Is homogenised halaal or not halaal milk?

Answer 1

The short answer is that all fresh milk is Halal and milk sold in Canada and the USA is considered to be Halal regardless of whole, skim, 2% or homogenized. The long answer below explains each term in the question to explain why it is Halal and includes a reference list at the end.

For this question, the first thing to answer is "what is Halal Milk?" and then "what can make milk Haram?", then one can answer how homogenization effects milk. Finally, I will include references for where you can go to check for yourself if you are not satisfied with the answers available or if you just want to know exactly what is in your food.

So, while the short answer is that by itself fresh cow's milk is Halal, federal law requires that vitamins A and D be added. This introduces the potential for an emulsifier (in the vitamin mix) to be added to the milk and some emulsifiers may be made from pork, which is Haram. Fortunately, milk distributed in USA and Canada uses emulsifier 322 which is from Soy and is Halal. (See List of Halal and Haram emulsifiers below.) An explanation for why Federal law required these additions is that when the vitamins began being added t o milk in 1940 Rickets disease in children was reduced by 85%.

Finally, to make homogenized milk it is passed through a fine nozzle that breaks up the natural fats found in milk and distributes them more evenly throughout the liquid. This will not change the content of the milk, just mix it up more, therefore it will not effect if the milk is Halal or Haram.

References:

Scientific paper (Dec 2000) on Milk and Vitamin D additives by Professor Anthony Norman, Dept Biochemistry & Biomedical Sciences, University of California.

Source: vitamind.ucr.edu/milk.html

According to the Muslim Consumer Group, all milk sold in Canada and USA is Halal.

Source: muslimconsumergroup.com/Product.do?menu=Product&eventAction=newfoodproducts&subEventAction=productdetail&productId=6630

Overview of Halal Milk and vitamin emulsifiers.

Source: .ehalal.org/milk.html

The Halal Digest includes scriptural sources regarding Halal Milk and more details about homogenization.

Source: ifanca.org/newsletter/2001_01.htm

If you want to check for yourself, you can ask the company that made the product for a complete ingredient list including the emulsifiers and then compare it's "e-code" to the list of Halal and Haram emulsifiers.

Source: websrilanka.com/The%20Complete%20List%20of%20Emulsifier%20Codes.htm

Peace.