Alcohol Flavourings and Vanilla
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Most food products nowadays contain some type of flavouring – natural, artificial, or a combination of both. Many of these flavourings contain alcohol, which is used as a carrier or solvent for the flavouring.
The actual amount of alcohol in the finished food product may vary, but it is usually around 0.5% or less, as the alcohol evaporates during the production process. Items such as drinks and ice creams can contain a bit more, since no evaporation takes place. Such a small amount of alcohol is not required to be declared on the ingredients declaration on the packaging of the product.
We follows the opinion of major contemporary Hanafi scholars including the venerable Mufti Abu Yusha of the UK (highly acclaimed foods expert) The fatwa in our times is that synthetic alcohols (and all alcohol not sourced from dates and grapes) in foods and otherwise is pure (tahir), and permitted to use and consume on the conditions that:
(a) it is not used as an intoxicant;
(b) it is not used as intoxicants are used (i.e. for alcoholic consumption, even a little);
(c) it is not used in an amount that intoxicates;
(d) it is not used in vain (lahw).
This verdict applies to alcoholic flavourings only (based on need and necessity and common predicament) and not where alcohol is added as an ingredient in a product. In that case, regardless what the source of the alcohol is, it is not permissible.
The verdict of many contemporary ‘Ulama is based on sources of Hadith which infer that alcohol from dates and grapes are regarded as Khamr (intoxicants categorically mentioned in the Qur’aan), and that other alcohols will not be termed as khamr in the technical sense and thus not impure.
The Hadith from Sahih Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmizi, Nasai, Ibn Majah says that Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam said:
Khamr is from these two trees: dates and grapes“.
(I’laus sunan Vol.18 Pg.26)
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