Is Oreo Biscuit Made of 'Fat and Pork Milk'? Here's a Fact Check of Post Going Viral on WhatsApp and Facebook

Mumbai, January 16: Few posts circulating online claim that the famous Oreo Cookies or biscuits are made of Pork, i.e. they contain pig fat and milk. The text of the viral post reads, “SHARE IT FOR THE SAKE OF GOD. OPEN YOUR EYES TO THE MOON AND BACK. THE COMPANY THAT OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED THAT OREO BISCUIT IS FORBIDDEN FOR MUSLIMS BECAUSE IT IS MADE FROM FAT AND PORK MILK. SHARE IT SO THAT YOUR FRIENDS CAN BE AWARE TOO.”

The viral post says Oreo biscuits are ‘haram’ and not suitable for the Muslim diet as they are made from fat and pork milk as confirmed officially by the company. The post has been widely shared on social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook. Did Rishi Sunak Deliver Video Message on New Year 2023 From Toilet? Edited Footage of UK Prime Minister With Flush Tank in Background Goes Viral.

Oreo Not Suitable for Muslim Diet:

During fact check, we at LatestLY landed on the FAQ page on Oreo UK’s website. Answering a question whether the Oreo is halal? the company said that "Oreo biscuits produced in Europe are not Halal certified but their composition or production process does not make them unsuitable for Muslim diet." The company also provides lists of five products that do not comply with the Islamic diet. The exceptions to this are Oreo Strawberry Cheesecake, Oreo Choco Brownie, Oreo Enrobed Milk & White, Oreo Cadbury Coated and Oreo Crunchy Bites Dipped. Did PM Narendra Modi Shave His Head, Beard and Mustache After Performing Last Rites of His Mother Heeraben Modi? Here’s a Fact Check of Viral 'Mundan' Photo.

We also found an old tweet dated May 12, 2019, wherein the official handle of Oreo Cookie wrote that Oreo biscuits are not halal-certified in North America and Canada.

Not Halal-Certified in Canada and North America:

Moreover, a food technologist, in conversation with AltNews, said that bakery items like biscuits were baked at 240-300°C, so there’s no chance of alcohol staying in that process. Additionally, if a biscuit-like ‘Oreo’ contains ‘pork milk’ or ‘pork fat’, it would not carry the green circle on the packet indicating that the food item is vegetarian. He added that biscuits contained emulsifiers, which could be extracted from plant or animal sources, but if ‘Oreo’ contained an animal-based emulsifier, it would simply not carry the green symbol.

A look into the company's history, however, revealed that the cookie manufacturer used lard (pig fat) in the early twentieth century. It was only in the mid-1990s, over concerns about the healthfulness of animal fat, that Nabisco, Oreo’s parent company, decided to replace lard with partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.

Hence, the viral post that claims Oreo biscuits use Pork fat and milk as its ingredient turns out to be fake and misleading.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 16, 2023 05:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).