Is your Halloween candy halal? The gelatin check on 15 candies

Gelatin on the label: skip these

• Starburst: Original Fruit Chews, Gummies and Sours all list gelatin.
• Trolli: the gummies and crawlers list gelatin, and the maker doesn't say what animal it comes from.
• Skittles Gummies: gelatin. The original Skittles don't have it.
• Nerds Gummy Clusters: gelatin plus carmine, a red dye made from insects. The UK pack labels its gelatin as pork.
• Life Savers Gummies: gelatin, source not stated.

Without a halal mark, gelatin of unknown source counts as doubtful. Our hidden ingredients explainer covers why.

No gelatin on the US label

• Skittles (original), Sour Patch Kids, Swedish Fish, Twizzlers twists, Jolly Rancher, Airheads bars, Tootsie Roll, Reese's peanut butter cups.
• The catch: none of them is halal certified, and "natural flavors" aren't broken down on the label. Whether that's enough is your call.
• Good to know: these are the US recipes. Seasonal shapes, gummy spin-offs and imported packs can differ, so read the bag you've got.

Haribo: flip the bag

• Made in Turkey: Haribo says these are halal certified and made with beef gelatin. You'll usually find them at halal grocers and importers.
• Made anywhere else: Haribo says its German-made gummies are mostly pork gelatin, and its US site doesn't list which products are halal. With no halal mark, treat the bag as not halal.

Check any candy in 10 seconds

1. Gelatin? No source and no halal mark means skip it.
2. Carmine, cochineal or E120? It's a red dye made from insects.
3. Halal mark? That settles it. On Haribo, look for "Made in Turkey".

Look up any brand in our Is it halal? checker: Starburst, Skittles, Haribo, Trolli, Nerds, Sour Patch Kids, Swedish Fish, Twizzlers, Reese's, Snickers, Twix and 500+ more.

More Halloween: 5 Halloween nights out in Metro Detroit.

Sources (17)

Ingredient lists and halal statements checked on each maker's US site, or on grocery listings where the maker's page couldn't be read, in October 2026. Photos are styled images made for this guide, not the brands' products.

1. starburst.com/products/candy/starburst-original-fruit-chews-candy-single-207-oz-chews
2. trolli.com/products/crawlers/sour-brite-crawlers-original
3. skittles.com/products/skittles-gummies-293-oz-skittles-gummies
4. skittles.com/products/skittles-original-fruity-candy-single-pack-217-oz-skittles-chewy
5. hannaford.com/groceries/product/nerds-rainbow-gummy-clusters-candy-5-oz-bag/308040
6. hannaford.com/groceries/product/life-savers-5-flavors-gummies-candy-7-oz-bag/155654
7. snackworks.com/products/sour-patch-kids-soft-chewy-gummy-candy-8-oz/
8. snackworks.com/products/swedish-fish-soft-chewy-gummy-candy-8-oz/
9. hersheyland.com/products/twizzlers-twists-strawberry-flavored-candy-16-oz-bag.html
10. hersheyland.com/products/jolly-rancher-original-flavors-hard-candy-7-oz-bag.html
11. smartlabel.labelinsight.com/product/4954582/ingredients
12. tootsie.com/products/tootsie-bars-classic/
13. hersheyland.com/products/reeses-milk-chocolate-peanut-butter-cups-1-5-oz.html
14. haribo.com/en-za/about-us/faq
15. haribo.com/en-us/about-us/faq
16. snickers.com/mena/en/contact-help
17. twix.com/mena/en/contact-and-help

Questions people ask

Which Halloween candy has gelatin?

Of the ones we checked, Starburst chews and gummies, Trolli gummies, Skittles Gummies, Nerds Gummy Clusters and Life Savers Gummies all list gelatin on the US label, with no animal source given.

Is any of this candy halal certified in the US?

None of the US candies we checked carries a halal mark. The exception is Haribo made in Turkey, which Haribo says is halal certified. Look for "Made in Turkey" on the back of the bag.

Are Snickers and Twix halal?

Mars says Snickers and Twix sold in the Middle East and North Africa are halal suitable. It makes no halal claim for the US bars.