Short answer
It depends on the source. Mono- and diglycerides (E471) are emulsifiers made from fats, usually vegetable oils such as soy or palm, but sometimes from animal fat, including pork. Plant-based ones are halal. In the Deobandi Hanafi position, those from pigs or from animals not slaughtered by zabiha are not, so look for a vegetable source or halal certification.
From plant oils: halal. From pork fat: haram. From the fat of cattle not slaughtered by zabiha: not halal in the Deobandi position, which does not treat this processing as a complete transformation (istihala).
Other madhhabs
- Maliki
- Transformation (istihala) is accepted more widely, so some Maliki scholars and some fiqh councils hold that turning fat into an emulsifier makes a new substance whatever the source.
Explanation
Mono- and diglycerides are fats that have been partly broken down so they can hold oil and water together. They keep bread soft, stop ice cream forming crystals, and make margarine, peanut butter, cakes, crisps and whipped toppings smooth. On labels they appear as mono- and diglycerides, mono and diglycerides of fatty acids, glyceryl monostearate or E471.
They are made by reacting a fat or oil with glycerin. Today most are made from vegetable oils, especially soy and palm. Some are still made from beef tallow or pork lard, and the label usually does not say which.
- Vegetable source: halal.
- Pork source: haram.
- Beef or other animal fat: halal only if the animal was slaughtered by zabiha. The Hanafi school does accept istihala (transformation): its classic example is impure fat made into soap, which becomes pure. Deobandi scholars hold that turning fat into an emulsifier is not a change of that kind, since the fatty material stays the same, so the ruling of the source remains.
How to check: look for halal certification, the words vegetable mono- and diglycerides, or a vegan label, or ask the maker. If you ate a product before you knew, there is no sin. For other additives, see E-numbers and additives and the halal food checker.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-An'aam 6:145
قُل لَّآ أَجِدُ فِى مَآ أُوحِىَ إِلَىَّ مُحَرَّمًا عَلَىٰ طَاعِمٍۢ يَطْعَمُهُۥٓ إِلَّآ أَن يَكُونَ مَيْتَةً أَوْ دَمًۭا مَّسْفُوحًا أَوْ لَحْمَ خِنزِيرٍۢ فَإِنَّهُۥ رِجْسٌ أَوْ فِسْقًا أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ ٱللَّهِ بِهِۦ ۚ فَمَنِ ٱضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍۢ وَلَا عَادٍۢ فَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ ﴿١٤٥﴾
Say, "I do not find within that which was revealed to me [anything] forbidden to one who would eat it unless it be a dead animal or blood spilled out or the flesh of swine - for indeed, it is impure - or it be [that slaughtered in] disobedience, dedicated to other than Allah. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit], then indeed, your Lord is Forgiving and Merciful."
Pork and its products are forbidden.
Quran, Surah Al-Baqara 2:168
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ كُلُوا۟ مِمَّا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ حَلَٰلًۭا طَيِّبًۭا وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّۭ مُّبِينٌ ﴿١٦٨﴾
O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth [that is] lawful and good and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.
The default is to eat what is lawful and good.
Sahih al-Bukhari 52
Sahih... الحلال بين والحرام بين وبينهما مشبهات ...
"The lawful is clear and the unlawful is clear, and between them are doubtful matters."
Encourages staying clear of ingredients whose source is in doubt.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Taharah, chapter on impurities, on transformation (inqilab al-'ayn). A substance that fully changes takes a new ruling; scholars differ on what counts as a full change.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.