Does OREO Contain Pig’s Milk?

Rating:

• OREO does not have halal certification in Turkey, but that does not mean it is haram.
• OREO contains no evidence of pig milk or any additives derived from pigs.

As you know, there is a belief from ancient civilizations that Coca-Cola contains rat blood or insects. We are constantly confronted with disinformation about such world-known foods. It seems like a new one has been added to the caravan of these claims the other day… Some internet users are constantly claiming that OREO biscuits contain pig’s milk. A witch hunt has been launched for OREO, as additives derived from pork are forbidden in Islam.

Two questions arise: “Does OREO contain pig’s milk?” and “Is OREO halal?” 

That’s why we researched it.

Is There an Additive Containing Pig in OREO?

First of all, to investigate this, we begin to examine the subject with some important words. At first, we could not reach a clear explanation as to whether OREO contains a substance derived from pigs. OREO says on its official Twitter account that it has obtained halal certification in the Middle East, North Asia, and Pakistan. However, he adds that the job of obtaining halal certification depends on the procedure taken by the countries. Therefore, unfortunately, we cannot find the answer we are looking for, since Turkey is not included in any of these groups.

Then we started researching the ‘Ingredient’ part of the product to research the additives in OREO. We enlarge the content information of the product on the Migros website.

When we look at the ingredients of the product, we do not see pig’s milk. Therefore, not having a halal certificate does not mean that OREO is haram.

The Claim Is Due to a Misunderstanding of a Tweet by OREO

Of course, this claim does not exist only in Turkey. Muslims from many parts of the world are also debating whether OREO is religiously halal. The starting point of this claim is OREO itself… Yes, you didn’t hear it wrong.

In 2019, a Twitter user tagged OREO’s official account asking if ‘OREO is halal’. On top of that, OREO: “Thank you for reaching out to us. OREO is not halal.” gives the answer. Here the belt breaks and the endless ‘Is it halal or haram?’ discussion begins. However, if the OREO company had explained in detail why it is not halal certified and why it is also haram, things might not have come to this.