Gelatine-Free Sweets in the UK: How to Spot Them on the Label

A gelatine-free sweet is one where the ingredient list names something else doing the setting, most often starch, pectin, agar or carrageenan. The difficulty is the sweets that say only "gelatine", because the pack then does not tell you which animal it came from. Some packs are more helpful than people expect, as the supermarket marshmallows below show.

What marshmallow packs say about their gelatine

Marshmallows are a useful test, because nearly all of them are set with gelatine. These are the own-brand and other marshmallows in our product data, with the wording each pack uses.

Tesco, Aldi and Morrisons' pink and white marshmallows name pork gelatine. Sainsbury's, Asda and the Co-op name beef gelatine. Haribo and Drumstick say only "gelatine". The one gelatine-free pack in the set is a vegan brand, Free From Fellows, which uses carrageenan (E407). Our checker still marks it Doubtful, but only because of "natural flavouring", which does not say what the flavour is made from or dissolved in. Open Food Facts also tags it halal, which is a contributor's tag and not a certificate we have seen. Morrisons' pink and white marshmallows also list carmine, so they need a second look beyond the gelatine. The last column is the date of the Open Food Facts record, a volunteer-edited database, so check the pack you are holding, as recipes change.

Naming the animal helps, but beef gelatine is not a halal answer by itself. It is halal only when the cattle were slaughtered in the Islamic way, and a pack that says "beef gelatine" does not say that, which is why we mark it Doubtful. Pork gelatine is Haram, fish gelatine is halal, and gelatine with no source is Doubtful. Our gelatine page sets out the positions, including the minority view that processing changes the status, and the references behind them.

What sets a gelatine-free sweet

Gelatine-free sweets still need something to give them body. You will most often meet these:

• Starch and modified starch, from maize, wheat or potato. It makes a softer, shorter chew than gelatine, which is why many gelatine-free sweets feel different.
• Pectin (E440), extracted from citrus peel or apple, for a clean-biting jelly.
• Agar (E406) and carrageenan (E407), both from seaweed. Carrageenan sets the Free From Fellows mallows above.
• Gum arabic (E414), the dried sap of acacia trees, which thickens and glazes sweets more than it sets them.

None of these raises the animal-source question that gelatine does, and each of the pages linked above explains how it is made. They do not tell you anything about alcohol, flavourings or colours, which still need reading.

Not every Haribo contains gelatine either. In our data Giant Straws and Rainbow Strips are set with starch.

Giant Straws list beeswax and carnauba wax as glazing agents. Beeswax is an animal product, but it is not one that raises a halal question. The Rainbow Strips record is a poor scan of the pack, and as recorded it lists mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, the family behind E471. That is a good reminder that a sweet can be free of gelatine and still have an ingredient worth a second look.

Vegetarian, vegan and halal logos

A vegan label rules out gelatine, carmine and shellac, since all three come from animals or insects. The Vegetarian Society's own trademark criteria exclude gelatine, insects and shellac too. So the Vegetarian Society logo on a pack settles the question of gelatine, carmine (E120) and shellac (E904), but it says nothing about alcohol.

A plain "suitable for vegetarians" statement is different. Shops and manufacturers apply their own standards to their own wording, so on a pack without the Vegetarian Society logo it is worth glancing at the colours and the glaze for carmine and shellac. Scholars differ on both. Our checker treats carmine according to the insect setting in your settings, which avoids it by default, and always marks shellac Doubtful. A halal logo covers the whole product, including the source of any beef gelatine, but only if you trust the certifier. See HMC and HFA for the two you will meet most.

What Haribo says

Haribo UK's FAQ says its UK range uses gelatine "deriving from pork", with an exception for its halal products, which use beef gelatine. It also says the range has products that people following a halal diet can enjoy. Those are the manufacturer's words, not ours. If you are buying a Haribo you believe is halal, look for the halal logo on the pack and see who certified it. Our Haribo page has the rest.

In the shop

If a pack says only "gelatine", leave it unless the maker confirms the source. If it names the animal, remember what pork and beef each mean, as above. If it lists starch, pectin, agar or carrageenan and no gelatine, the setting agent is sorted and you can look at the rest of the list. For a quick answer on any sweet, scan the barcode or photograph the label and the checker will flag gelatine, carmine and doubtful additives with the reason.

This guide is information, not a religious ruling.