Are Wine gums Halal?
It depends on what the label says.
Despite the name, wine gums contain no wine: Maynards Bassetts Wine Gums list glucose syrup, sugar, starch, gelatine, malic, acetic and citric acids, plant-based colours (anthocyanins, vegetable carbon, paprika extract, lutein, curcumin), coconut oil, flavourings and carnauba wax.
Photo: Open Food Facts contributors · CC BY-SA 3.0
How to verify
- No wine or alcohol is listed; the drink names are only stamped on the sweets.
- Find 'gelatine' on the list: Maynards Bassetts do not name the animal.
- Without a Halal mark, treat unnamed gelatine as not Halal.
- For a gelatine-free fruit sweet, see Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles.
Quick checks
- No wine or alcohol.
- Gelatine: animal not named.
- No Halal mark.
What decides the answer
-
Maynards Bassetts Wine Gums (gelatine, source not named; no Halal mark)
treat as not Halal unless confirmed -
Wine gums with a Halal mark or a stated Halal gelatine
Halal to that certifier's standard -
Gelatine-free fruit gums (pectin or starch)
no gelatine question
Why this ruling
Wine gums are fruit flavour gums; this page reads the Maynards Bassetts bags sold in the UK. People ask two things about them: whether there is wine in them, and what the gelatine is made from.
No wine inside
Maynards Bassetts describe their Wine Gums as fruit flavour gums, and the list is glucose syrup, sugar, starch, gelatine, malic, acetic and citric acids, colours from anthocyanins, vegetable carbon, paprika, lutein and curcumin, coconut oil, flavourings and carnauba wax.[1] There is no wine and no alcohol. The bag shows the gums stamped with drink names such as Port and Sherry; that is the only link to wine.
The gelatine
The list says only "gelatine", without naming the animal, and the smaller 100 g bag says the same.[2] Gelatine can come from pigs, cattle or fish, and only a Halal source is acceptable, so unnamed gelatine with no Halal mark cannot be treated as Halal. No bag we checked carries a Halal mark.
Alternatives
If you want a fruit sweet without gelatine, Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles have been gelatine-free since 2020. For other gelatine sweets with an unnamed source, see Mamba; for the brand most people ask about, see Haribo.
Where you'll find it
- Bagged sweets and sharing packs
- Frosted and Juicies versions
- Pick and mix
Frequently asked questions
Are wine gums Halal?
Do wine gums contain alcohol?
What gelatine is in wine gums?
Scholarly view
Wine gums raise no alcohol question: no wine or alcohol is on the list, and a drink name stamped on a sweet does not make it intoxicating. The issue is gelatine. Gelatine from a pig is not Halal on the mainstream view, and gelatine from cattle needs Halal slaughter; when the label says only 'gelatine', the source is unknown, so the safer course is to avoid it.
Sources
Named Islamic, certifier, manufacturer, and regulatory sources used on this page. Inline markers like [1] jump here. Retrieval dates show when we last checked the live URL. Editorial methodology.
Manufacturer / product
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Maynards Bassetts Wine Gums 350 g (barcode 7622201729592)
Open Food Facts (ingredient list checked on the pack photo) Retrieved
Fruit flavour gums. Glucose syrup, sugar, starch, gelatine, acids (malic acid, acetic acid, citric acid), colours (anthocyanins, vegetable carbon, paprika extract, lutein, curcumin), coconut oil, flavourings, glazing agent (carnauba wax). Front shows gums stamped 'Port' and 'Sherry'. No Halal mark on the pack photos.
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Maynards Bassetts Wine Gums 100 g (barcode 7622300700218)
Open Food Facts Retrieved
Glucose syrup, sugar, starch, gelatine, acids (malic acid, acetic acid), colours (anthocyanins, vegetable carbon, paprika extract, lutein, curcumin), flavourings, vegetable oils (palm kernel, coconut, sunflower), glazing agent (carnauba wax).
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