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Aisle guide
Soft drinks and energy drinks
A can is water plus chemistry. Split the colour (carmine vs plant), the flavour carrier (ethanol, glycerin, BVO), and any amino-acid blend (taurine, caffeine).
Two-minute drinks check
- Colour. Carmine (E120) is an insect colour. Carotenes, anthocyanins and caramel have their own rows.
- Flavour and weighting. Natural flavour, glycerin and brominated vegetable oil are different pages. The EU does not authorise BVO.
- Then the blend. Taurine, caffeine, glucuronolactone and guarana are named rows — capsules and carriers still apply in shot formats.
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DisputedE120
Carmine (cochineal)
A red dye crushed from cochineal insects. The majority of scholars and most certifiers rule it haram; a minority permit it. This is a genuine disagree…
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Source-dependent
Natural flavors
'Natural flavor' is the least informative word pair on the label — a regulated term that covers hundreds of compounds, some animal-derived, many alcoh…
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Source-dependentE422
Glycerin (glycerol)
A sweet humectant that keeps foods moist. The molecule is identical whether it came from palm oil or pig fat — which is exactly why the source has to …
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Unverified
Taurine
An amino-sulfonic acid used in energy drinks and pre-workouts. Industrial taurine is usually synthetic; it can also be isolated from ox bile. Until a …
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Halal
Caffeine
Caffeine: Halal. Used in eye creams for reducing puffiness and dark circles. Not intoxicating.
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Unverified
Guarana
A caffeine-bearing seed. The plant is not a halal question. Energy-drink flavourings and glycerin carriers still need a check. Unverified as a class.
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Unverified
Brominated vegetable oil
A weighting agent for citrus flavour in some soft drinks. Vegetable oil plus bromine. No A/B halal class ruling is on file. Not authorised as an EU fo…
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HalalE150(A-D)
E150(A-D) Caramel
Halal
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Unverified
Glucuronolactone
A glucose derivative in energy drinks. Synthesis from glucose is typical. No A/B class ruling is on file.
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Unverified
Yerba mate
A South American holly leaf, drunk as tea. The plant is not a halal question. Ready-to-drink cans follow flavouring and additive rows. Unverified as a…
A procedure for reading a pack - not a product certification and not a fatwa. See the methodology.