Aisle guide
Flavourings
Flavouring on a pack is a class, not a chemical. Split the aroma from the carrier (ethanol, glycerin) and from any fish or hydrolysed protein.
Two-minute flavour check
- Name the class. Natural, artificial, smoke, extract, sauce.
- Then the carrier. Ethanol and glycerin decide more labels than the aroma chemical.
- Then any animal note. Anchovy, oyster, Worcestershire, hydrolysed protein.
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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-dependent
Artificial flavouring
A legal class, not a chemical. Synthetic aroma chemicals are typical; solvents, carriers and any animal-derived notes are not declared. Treat as mashb…
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Disputed
Vanilla extract
Real vanilla extract is vanilla beans steeped in alcohol and water. Whether that alcohol carrier matters is one of the most genuinely contested questi…
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Unverified
Vanilla Bean
Vanilla Bean (Vanilla planifolia): a plant-derived flavouring ingredient. No external A or B source currently classifies it. Insufficient evidence.
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Disputed
Almond extract
Almond flavour in alcohol and water — the same carrier question as vanilla extract. Some bottles use glycerin or propylene glycol instead. Follow the …
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Disputed
Peppermint extract
Peppermint oil in ethanol, or in glycerin. Same scholarly split as other culinary alcohol carriers. Peppermint oil (the essential oil, no ethanol) is …
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Source-dependentE1517
Glyceryl diacetate (diacetin)
A glycerin acetate, the di-ester next to triacetin (E1518). Glycerin can be plant or animal, so the solvent inherits that question. Not a ruling on th…
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Source-dependent
Worcestershire sauce
Anchovy, vinegar, molasses, tamarind and spices, often with barley malt vinegar. Two separate checks: the fish and the vinegar. Vegetarian bottles exi…
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Source-dependent
Fish sauce
Fermented fish and salt. Fish is generally treated as halal; added wine, hydrolysed protein or unspecified flavourings on cheap bottles are not.
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Disputed
Oyster sauce
Oyster extract, sugar and soy — a condiment, not the animal and not a brand. Named positions disagree. Hanafi: Darul Iftaa Birmingham Fatwa 06831 — oy…
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Unverified
Ethyl vanillin
Synthetic vanilla-note aroma, stronger than vanillin and not the same molecule. Carrier (ethanol, propylene glycol, glycerin) decides more than the ar…
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Unverified
Eugenol
Clove-note aroma chemical in flavour and dental products. The oil and the solvent are the checks. No grade A/B page was opened. Muttoo catalogue desk …
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Unverified
Anethole
Anise and fennel note. Nature-identical anethole is not the same question as anise spirit. Carrier still matters. Insufficient evidence. Muttoo catalo…
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Unverified
Citral
Citral is a fragrance allergen that EU cosmetics law requires on the ingredient list above a set concentration. That is an identity and a labelling ru…
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Unverified
Orange oil
Peel oil in flavour and cosmetics. Folded oils and extracts can carry ethanol. The fruit is not the question. Muttoo catalogue desk (grade C): no grad…
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Unverified
Lemon oil
Peel oil. Same carrier question as orange oil. Not a copy of the lemon-juice row. Muttoo catalogue desk (grade C): no grade A/B certifier or scholarly…
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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 …
A procedure for reading a pack - not a product certification and not a fatwa. See the methodology.