This is important question for debate and discussion .I received an email saying that the Centrum A to Zinc is not halal or Kosher and that The gelatin in the Centrum vitamin products may be from a porcine source
I checked the official website of Centrum and their faq webpage but I could not find anything ,yet I found this in an online pharmacy
They are saying that it may contain porcine source which means it may or may not have a porcine source
I am taking The Centrum A to Zinc The Advance formula
I need a medical opinion here and this is not a funny thing
Updates : So there is gelatin in Centrum but they do not exactly say what the source of that Gelatin , from which animal it is whether a pork or a cow
I hate this so much
By the same standard you can ask is alcohol in my medicines renders those medicines "halal/kosher ?". I wonder; how much is it important counting and analyzing what enters ones mouth compared to what comes out of it?
ReplyDeleteNo. Alcohol and pig meat are far different when talking about halal and kosher rules. Alcohol is haram for its effects while pig meat is haram for its very ingredients.
DeleteThank you for your timely response, Imran.
Deleteno it is not halal, try finding another source by speaking with a doctor near to where you live and then you will know what other alternatives are there for you..
ReplyDeleteanonymous1 is missing the point slightly because there are alternatives that are not covered by pig gelatine or other un-halal substances. The alcohol in the medicine s/he is taking about is distilled and wouldnt get s/he intoxicated
Allah knows best
@anonymous 1, anonymous 2 answered you
ReplyDelete@Anonymous 2, the problem is that all the doctors prescribed it to me in Egypt
I am lost here , I need a medical opinion , from the ingredients of the medicine I read in the internet there is Galetine but they do not say its source ,they said may or may not , I am really lost because this medicine is imported originally for the Saudi Arabia with the inspection of their health ministry there , so I do not know
I need a medical opinion
https://www.centrum.co.uk/faq/
DeletePlease refer to above link. They have mentioned centrum supplied in middle east are from halal source. We cant be sure if centrum supplied in Egypt of from ME line or EU line. Please email the centrum people on above weblink amd they will surely confirm what source/line you are getting centrym from.
Question to Zeinobia & Anon 2: So by this logic any intoxicating medication is "haram"? and what is exactly destilled alcohol? isn't Whisky a distlled drink? What about these narcotic drugs that Doctors in the west prescribe to patients and many pharmacies get rubbed because of them??
ReplyDeleteZeinobia,
ReplyDeleteyou can take the pill nothing is haram about it.
http://www.centrum.com/whats-inside/ingredients
Deleteselect vitamin in circle.
see how to get this vitamin for our tablet.
plz check the ingredients of all vitamins up to 3 to 5 item is not allowed in Islam...see it
Physicians and most pharmacists will not be able to answer your question. Those who can answer are located in the Ministry of Health, Drugs Section, or in the Drugs Control Agency ( in Giza ). There is no question that the sources of gelatin in capsules, and other related issues, are addressed there in detail. They are also addressed in drug control agencies in most Muslim countries.
ReplyDeleteMost gelatin capsules are made from mixed sources, including pigs, but I am sure drug manufacturers can get gelatin that is not made from pigs. For you, as an individual, you probably will sleep better if you trust that your control agencies addressed these issues properly. If you don't, which I certainly understand, you may want to avoid all medications and vitamins dispensed as capsules. I currently take a multivitamin that is equivalent to Centrum and it is supplied as large tablets.
following the logic of your answer regarding alcohol and narcotic drugs then why is Centrum A to Zinc an issue?
ReplyDelete@Snoby , we do not have doctors who prescribe narcotic drugs in Egypt :)
ReplyDeleteA 2 Zince is an issue because I take it everyday where as my religious believes prohibits me from eating anything related to Pork ,I am a Muslim
@amre , how it can be if there is pork Galetin in it !!??
@Amr , are those guys in the Drug agency friendly enough to be asked ??
Zenobia...is there a website address on the bottle? The best thing to do is email the manufacturer. I take vitamins here but they are labelled as vegetable based gelatin capsules. I contacted Danone a large yogurt producer here regarding the gelatin in their yogurt and was told it was bovine based and that if I was vegetarian then I should not consume it. Only the vitamin manufacturer can give you the proper answer and if it does contain porcine gelatin then there are other vitamins on the market that will do the same thing or better. I'll google and try to find an answer for u.
ReplyDeleteZenobia...u can check out www.centrum.com or http://www.centrumvitamins.ca/
ReplyDeleteand go to the contact us link or the faq link or just search the site for ingredients.
Final post on this...also check:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ifanca.org/index.php
Eating pork is haram. However, extracting a substance from pigs to be used as medication is not Haram.
ReplyDeleteHaram. Please clear your misconceptions and do it spread false information
DeleteResurrecting and reanimating the corpse of a thread that died eleven years ago is dabbling in the occult, and therefore haram, surely.
DeleteI am not Muslim, so I shall join you in this novelty.
I think Amre must be correct, Zshann. If your two-year-old daughter is diabetic, and there's only pig-derived insulin (as was the case for many years before they invented a way to make human insulin), the halal thing to do is to sentence her to death?
You can always try calling them. I am sure that if you reach the right person he will talk with you. A faster way, is probably to call the manufacturer, hopefully in Egypt. Centrum is currently owned by Wyeth ( An American Co ), and I don't know if they make it in Egypt or they have an agreement with a local company to make it.
ReplyDeleteWhen placing a significant number of chemicals in each capsule, it takes a very sharp worker to pay attention to the source of capsules and the raw gelatin in them. Again, you can try to avoid capsules, especially for these supplements, or trust your control agencies and your religious authorities who probably issued tens of fatwas addressing medical needs versus religious prohibitions.
@North American princess , thanks for the links they are so useful ,thanks so much
ReplyDelete@Amre , but if there is an alternative for that medicine then there is no need for it
@Amr , already I feel stupid , as I found there is an arabic paper comes with A to Zinc saying there is any pork product in the medicine as a confirmation from Saudi Arabia
@ Zeinobia no..a medicine is a medicine........it is not haram at all, whether there is an alternative or not
ReplyDeleteI have asked the workers of the company "Whitehall-Much" in germany. They sell Centrum in germany. They told me that Centrum does contain pork and beef. That means that centrum is 100 % NOT halal. It is NOT halal for muslims and it is NOT halal for jews!
ReplyDeleteI have asked the workers of the company "Whitehall-Much" in germany. They sell Centrum in germany. They told me that Centrum does contain pork and beef. That means that centrum is 100 % NOT halal. It is NOT halal for muslims and it is NOT halal for jews!
ReplyDelete@anonymous, thanks but are you 100% sure ?? because then I have to report it here and in my Arabic blog not to mention the authorities in Consumer protection board
ReplyDeleteDid you find any FINAL answer on this?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately no anonymous,I could not find a final answer,I can't depend on the internet alone ,there are pharamaceutials in Egypt whom I asked and told me that was untrue and nothing haram in it
ReplyDeleteDearie Zeinobia, I know this information is very late but I found your blog about this now and I have found your asnwer to your question. It is haram to eat it. Here is the link for you to see yourself.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.centrumvitamins.ca/content/faq/
by the way, a gf of mine who used to buy Centrum vitamins told me the one from Saudi Arabia is halal to eat!
ReplyDeletei read all comments but i find the final suggest for u that if a single dout in ur heart to eat any thing than u have to keep avoid this things u should find the other alternative . centrum is haram for all muslims its true
ReplyDeleteThat was a wonderful post! Thank you for sharing! Articles like this keep my updated with the current situations in our society or different body of knowledge that a human must know especially about medicine specifically about vitamins. I admire you guys for sharing your post.
ReplyDeleteKosher Vitamins
Salamualikum. I live in Albany, NY and I took the time to call Centrum today. The number is provided on the back label of every product: 1-877-CENTRUM. The woman that I spoke to, clearly said to me that the Gelatin used in the product is derived from Pork. Please contact Centrum by calling them if you still want to further confirm.
ReplyDeleteI called the company and they said that all of the Centerum products contains Pork, so its Haram.
ReplyDeleteBlackmore is another good multivitamin and it is vegetarian
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how u guys spend this much time And energy discussing such matter . Islam is not about restrictions , it's about facilitating. A medicine is a medicine (Ure not taking it for fun) and Ure definitly not eating pork. So, spend ur time and effort on more meaningful things
ReplyDeleteCenterum is haram and Muslims must not use it.
ReplyDeleteFor reference please read the answer to FAQ(Q: Are Centrum multivitamins halal?) here:
http://www.centrum.co.uk/faqs
For Halal multivitamin see this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.noorvitamins.com/Noor-Vitamins-FAQs
http://www.centrum.co.uk/faqs as of 12th June, 2014:
ReplyDeleteQ: Are Centrum multivitamins halal?
A:No.
Centrum multivitamins marketed in Europe contain vitamins derived from pig gelatine (pigs are not Halal).
Please note that Centrum multivitamins marketed in the Middle East are specifically formulated to be 100% porcine free, in line with local Middle East Board of Health requirements
I am in Canada, and I called the company to ask about the source of Gelatin that they use. They said it is from Pork. Therefore I said to them that I will no longer use it and will advise all my friends to stop using it. They apologized to me and offered refund.
ReplyDeleteFrequently Asked Questions | Centrum http://m.centrum.co.uk/faqs-mobile?search=halal&=GO&field_faq_question_value=halal&tid=All#ios
ReplyDeleteAre Centrum multivitamins halal?
ReplyDeleteNo. Centrum multivitamins marketed in Europe contain vitamins derived from pig gelatine (pigs are not Halal). Please note that Centrum multivitamins marketed in the Middle East are specifically formulated to be 100% porcine free, in line with local Middle East Board of Health requirements
From link below:
ReplyDeleteQ: What is the source of gelatin in Centrum multivitamins?
A: Several of the vitamins used in the Centrum formulations do contain gelatin, which is derived from Bovine (Cattle) or Porcine (Pigs) sources.
Q: Are Centrum multivitamins halal?
A: No. Centrum multivitamins contain vitamins derived from pig gelatin (pigs are not halal).
https://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/centrum-vitamin-faq-s#:~:text=Centrum%20multivitamins%20halal%3F-,A%3A%20No.,(pigs%20are%20not%20halal).