Is Mars Halal?

Is Mars Halal?

Mars Incorporated — makers of Galaxy, Maltesers, Bounty, Snickers, Twix, M&Ms, Milky Way, Skittles, and Starburst — does not hold halal certification for any of its standard UK or EU product lines.

The central question is not whether Mars products contain obvious haram ingredients like pork or alcohol (they generally do not), but whether the emulsifiers used — particularly E471 — come from animal or plant sources. Mars does not publicly disclose this, making most of its products Mushbooh (doubtful).

The Emulsifier Issue

The majority of Mars chocolate bars contain E471 (mono and diglycerides of fatty acids). This emulsifier is used to improve texture, extend shelf life, and reduce production costs.

E471 can be derived from:

• Vegetable fats (sunflower, soya, rapeseed) — Halal
• Animal fats (beef tallow, pork lard) — Haram or Mushbooh depending on source

Mars has not published or confirmed to independent halal certifiers which source is used in UK manufacturing. Without that disclosure — and without independent audit — the product cannot be verified as halal.

E476 (PGPR, polyglycerol polyricinoleate) is used in some Mars products (notably certain Galaxy variants) to reduce cocoa butter content. E476 is typically derived from castor oil (plant-based) and is generally considered halal, but without certification the source is unverified.

E322 (lecithin) is used in several Mars products and is most commonly soy-derived — generally halal. Some Mars products specify “soya lecithin” on the label, which is a positive indicator, though not a replacement for full certification.

E120 (Carmine) in Skittles and Starburst

This deserves particular attention. Skittles and Starburst are Mars products. E120 (carmine/cochineal) is a red colouring derived from crushed female cochineal insects — considered haram by the majority of Islamic scholars.

• US Skittles: Carmine was removed from the recipe in 2009. US Skittles are now free from E120 and use plant-based colourings.
• UK/EU Skittles: Check the current label. Formulations can differ between US and UK/EU markets, and reformulations do not always happen simultaneously.
• Starburst UK: Check the current label for E120.

Always verify the specific pack you are holding, as Mars reformulates products periodically and regional formulas differ.

Product-by-Product Overview

Contains E471 (Mushbooh):

• Mars Bar
• Snickers
• Twix
• Bounty
• Milky Way
• M&Ms (most variants — also check E120 in red/orange varieties)
• Galaxy (chocolate bars and sharing bags)
• Maltesers

Check for E120 (potentially haram colouring):

• Skittles (check UK label — US recipe removed E120)
• Starburst (check UK label)
• M&Ms (check red/orange coated varieties)

Potentially lower risk:

• Galaxy Ripple — check current label, but E471 presence means Mushbooh
• Bounty (coconut and chocolate only) — still contains E471

Mars in Muslim-Majority Markets

Mars manufactures dedicated halal-certified products for markets with large Muslim populations. Products sold in Malaysia and Indonesia are produced under local halal certification from JAKIM and MUI respectively. These are made in different facilities and to different specifications than UK/EU products.

Do not assume UK-purchased Mars products carry Malaysian or Indonesian halal certification. The certifications are facility- and market-specific and do not transfer.

What to Check on the Label

1. Look for a recognised halal logo (HMC, HFA, MCB, or another ISNA/IFANCA mark) — none currently appears on standard UK Mars products
2. Check for E471 — if present without certification, treat as Mushbooh
3. Check for E120 — particularly in coloured products (Skittles, Starburst, M&Ms)
4. Check whether lecithin is specified as “soya lecithin” — this is a positive indicator but not a substitute for full certification

Summary

Factor	Details
Halal certification (UK/EU)	None
Key concern	E471 — source undisclosed
Secondary concern	E120 in coloured products (Skittles, M&Ms, Starburst)
Verdict	Mushbooh — not verifiably halal without certification
Halal versions	Available in Malaysia and Indonesia (regional certification only)
Recommendation	Choose a halal-certified alternative for certainty

Mars has the manufacturing scale to obtain halal certification if it chose to. Until it does so for UK/EU markets, standard Mars products remain Mushbooh and should be avoided by Muslims who follow strict halal guidelines.

How we reached this verdict

We checked the following Tier-1 sources before publishing this verdict:

• HMC / HFA: Silent on UK Mars retail. No formal certification on Mars chocolate bars.
• Manufacturer (Mars Incorporated, UK): In May 2007 Mars UK announced a switch toward animal rennet in whey, prompting consumer backlash. They reverted within weeks and publicly committed to all-vegetarian sourcing across the UK range (Mars, Snickers, Twix, Maltesers, Galaxy, Minstrels, Skittles, Starburst). UK packaging carries “suitable for vegetarians” labelling on most chocolate bars. A vegan Galaxy line launched in 2019. Mars Wrigley UK confirms vegetarian status across the standard chocolate range.
• JAKIM (Malaysia) / MUI (Indonesia): Mars products produced for Malaysian and Indonesian markets carry local halal certification.
• Sunni fatwa on E471 / E476 source: IslamQA Hanafi (case 34988), Darul Iftaa Trinidad, Daruliftaa.com — source must be verified; manufacturer disclosure of plant-source = halal; pork-derived = haram.
• Sunni fatwa on vegetarian-suitable label: Darul Ifta Birmingham (IslamQA case 245452) — vegetarian-suitable + no alcohol = halal indicator under mainstream Sunni rulings, accepted across the four madhabs as a sound general principle.
• Mon Cheri-equivalent / liqueur-filled chocolates: Mars does not produce alcohol-filled chocolates in its standard UK range.

Madhab note

The four Sunni madhabs broadly converge on the source-verification rule for E471 / E476:

• Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i: Mars Wrigley UK’s public vegetarian-suitable sourcing commitment (since 2007) and vegetarian labelling on the standard chocolate range constitute manufacturer-level plant-source disclosure for the emulsifiers. Combined with no alcohol in the standard UK range, the products lean Halal under the Sunni mainstream rule (vegetarian-suitable + no alcohol = halal indicator). However, the absence of independent third-party halal certification (HMC, HFA) means cross-contamination is not formally audited — this is the basis for our cautious Mushbooh verdict on the broader UK range.
• Hanbali / HMC-strict view: requires formal independent halal certification, which Mars UK does not have. Mushbooh until certified.

JAKIM-certified Mars products in Malaysia and MUI-certified products in Indonesia are halal across all four madhabs (formal independent certification covers everything). Saudi Arabia and Gulf market Mars products under local halal certification are similarly halal across all four schools.