Seeing the word “natural” on a product’s label can often mislead consumers into thinking the product is healthy or — for Muslims — Halal, but that isn’t always the case.
When a product is made with natural flavoring, for instance, the ingredients may come from animals, fruits, vegetables and even eggs or dairy products.

“It’s a very gray area, said Sami Absy, Halal processing coordinator with Halal Transactions of Omaha. “The idea is that it is natural and is not made in a lab.”

Indeed, natural does not necessarily equate healthy, Absy said.

“There aren’t as many safety measures for natural flavorings,” he said. “Artificial flavorings, on the other hand, is stuff strictly made in the lab, and they have many more safety measures.”

Meanwhile, as customers see natural flavoring on an ingredient label and the product isn’t certified Halal, Absy advised consumers contact the company.

Part of Absy’s job with HTO entails tracing down the origin of natural flavorings before the product can become certified Halal.

“It’s a rigorous process,” he said. “It can be very vague. For instance, processing companies may have an idea of what is used, but might not have details. If they don’t know, I go to the ingredients company. I go to the original source and get the information from them.”

Only then can he determine whether the natural flavor comes from a Halal source or not.