A Texas man shared a post on X criticizing Tillamook after the company made its cheeses halal.
Halal food refers to food and drinks that are permissible for Muslims to consume under Islamic dietary laws. The term “halal” means “permissible” in Arabic, and halal requirements can apply to how certain foods are prepared, processed, and sourced. For products such as cheese, this can include ensuring that ingredients such as enzymes or rennet come from halal-approved sources.
Tillamook’s cheese has recently drawn attention after halal certification labels appeared on its products, with most of the company’s cheeses now listed as halal certified. The change sparked backlash online, with some critics on X calling for a boycott of the brand and objecting to the halal labeling. However, Tillamook has clarified that it has used fermentation-produced rennet carrying both halal and kosher certification since 2016. This means the recent controversy appears to be centered largely on the halal certification label becoming more visible rather than a recent change to the cheese’s ingredients.
One of the people who expressed outrage over Tillamook’s halal-certified cheese was a Texas man who shared a post criticizing the company. “Tillamook didn’t just slap a new symbol on the package. The company changed its cheesemaking process years ago, switching to a vegetarian rennet that carries Halal certification. Today, Tillamook says the majority of its cheeses are Halal certified,” he wrote.
The man then criticized the company for meeting Islamic dietary standards, writing, “That was a deliberate business decision to make the product meet Islamic dietary standards.” He added that while the company was free to make that decision, he was “free to say I don’t like it one bit.”
Thousands of people appeared to agree with the man’s criticism. One woman shared a picture on X showing the word “halal” on the back of a Tillamook cheese package. She wrote, “On the back of my @TillamookDairy cheese. Straight in the garbage and never buying this crap again. Amish cheese for us from now on. No Hilal for my family and me.”
The backlash over Tillamook’s halal certification also drew criticism from people who viewed some of the reactions as Islamophobic. Several posts objected to the cheese specifically because it met Islamic dietary standards, while others called for boycotts or said they would throw away Tillamook products after noticing the halal label. Critics argued that much of the outrage appeared to be driven by negative views or assumptions about Islam rather than a change to the cheese itself.
Viewers Agree With Texas Man Calling Out Tillamook Cheese
Many viewers agreed with the Texas man’s criticism and expressed similar outrage over Tillamook’s cheese being halal certified. “We had no idea. Never purchasing Tillamook again,” one person wrote. Another person commented, “I just saw this, and I cannot believe this… I left them my thoughts. SMH‼ Christ is King.”
Others expressed more extreme views about the halal certification. One person wrote, “I always buy @TillamookDairy because they get high marks on the pure authenticity of their products. However, this Genuflecting to the 3rd World Population TRYING TO change OUR WAY OF Life while getting PAID Immediately what WE American’s Have WORKED our WHOLE Lives All while Illegally Occupying OUR Country has Changed that FOREVER! #BoycottTillamookDairy #GoWokeGoBroke.” Another person said, “They should have made a different brand for halal. It wont go over well here in us when there’s so many other options.”
The circulating pictures of Tillamook cheese carrying a halal certification label prompted discussion about the backlash some halal products receive in the United States. The reactions also showed that some people who oppose Islam extend that opposition to halal products, with some calling for boycotts after noticing the certification.
