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Are Emulsifiers and Gelatin Halal? What the “Origin” (由来) Wording on Ingredient Lists Tells You

Published: September 27, 2026 / Last updated: October 24, 2026

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The label says “emulsifier (derived from soybeans),” but…

You may have seen “emulsifier (derived from soybeans)” (乳化剤（大豆由来）) on an ingredient list.

This is a form of allergy labeling. The “Q&A on the Food Labeling Standards,” published by the Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA), gives this exact wording as an example for additives derived from specified ingredients or equivalent items.

If an emulsifier is made from pig fat, then, will it say “emulsifier (pork-derived)” (乳化剤（豚由来）)?

A CAA notice includes a table of examples showing which additives need an “origin” (由来) statement and how to write it. In that table, common emulsifiers made from pig fat are marked “labeling not required” (表示不要). Even an emulsifier made from pig fat does not need a “pork-derived” (豚由来) statement.

“Basic Information on Halal,” a compilation of published materials by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), explains that foods to avoid include pig meat and skin, as well as derivatives such as pork extract and additives containing pig components. People concerned about halal want to know whether pork-derived ingredients are present.

Allergy labeling serves a different purpose: protecting people with allergies. A label can tell you whether an additive is pork-derived only if the business lists recommended items too and the additive is covered by allergy labeling.

Based mainly on the CAA’s “On the Food Labeling Standards” and “Q&A on the Food Labeling Standards,” this article explains what “origin” (由来) wording on ingredient lists can and cannot tell you. We checked all the sources on September 25, 2026. For how to read ingredient lists as a whole, including collective names and carry-over additives, see How to Spot Pork and Alcohol on Ingredient Lists, and What the Label Alone Can’t Tell You.

How the “origin” of an additive is shown

“Contains” for ingredients, “derived from” for additives

According to the “Q&A on the Food Labeling Standards,” allergy information should generally appear in parentheses immediately after the ingredient name. The wording differs between ingredients and additives.

For ingredients, it is “contains…” (〜を含む). For additives, it is generally “derived from…” (〜由来). The Q&A gives these examples.

For example: “…, yeast extract (contains wheat), …” (…、酵母エキス（小麦を含む)、…).

For example: “…, emulsifier (derived from soybeans), …” (…、乳化剤（大豆由来）、…).

In principle, whether the ingredient list uses “contains” (を含む) or “derived from” (由来) also helps distinguish an ingredient from an additive. However, additives may also use “contains” in cases such as when the amount from that source is very small.

Used with collective names and purpose names too

There are several ways to list additives. The Q&A sets them out as follows.

  • An additive listed by its substance name: “substance name (derived from…)” (物質名（〜由来）)
  • An additive listed by a collective name, such as emulsifier or seasoning: “collective name (derived from…)” (一括名（〜由来）)
  • An additive listed with its purpose, such as sweetener: “purpose name (substance name: derived from…)” (用途名（物質名：〜由来）)

Also, “derived from” may be omitted if the additive’s name itself shows its origin. The Q&A gives examples of additives whose permitted alternative or shortened names contain wording meaning “egg” (卵), “soybean” (大豆), or “milk” (乳). Egg yolk lecithin (卵黄レシチン) is one case where the name reveals the source material.

An emulsifier’s name does not reveal its raw material

Many substances share the name “emulsifier”

Emulsifiers are additives that may be listed by a collective name. An annex to the CAA’s “On the Food Labeling Standards” lists the additives that may be grouped as emulsifiers. These include glycerol esters of fatty acids (グリセリン脂肪酸エステル), sucrose esters of fatty acids (ショ糖脂肪酸エステル), sorbitan esters of fatty acids (ソルビタン脂肪酸エステル), propylene glycol esters of fatty acids (プロピレングリコール脂肪酸エステル), calcium stearoyl lactylate (ステアロイル乳酸カルシウム), sunflower lecithin (ヒマワリレシチン), and polysorbates (ポリソルベート).

If an ingredient list says only “emulsifier” (乳化剤), you cannot tell which of these is used.

What fats and oils supply the fatty acids?

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Public Health explains how common emulsifiers are made.

It describes glycerol esters of fatty acids as follows.

These esters are made by reacting fatty acids obtained from fats and oils with glycerol. There are three types: monoesters, diesters, and triesters.

Sucrose esters of fatty acids are also described as being made by reacting fatty acids obtained from fats and oils with sugar. In both cases, the raw material is “fats and oils” (油脂). The name does not reveal whether it is vegetable oil or animal fat. The same is true even if the substance name is listed.

Lecithin is described as being extracted from rapeseeds, soybeans, or egg yolks.

“Derived from soybeans” does not mean all of it comes from soybeans

The Q&A explains that when versions of the same additive derived from specified ingredients or equivalent items and versions not derived from them are used together, they are listed together as one additive.

Even if the label says “emulsifier (derived from soybeans)” (乳化剤（大豆由来）), not all the emulsifiers used are necessarily made from soybeans. You can tell that a soybean-derived emulsifier is included, but the label does not tell you what any other emulsifiers are made from.

Snack makers also state on their own websites that emulsifier raw materials differ by product. We introduced examples in Are Store-Bought Snacks Halal? What Snack Makers Say on Their Own Websites.

When “pork-derived” is not shown

Even when pork-derived additives are used, “pork-derived” (豚由来) may not be shown. The notice and Q&A describe the following situations.

Pork labeling is only recommended

Allergy labeling includes mandatory items and recommended items. Pork is a recommended item.

For recommended items, the notice says to “make efforts to label them wherever possible.” Since this is not mandatory, products whose labels do not include recommended items will not show “pork-derived” (豚由来) in the first place.

Emulsifiers made from fatty acids do not require this labeling

When explaining which additives are covered, the Q&A says “excluding those without detectable antigenicity and flavorings.” Allergy labeling is a system based on proteins that cause allergies. Additives without detectable allergy-causing properties (antigenicity) are outside its scope, regardless of their source. Flavorings are also excluded.

The specific additives excluded are listed in Appended Table 2 of the notice, “Labeling Examples for Additives Derived from Specified Ingredients or Equivalent Items.” The pork section lists glycerol, glycerol esters of fatty acids, and propylene glycol esters of fatty acids. Its labeling column says “see the beef section.” In the beef section, glycerol esters of fatty acids and propylene glycol esters of fatty acids are marked “labeling of specified ingredients or equivalent items not required,” with this explanation.

Because stearic acid and palmitic acid are distilled and refined, allergens are considered to be absent.

Sucrose esters of fatty acids, sorbitan esters of fatty acids, calcium stearoyl lactylate, and higher fatty acids are also exempt from this labeling in the beef section. For glycerol, the table refers on to the soybean section, which says labeling is not required because it is distilled and refined.

Even emulsifiers made from pig fat do not carry “pork-derived” (豚由来). The “emulsifier (derived from soybeans)” (乳化剤（大豆由来）) wording at the start appears in the soybean section of the same table as an example for glycerol esters of fatty acids that have not been distilled.

Enzymes made from pig organs may also be exempt

The pork section of the same table also lists enzymes such as catalase, pancreatin, and phospholipase. Its labeling example is “enzyme (pork-derived)” (酵素（豚由来）).

However, the remarks say:

Those derived from internal organs without the dermal layer do not require labeling of specified ingredients or equivalent items.

Enzymes made from pig organs may not require this labeling. Enzymes are additives that can be listed under the collective name “enzyme” (酵素), so the ingredient list leaves almost no clue to their connection with pigs.

The remarks also say that if the enzyme loses its activity during production and its substance name is not listed, the label should say “contains pork” (一部に豚肉を含む). In this case too, you cannot tell which ingredient it relates to.

Some additives, however, have no note exempting them from labeling. Heme iron is listed as “heme iron (pork-derived)” (ヘム鉄（豚由来）), and collagen as “collagen (pork-derived)” (コラーゲン（豚由来）). These are the kinds of additives that retain “pork-derived” in the table’s labeling examples.

Repeated statements may be omitted

The Q&A explains that when two or more ingredients or additives contain the same specified ingredient, labeling it for one of them allows the statement to be omitted for the others.

For example, if “pork-derived” (豚由来) is shown once for one additive, it may be omitted for another pork-derived additive. Looking at the one without the statement does not let you conclude that pigs are unrelated to it.

A combined allergy statement

Allergy information should generally be given separately for each ingredient. However, a combined statement at the end of the ingredient list, “contains XX and XX” (一部に〇〇・〇〇を含む), is also permitted.

A combined statement does not tell you which ingredient or additive contains the allergen. The Q&A gives an example where a combined statement may be chosen: an additive used in an ingredient qualifies as carry-over and is not listed. The origin of an additive whose name does not appear in the ingredient list may survive only in the combined statement.

When the contents of “edible fats and oils” appear only in the combined statement

The Q&A gives a clear example of how combined statements work. It involves edible fats and oils made by mixing 40% lard (ラード), 30% beef tallow, 20% palm oil, and 10% soybean oil.

Listing everything would give “edible fats and oils (pork fat, beef tallow, palm oil, soybean oil)” (食用油脂（豚脂、牛脂、パーム油、大豆油）). The Q&A does not allow only palm oil to be omitted. It gives two options: list everything, or use a combined statement as follows.

“XX, YY, edible fats and oils, ZZ, (contains pork, beef, and soybeans)” (○○、△△、食用油脂、××、（一部に豚肉・牛肉・大豆を含む）)

The ingredient list says only “edible fats and oils” (食用油脂). You can identify the presence of lard only from the final “contains pork…” (一部に豚肉…を含む) statement. This example also shows that lard is treated as pork in allergy labeling.

Here too, pork is a recommended item. If a product’s label does not include recommended items, pork will not appear in this combined statement either.

Gelatin and collagen are labeled differently

Gelatin only needs to be listed as “gelatin”

Gelatin has its own entry among the recommended items. In explaining why it has a separate entry, the Q&A says gelatin often comes from beef or pork.

Even so, gelatin labels do not show the origin. The Q&A asks whether gelatin used as an ingredient should be listed as, for example, “gelatin (derived from cattle)” (ゼラチン（牛由来）). Its answer is:

For gelatin labeling, listing only gelatin as an ingredient is sufficient. There is no need to state “derived from” or “contains.”

The word “gelatin” (ゼラチン) on an ingredient list does not reveal whether it comes from cattle, pigs, or fish.

According to the Q&A, “gelatin” labeling applies when a product sold under the name gelatin is used as an ingredient. If pork or beef is used and gelatin is extracted during production, the label should say, for example, “contains pork” (豚肉を含む).

Collagen may carry a “pork-derived” statement

Collagen is labeled differently. The Q&A gives “collagen (pork-derived)” (コラーゲン（豚由来）) as the example when collagen is used as an additive, and “collagen (contains pork)” (コラーゲン（豚肉を含む）) when collagen itself is eaten as a food.

Even with similar source materials, whether the name is gelatin or collagen changes whether the origin is stated.

Ingredients that do not appear in the ingredient list

The contents of compound ingredients may be omitted

A food made from several ingredients, such as mayonnaise or soy sauce, may itself be used as an ingredient. This is called a compound ingredient.

According to the Q&A, the contents of a compound ingredient should generally appear in parentheses after its name. However, they may be omitted if the compound ingredient makes up less than 5% of the whole product or if its name makes its contents clear.

An ingredient list may therefore not tell you what is inside a compound ingredient used in a small amount.

Blood and plasma alone are outside the labeling scope

MAFF’s “Basic Information on Halal” lists animal blood among non-pork animal ingredients to avoid, along with meat from animals not slaughtered in the Islamic way and carrion.

The Q&A asks whether animal blood, bile, and blood plasma require labeling. It answers that these alone are outside the scope, but if pieces of meat are mixed in, they are covered. Allergy labeling cannot be used to identify ingredients derived from blood.

The order to read labels in the store

Here is how to use the points above when reading an ingredient list in a store.

First, look for names that mention pork, such as “contains pork” (豚肉を含む), “pork-derived” (豚由来), “pork fat” (豚脂), or “pork” (ポーク). If you find one, you have your answer.

Next, look for terms that do not reveal their source materials, such as “emulsifier” (乳化剤), “gelatin” (ゼラチン), “shortening” (ショートニング), “edible fats and oils” (食用油脂), “processed fats and oils” (加工油脂), or “flavoring” (香料). Even when an origin is given, as in “emulsifier (derived from soybeans)” (乳化剤（大豆由来）), other raw materials may also be included.

If there is a “contains…” (一部に〜を含む) statement at the end of the ingredient list, read it too. It may contain information not given for the individual ingredients.

If any terms still leave the source material unclear, the label cannot tell you more. The reliable next step is to ask the manufacturer’s customer service team, giving the product name and ingredient name. For help with how to ask, see “Is It Halal?” Is Not Enough: How to Ask When Checking at a Restaurant.

Even if pork does not appear in a product’s allergy labeling, you cannot conclude that no pork-derived ingredients are used. The same principle applies to restaurant tables. How Much Can Chain Restaurants’ Published Information Tell You About Pork and Alcohol? explains this in detail.

Quotes from Japanese sources in this article are our own translations.

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