unknown cheese

Question: 

Assalaam Alaikum. I had a question about cheese. There’s a company that uses buffalo milk to make mozzarella but they are Italian and I can’t find out if the rennet is vegetarian. Some ulama have the thought that if the initial product changes then it is permissible to consume. I am not clear on if it would be permissible to eat the cheese. I have contacted the company but again I may not hear back since they are Italian. 

Answer:

Wa alaikum Salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu, 

The process of change, like the changing of wine to vinegar is not present in the process of extracting renet from an animal’s stomach, therefore any cheese made with haram renet (Pork) is haram cheese. If you don’t know whether or not a food is permissible or impermissible then you should avoid that food. Abstaining from what is doubtful is a good deed, and brings us nearer to Allah.

And Allah knows best,

Mufti Umer Farooq Saleem