Is E960 halal?

What is E960?

Steviol glycosides are the sweet compounds of the stevia plant, many times sweeter than sugar. The crushed leaves are soaked in hot water, the extract is purified with resins, and the sweet compounds are recrystallised from methanol or watery ethanol, which is then removed.

Why it's marked “Generally halal”

The source is a plant leaf, and no animal material is used. The one catch is the purification step: methanol or ethanol may be used as a processing solvent and is removed from the final product. Newer versions made with enzymes start from the same stevia extract.

How to check the label

Stevia sweeteners are generally fine. If you avoid even traces of processing ethanol, look for a halal certificate from a recognised body, which covers the solvent question.

Where you'll find it

• diet soft drinks
• table-top sweeteners
• flavoured yoghurts
• sugar-free sweets
• flavoured waters

Good to know

• The acceptable daily intake is 4 mg/kg body weight per day, expressed as steviol; in 2024 EFSA found insufficient justification to raise it.
• In the EU, stevia leaf extracts are now listed as E960a, enzyme-made steviol glycosides as E960c and glucosylated steviol glycosides as E960d.

Similar additives

• E967 Xylitol Generally halal
• E100 Curcumin Generally halal
• E153 Vegetable carbon Generally halal
• E160b Annatto Generally halal
• E160c Paprika extract Generally halal
• E162 Beetroot red Generally halal

See all 89 E-numbers in the halal checker

This list describes where additives usually come from. It isn't a religious ruling, and manufacturers can change their sources. Last reviewed: 14 October 2026.

Sources

1. EFSA opinion on steviol glycosides specifications (2020)
2. EFSA opinion on steviol glycosides E 960a-d and the ADI (2024)
3. EU additive specifications, Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 (E 960)

Frequently asked questions