Nutella USA, while responding to a question on Twitter clarified that their product is not halal. Halal means ‘permissible’ or ‘lawful’ in Arabic while ‘haram’ means forbidden. Halal is usually associated with dietary laws as per Islam and meat needs to be processed as well as prepared as per those requirements.
https://twitter.com/NutellaUSA/status/1305252960558084096?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwMuslim fans were clearly not amused. However, instead of taking out their anger on the hazelnut chocolate spread brand, they decided to convince the brand and themselves that while it is not ‘halal certified’, it is still halal by default.
https://twitter.com/nafology_/status/1305336754086596608?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwWhen a heartbroken fan asked for proof that Nutella is not halal, another fan explained how there are no animal products (except dairy) or alcohol in it, it is halal by default, not just ‘halal certified’.
https://twitter.com/TahaMArvas/status/1305372536818016256?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwOne angry fan who is also an Islamic scholar, was mighty upset at Nutella informing people about their own product not being halal.
https://twitter.com/hasibmn/status/1305334877001330689?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwSome even suggested how Nutella USA should learn social media from other brands which know how to communicate about labelling.
https://twitter.com/mzaheer88/status/1305385320112943104?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwSome were upset that Nutella USA being non-halal means that Nutella hates Muslims.
https://twitter.com/al33nah/status/1305379926648872960?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwAnd of course, some fans don’t really care much about labels.
https://twitter.com/Hackmed804/status/1305379364121579520?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwIn reality, the halal certification depends on the country one lives in. US and Canada laws do not require certain products to be halal certified while the same products with same ingredients are halal certified in other countries they are sold. You could read more on halal and non-halal products here.