I'll drink to that.. Muslims give Irn-Bru OK after alcohol fears

IT is Scotland’s other national drink, made to a secret recipe since 1901.

Containing 32 different flavours, energy-giving and often touted as a hangover cure, Irn-Bru is enjoyed from Edinburgh to Moscow.

But a recent rumour in the Capital’s Muslim community saying that Irn-Bru contained alcohol almost put an end to the drink’s popularity amongst adherents of Islam.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Alcohol is forbidden according to the Muslim holy book the Qur’an, and the faithful are scrupulous about avoiding it.

When the Muslim Association of Britain’s representatives in Edinburgh heard the rumours, they decided to investigate the matter to find out whether Muslims would still be able to indulge in the popular drink.

Sohaib Saeed of the association contacted Irn-Bru’s maker, AG Barr, who confirmed that the drink did contain alcohol, but in such a small amount as to be virtually negligible.

He was then able to issue guidance to the Capital’s Muslim community reassuring them that they would not go against the teachings of their religion by drinking it.

The concerns over Irn-Bru follow fears raised last summer about Lucozade, which was also believed to contain alcohol.

Mr Saeed, who also co-edits The I-Witness, Scotland’s Muslim newspaper, said: "The controversy arose when Lucozade producers GlaxoSmithKline confirmed that some of their products contain 0.01 per cent of ethyl alcohol as an agent to carry flavouring.

"North of the Border, the community was particularly anxious over the possibility of Scottish brand Irn-Bru being considered unlawful."

He added: "Many Muslims join with others who boycott companies deemed to be unethical, which includes the main multinational drinks corporations.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"There are very few British soft drinks, so Irn-Bru is important to Scottish Muslims for that reason also.

"That is why ensuring it is allowed was so crucial."

The rumour about Lucozade became so widespread that the drink’s producers approached the UK Muslim Law Council to get an official statement released to the Islamic community confirming that the alcohol content of Lucozade was so low it was halal, or suitable for all Muslims to drink.

The Law Council, headed by Dr Zaki Badawi, issued a statement saying that such trace quantities did not make soft drinks out of bounds for Muslims.

Lucozade has since taken out advertisements in Muslim magazines to publicise that the drink is halal.

A spokeswoman for Barr said that alcohol was used in the manufacture of most soft drinks.

She added: "Alcohol, a constituent in flavourings currently available to the food and drink industry, is authorised for use under European Union law for this purpose.

"To put this into context, the concentrations of alcohol used are at a trace level - less than 0.05 per cent.

"This concentration is so low that the body metabolises the alcohol faster than it is consumed, meaning it can have no intoxicating effect."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The European Council for Fatwah and Research said it was allowed for Muslims to drink the tiny amount of alcohol necessarily present in many soft drinks.

"These soft drinks do not cause one to become intoxicated whatever quantities are consumed and thus it is not important to disclose these ingredients as they do not affect the concerned food or drink’s permissibility," the organisation said.

YOUR SAY Are you worried about the ingredients in the soft drinks you buy? Let us know. Tel: 0131 620 8747 or email [email protected]

Related topics: