I say Kosher and you say Halal

We came across the curiously relevant Muslim blog Keepin it halal, insha Allah.

One recent entry deals with Cold Stone Creamery ice cream. The blog asks,

• Is Cold Stone Creamery ice cream Kosher?

Although Cold Stone is not a kosher restaurant concept, the majority of our ingredients are kosher. The ice cream mix used to make Cold Stone ice cream is certified kosher, meaning that animal-based (beef, pork, etc.) ingredients cannot be used. The mono- and diglycerides we use are not from animal sources. Most of our ice cream flavors are also made with kosher ingredients. The agency certifications for the ingredients will vary depending on the product. In addition, several of our store locations are certified kosher. As all of our locations are individually owned and operated, you will need to ask your local store directly if they are certified kosher.

Source: http://www.coldstonecreamery.com/icecream/ice_cream_faq.html#Kosher

Comments that follow introduce other complexities into the issue. Lauren opines:

Assalamu Alaikum,

Unfortunately just because there?s no animal ingredients you?re not off scot-free. In ice cream many flavors are used that do contain a decently large alcohol volume.

Syed chimes in with further levels of detail:

Assalam O Alaikum

Please keep in mind that not all Kosher certified products are Halal, we have published a list of 14-16 ingredients which makes a Kosher certified food product not Halal. Please read about detailed information how vanilla flavor is made in USA and which vanilla products is Halal on our web site www.muslimconsumergroup.com. Many ice cream flavors contains vanilla extract which contains 35% alcohol. Many ice cream flavor with alcohol are added after ice cream pasteurization so no heat is subjected to flavor. and alcohol has no chance of evaporation. Majority of ice cream flavors are made with alcohol as a solvent. Only chocolate and coffee ice cream of certtain brands do not contain any flavor for example Edy?s Coffee and Chocolate Ice cream, Dean(only chocolate only) and Hagen Daaz brand?s chocloate and coffee ice cream but Bryers chocolate ice cream contains flavor with alcohol. We have list of Halal ice cream brands thoughout USA on our web site.
Stone Creamery do not know the Halal requirements, this is the reason they did not mentioned Vanilla extract and alcohol in flavors as a hidden ingredient. For food products letters from the manufacturer are not enough to know their Halal status, it need to be thoroughly investigated and please do not recommend food products to other Muslims based on manufacture letter unless you know perfectly they are Halal.