What it is and where it comes from
Gelatin is a protein made by boiling the skin, bones and connective tissue of animals. Most gelatin in Europe is made from pig skin. The rest comes from cattle hides and bones, and from fish skin. There is no plant gelatin: plant gelling agents such as agar and pectin have their own names.
What scholars say
- Fish gelatin, and gelatin from animals slaughtered in the halal way: halal for all.
- Pork gelatin: not halal for the great majority of scholars and every halal certifier.
- A minority, including some Hanafi scholars and a 1995 seminar of the Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences, hold that making gelatin fully changes the raw material (istihalah), so it becomes pure. Others reply that gelatin is still the same protein, so the change is not complete.
- Beef gelatin from cattle not slaughtered in the halal way: scholars differ, for the same reason and because some accept meat slaughtered by Jews and Christians (Quran 5:5).
Where you find it
Jelly sweets and gummy bears, marshmallows, jelly, mousse, cheesecake, some yoghurts and desserts, aspic, liquorice, cake glazes, capsules and some vitamin tablets.
What to look for on the label
Halal if the label says "fish gelatin", "halal beef gelatin" or carries a halal logo. "Beef gelatin" alone means the slaughter is unknown. A plain "gelatin" or "E441" can be pork: avoid it or ask the maker. Agar (E406), pectin (E440) and carrageenan (E407) are plant alternatives.
This is a guide, not a fatwa. Recipes change, so check the label, look for halal certification, and ask your local imam where scholars differ.