A Filipino netizen on Facebook (FB) warned Muslims against the use of popular umami seasoning AJI-NO-MOTO®, claiming the product is made using pork skin. The claim is false.
“Tignan niyu sa youtube kung AJI-NO-MOTO na hindi halal para malaman natin kasi yung AJI-NO-MOTO made from pig ginawa sa balat ng baboy (Do a search on YouTube about AJI-NO-MOTO being non-halal, and you’ll know that AJI-NO-MOTO is made from pigs, made from pork skin),” the netizen claimed in a June 24 FB post.
To support the erroneous claim, the netizen cited a 2019 post from question-and-answer website Quora which stated that Western countries use pig pancreas to make AJI-NO-MOTO®.
The umami seasoning’s packet debunks this:
“Gawa ang AJI-NO-MOTO® mula sa natural na pananim tulad ng tubo at kasaba (AJI-NO-MOTO® is made using natural crops like sugarcane and cassava.)”
AJI-NO-MOTO®‘s official website also lists plants like sugar beets and corn as key ingredients.
The netizen also claimed that AJI-NO-MOTO® is not Halal or certified as safe for Muslim consumption according to Islamic law. This needs context.
AJI-NO-MOTO® is not Halal-certified in the Philippines, but it is certified Halal in countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and France.
“Our AJI-NO-MOTO® Umami Seasoning or Monosodium Glutamate product is not Halal certified, but it does not contain alcohol and any animal substances or its derivatives,” AJI-NO-MOTO® Philippines said in its official website.
Halal-certified food products should not contain meat from pigs or dogs, alcohol, or land animals not slaughtered according to Islam traditions, according to the Halal Development Institute of the Philippines, one of the accredited Halal-certifying bodies in the Philippines.
The netizen’s erroneous claim garnered over 254 reactions, 322 comments and 4,133 shares.