Eating Fruits Coated With Shellac Wax

29-4-2025 | IslamWeb

Question:

1) I recently learned that apples sold in stores can be coated with shellac wax. it is made from insects. does that mean that I cannot eat apples? will washing them with soap will be enough to clean them? I feel like if wash them even for a long time, wax still remains there.2) my family cooks non-halal food in pots. If pots are washed, but very small pieces of food which are hard to get rid of stay, can i use those pots?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Coating the peel of apples or other fruits with the mentioned wax does not make the fruit forbidden to eat. Even if we assume that this wax is impure, one can simply remove the peel entirely and eat the fruit without it. Alternatively, the wax can be removed by washing the fruit with water, natural vinegar, lemon juice, or baking soda.

It's important to note that the wax used on fruits comes from various sources. It's not all made from shellac. Some companies use natural plant-based materials, others use animal-derived substances, and some produce it chemically.

As for the other question, we apologize for not being able to answer it here. You may submit it separately through the website as a new question.

Allah Knows best.