Every food product we sell is halal
Not most of it. Not the parts that are obviously fine. All of it.
That is a simple sentence, and keeping it true takes work — because halal is not only about meat.
What we actually check
- Gelatine. The most common thing that catches people out. Sweets, marshmallows, jellies, yoghurts, some capsules and desserts routinely contain pork gelatine. Anything we sell in those categories is either gelatine-free or made with halal-certified gelatine, and we say which on the product page.
- Emulsifiers and additives. E471 and its relatives can come from animal or plant sources. We check the source, not just the E number.
- Alcohol. Flavourings, extracts and some vinegars carry alcohol. We check the carrier, not just the headline ingredient.
- Rennet. Cheese is only halal if the rennet is. Microbial or halal-certified only.
- Cross-contamination. For meat and prepared food, we ask about the line it was produced on, not just the recipe.
- Certification. Where a product carries certification — HMC, HFA, or an equivalent — we record which body issued it.
Fresh meat
Our fresh halal meat is prepared for collection at our Glasgow shop. If you want to know where a particular cut came from or which certification it carries, ask us at the counter. We will tell you, and if we cannot, we will say so rather than guess.
When we are not certain
We do not list it. A product whose status we cannot establish does not go on the site while we work it out. That occasionally means we are slower to stock something than a competitor. We think that is the right trade.
Tell us if we get it wrong
If you believe something we sell is not halal, email us and we will look into it the same week. If you are right, we will remove it, say so publicly, and refund anyone who bought it.