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I was shopping for snacks yesterday, and I saw a new product (not sure where from; I'm in Canada but as there was Chinese writing on the package I assume it was foreign). Among the ingredients was one listed as "Gelatine (Plant)".

I know that vegetarian products are (in general) halal, so the "(Plant)" strongly suggests halality. However, while there are a number of gelling agents which come from plants, gelatine itself is derived from collagen: To the best of my knowledge this is animal protein and never comes from plants.

So what is this stuff? Is it halal?

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  • I can only assume they mean a plant substitute for gelatin, and write plant gelatin for short.
    – oshirowanen
    Commented Feb 28, 2013 at 9:14
  • I often see that 'Plant Gelatin' is often referred to as a gelling agent in the ingredients.
    – Aboudi
    Commented Jun 24, 2017 at 1:04

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Your assumption is right. Gelatin is derived from animals. However, there are some gelling agents such as pectin that come from plants. These are carbohydrate based and are not chemically related to animal gelatin. I think these are called vegetable gelatin and might be what you saw on the label. When it comes to whether it’s Halal, I suggest you make your own judgment(You are more qualified than I). But again, If it’s veggie based, I don't see any problem with it.

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