Toblerone's halal certification sparks backlash

The iconic chocolate bar has been certified halal, prompting calls for a boycott.

General view of the new Toblerone.

General view of the new Toblerone. Source: Press Association

People are calling for a boycott of iconic Swiss chocolate Toblerone after the company announced it received halal certification back in April.

Mondelez, the company that produces the pyramid-shaped chocolate, announced its factory in Bern, Switzerland, achieved halal certification eight months ago.

The company also confirmed the recipe and production process has not changed.

Muslims choose to eat halal food because it meets requirements that they believe make it suitable for consumption. 

Production facilities can be certified, so that any products produced according to the certification standards can claim to be halal.
The certification doesn't mean alcohol or pork goes into the production of Toblerone, just the factory must abide by certain ethical standards and pass regular inspections.

However, the certification didn't please everyone with the federal spokesperson of Germany's far-right AfD party claiming the move showed the "Islamisation" of Europe.

"Islamisation does not take place - neither in Germany nor in Europe," AfD's Jörg Meuthen wrote sarcastically on social media, according to

"It is therefore certainly pure coincidence that the depicted, known chocolate variety is now certified as 'HALAL.'"

Others turned to Twitter to express their anger that Toblerone is now halal certified.
But many mocked the idea people were boycotting Toblerone since the recipe or production process remained the same and it had always met halal criteria.

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By Riley Morgan

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