Are Twizzlers Halal? Ingredients & Kosher Status

Twizzlers are a licorice-style candy made by Hershey. The classic Strawberry Twists have a short ingredient list: corn syrup, enriched wheat flour, sugar and cornstarch, plus small amounts of palm oil, salt, artificial flavor, citric acid, mineral oil, Red 40 and lecithin. The pack lists soy and wheat as allergens ^[1].

Three things stand out for halal shoppers:

• No gelatin. Twizzlers get their chew from wheat flour and starch, not gelatin ^[1].
• No carmine. The red color is Red 40, a synthetic dye, not insect-based carmine ^[1]. See our Red 40 page.
• Kosher mark. Hershey's product page shows an OU kosher symbol for Strawberry Twists ^[1].

The flavor is artificial, so the question of alcohol in natural flavors doesn't come up for this item ^[1].

Hershey's FAQ points shoppers to lists of products that are certified kosher and products that qualify as vegan ^[2]. It does not offer a halal list or say any Twizzlers are halal certified ^[2].

Kosher is not the same as halal. A kosher mark tells you there is no pork and that a rabbinical body checked the ingredients and plant. It does not check for Islamic slaughter or every point halal certifiers look at. Our kosher vs halal guide explains the overlap and the gaps.

So the fair answer is: no halal certificate, but classic Strawberry Twists list no clearly haram ingredient.

Not every Twizzlers product is as simple as the Strawberry Twists. Some list ingredients that can come from plant or animal sources:

• Pull 'n' Peel Cherry lists glyceryl monostearate and glycerin ^[3].
• Filled Twists and Filled Bites list glyceryl monostearate, glycerin and natural flavors ^[4].

Hershey does not say where these come from on the product pages ^[3][4]. Our pages on glycerin and mono- and diglycerides explain why some Muslims avoid them when the source is unknown. Natural flavors may use alcohol as a carrier; see alcohol (ethanol).

Hershey asks shoppers to always check the package for current ingredients ^[1].

If you want the simplest option, pick classic Strawberry Twists and check the pack for the kosher mark and the same short ingredient list ^[1]. If you only eat halal-certified candy, Twizzlers don't qualify, because Hershey shows no halal certification ^[2].

For other candies, see Swedish Fish, Starburst and Jolly Rancher. Our Hershey's page covers the company's chocolate.

A quick routine helps in the candy aisle. First, find the flavor you want and read the full ingredient list. Second, look for gelatin, carmine, glycerin, glyceryl monostearate and natural flavors. Third, look for a kosher or halal mark and note which body issued it. If the pack has no halal mark, you are making your own judgment from the label, and it is fine to ask Hershey's consumer line about any ingredient source.