained from animal or vegetable fats and oils.
To claim with certainty that this ingredient is halal, it is necessary to determine the source from which it was produced.
If the source is of vegetable origin, then such glycerin is halal and poses no problem. Still, if the glycerin used in the production of Twizzlers is of animal origin, then it must be determined whether the source is halal or haram.
Salt is an ingredient that is added in the production of Twizzlers to improve the taste but also as a natural preservative.
For adults, the daily amount of salt that can be consumed is about six grams.
Salt is very important for the healthy functioning of the human body. Still, excessive salt intake can be harmful, especially due to increased blood pressure, and cause cardiovascular health problems.
All types of salt are halal in the diet.
The importance of salt in everyday life can be illustrated by citing two well-known expressions: namak halal and namak haram.
Namak haram, as an expression, denotes forbidden or treacherous salt and is used in conversation when friendship is broken.
Unlike namak haram, the term namak halal means loyal or righteous salt and is used in situations where trust and friendship should be emphasized.
Artificial flavors are an important ingredient in Twizzlers because they give these products recognizable fruit flavors.
Twizzlers are produced with strawberry, licorice, grape, watermelon, chocolate, cherry, lemon, orange, and raspberry flavors.
When using artificial flavors in the food industry, there is always doubt about whether the product is healthy and safe for consumption.
But it should be emphasized that sometimes there is no difference between artificial and natural flavors because they have the same chemical composition.
In some cases, artificial flavors are safer than natural ones.
This is the case when some dangerous substance can be found in the natural aroma, and removing it and keeping only the taste needed to produce a food product is possible.
For example, artificial almond flavoring will certainly not contain the toxic cyanide that may sometimes be found in natural almond flavoring.
Those harmful substances will not be in the artificial almond flavor because they will be recognized during the analysis and removed from the artificial almond flavor as unnecessary and dangerous.
This ingredient is safe for use in the food industry and is halal.
Soy lecithin is the most common additive in food products.
It is used to improve the texture and shelf-stability of Twizzlers.
Artificial colors are an important ingredient in the production of Twizzlers.
Twizzlers use food coloring that the Food and Drug Administration approves.
For example, the distinctive bright red Twizzlers use food coloring labeled Red 40.
Conclusion
The Hershey company states in an official statement that ingredients obtained from animal sources are not used in the production of Twizzlers.
Still, the packaging in the United States does not display a certificate confirming that the product is halal.
In Canada, Twizzlers is certified as a Halal product, which confirms that it consists of permitted ingredients and that they have followed a protocol in the production process that aligns with Islamic dietary guidelines.
In Canada, Twizzlers has been certified as a halal product by the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA).
Read also: Is Laffy Taffy Halal? / Is Jelly Belly Halal?
