Customers can purchase different varieties of cheese, such as cheddar, parmesan cheese, etc., from various brands at the market, although Muslims are not permitted to consume all of them; they have to ensure if it is halal or not.
Therefore, when buying cheese, be vigilant and check the ingredients to determine whether the cheese is halal or not. The cheese industry is quite unstable, and enterprises' Halal statuses are changing quickly. Cheese is often considered vegetarian-friendly, but is it halal? Let’s find out.
What Is Halal Cheese?
Cheese that sticks to the dietary regulations of Islam is referred to as halal. That means for the cheese to be halal, it should follow the rules mentioned in the Quran. One particular component employed in manufacturing cheese can make it haram: rennet.
Rennet is primarily derived from animals. It's possible that the manufacturer might not disclose which animal’s rennet was used then; there is no guarantee that it is halal.
One can get rennet from plants and animals. When it comes to vegetarian cheese, they are not made from the ingredients that come from the slaughtering of animals, so basically, you can say they are halal. In fact, some brands have gotten the certificate of halal cheese.
How Is Rennet Used?
The majority of cheese-making procedures require the enzyme rennet. You can get rennet from different animals, but it is mostly obtained from cows. The reason why one cannot determine if the cheese is halal or not is that one might know the source of rennet.
It's possible that the animal wasn't killed according to Muslim laws. Also, there might be possibilities that the rennet is not obtained from cows. As a result, the cheese would be considered haram.
Is Cheddar Cheese Halal?
The answer to this question is complex. You must read the label and ingredient information carefully to ensure the cheddar cheese is halal. In several nations, labels increasingly include information about the product's halal status on their packaging. Some vegetarian items are generally a good choice, but you should also check if they include alcohol or not.
The best you can do is to look at the ingredients and, if any have unknown origins, you can avoid the product. If the manufacturers have halal certification, they do not use alcohol-based ingredients while making cheese, gummies, or other food. The halal seal of approval guarantees that no animals were mistreated or tortured in manufacturing cheese.
Conclusion
Depending on the components used to produce it, cheddar cheese can either be halal or haram. If the ingredients that go into cheese production are halal, it will ultimately be halal. If rennet is used, obtained from an animal slaughtered by Shari'ah, it is pure and suitable for consumption.
It is halal to consume rennet if it is obtained without following the shariah for slaughtering animals or if it is obtained from an animal that dies naturally.