Is Kraft Mac And Cheese Halal?
Mac and cheese or macaroni and cheese is a very popular dish in North America amongst teenagers and adults as it’s really easy and quick to make. While living here many Muslims argue whether mac and cheese are halal or not. So I did some digging on this topic.
Mac and Cheese are not made of any haram ingredients as far as I have researched, although it contains cheese, and the rennet used to make the cheese comes from the animal’s stomach. We can never be sure if the cheese is halal or not and scholars’ opinion on this differs as well. In my case, I stay clear of food products that are not 100% halal.
Mac N Cheese Halal Or Haram?
It’s not a simple yes or no answer to this question. So I will try my level best to describe it in detail. Quran tells us that Muslims have to eat and drink only halal products which are mentioned in Quran.
In halal products, we have animals and seafood. Seafood is usually halal but for animals to be halal Islam directs us to slaughter them first. Slaughtering is a way to kill animals in a respectable manner according to Islamic principles.
I did not find any haram ingredients in mac n cheese but cheese is involved. Rennet is used in the making of cheese and it usually comes from the bellies of animals. The rennet used in Kraft mac n cheese comes from the animal stomachs and probably was not slaughtered according to Islam.
Scholars differ on this topic and this is why I don’t have a simple yes or no answer. The vast majority of scholars agree that it is haram. Some say that it is halal as at the time of the Prophet of Allah, peace be upon him, he used to buy cheese from the fire worshippers and so it is an exception. Watch the video where Shaikh highlights this more.
Depending on the school of thought you follow you should decide for yourself if you should consider mac n cheese to be halal or haram.
READ NEXT: Is Chocolate Liquor Halal?
Ingredients of Kraft Mac n Cheese
As I said earlier no pork or any haram ingredients are found in Kraft mac n cheese. [source]
- ENRICHED MACARONI (WHEAT FLOUR, DURUM FLOUR, NIACIN, FERROUS SULFATE [IRON]
- THIAMIN MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1]
- RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2]
- FOLIC ACID
- CHEESE SAUCE MIX (WHEY, MILKFAT, SALT, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SODIUM TRIPHOSPHATE, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF TAPIOCA FLOUR, CITRIC ACID, LACTIC ACID, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, WITH PAPRIKA, TURMERIC, AND ANNATTO ADDED FOR COLOR, ENZYMES, CHEESE CULTURE)
What Mac n Cheese Is Halal?
As we are not clear about the cheese used in the mac n cheese we cannot be sure whether a product is halal or not. Although the vast majority of Muslims eat Kosher and believe that Kosher is halal too. If you live in a place where you can find Kosher food easily, it can be a good alternative.
You can look for Wacky Mac Macaroni and Cheese. It’s Kosher and totally safe in my opinion. Another halal product I found is Foulds Mac & Cheese.
I hope you can find the alternative easily if you live in North America.
READ NEXT: Is Fermented Kimchi Halal? [Quran And Sunnah]
FAQ
Is Kraft Mac n Cheese Vegetarian?
Mac n Cheese is made up of macaroni and cheese. The rennet used in making the cheese comes from the animal bellies. It also contains Gelatin which includes animal enzymes. Kraft Mac n Cheese is not considered vegetarian.
Is Kraft cheese singles vegetarian?
The cheese source is usually beef or any other animal. The animal enzymes present makes it not vegetarian. We have discussed Halal and vegan mac n cheese products in this article.
Is Kraft Mac n Cheese Kosher?
The enzymes used to make the cheese powder comes from an animal. If you want Kosher mac n cheese go for Wacky Mac n Cheese.
Final Thoughts
Scholars vary on whether mac n cheese is halal or not. The rennet used in the cheese makes it hard for us to decide whether it’s allowed or not. You can follow the scholar according to your following or you can just stay clear of the food that is ambiguous. I have shared halal products above which might be a better solution to your mac n cheese halal and haram problem.
And Allah Knows Best.
