Cadbury’s social media team had to work overtime last week, after a ‘Cadbury Halal certificate’ circulated online and caused outrage.
It started when someone shared a picture of a man holding halal certificates in front of a Cadbury’s sign, captioned: “Cadbury proudly displaying their latest new halal certificates, pass it on.”
The image, which appears to be from an article about Cadbury Malaysia being given official halal status years ago, left UK consumers questioning what the chocolate they were eating actually contained.
Consumers took to Twitter to bombard Cadbury with their concerns about what they were eating, and what exactly made the chocolate halal.
As conspiracy theories spiralled out of control, the popular chocolate makers were also accused of taking the word “Easter” off their Easter eggs, with groups calling for a boycott of their products.
Cadbury has denied that they will be removing the word “Easter” from their products – they also reminded consumers that chocolate does not contain meat.
A spokesperson for Mondelez, the company that owns Cadbury, said: “In the UK, our chocolate products are suitable for vegetarians and those following a halal diet – however, they are not halal certified.
“As our chocolate products do not contain meat… the only animal-related products we use in our British chocolate are milk and eggs.
“We take care to point it out, if and when our products are suitable for certain sections of society who take an interest in the ingredients and manufacturing process.
“Elsewhere in the world, we may label products with any number of certifications based on consumer interest and dietary requirements, and the best place for consumers to find that information is on the product label in that country.
“However, Cadbury welcomes consumers of all faiths and none.”
