slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden) (09/19/86)
I recently read a label on a container of yogurt which listed
one of the ingredients as "Kosher Gelatin".
The container itself had no other kosher markings.
What exactly IS kosher gelatin? Is it just made from kosher
animals? If so, why do they bother if they are going to mix
it with *yogurt*. Or is it non-animal?
I'm a vegetarian, and would like to eliminate hidden animal
products where possible. (Although I'm not fanatic about
it--there are only so many hours in the day. :-)
--
Sue Brezden
(HASA member)
ihnp4!drutx!slb
1C33, x83829
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When you got nothin', you got nothin' to lose.
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.
-Bob Dylan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~jin@hropus.UUCP (Jerry Natowitz) (09/19/86)
Kosher gelatin is agar-agar, a natural extract of a variety of seaweed. It is, as far as I've ever heard, safe. It is available in sheet form at natural and "health" food stores. It is also available as a dessert mix like Jello, it is called Ko-Jel. -- Jerry Natowitz (HASA - A division) Bell Labs HR 2A-214 201-615-5178 (no CORNET) ihnp4!houxm!hropus!jin or ihnp4!opus!jin Isn't it interesting how the beautiful little red flower in the forest becomes so ugly when you discover it's a candy wrapper.
pinkas@mipos3.UUCP (Israel Pinkas) (09/23/86)
In article <1353@drutx.UUCP> slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden) writes: > >I recently read a label on a container of yogurt which listed >one of the ingredients as "Kosher Gelatin". > >The container itself had no other kosher markings. > >What exactly IS kosher gelatin? I recently asked my rabbi (an orthodox one) what kosher gelatin is. His response was 'Treffe' (not kosher). When an ingredient is listed as kosher gelatin, it means one of two things: a) It is gelatin made from a kosher animal. This is very rarely the case. Putting this in yogurt is totally bogus as gelatin is a bone and hoof derivative and mixing it in a milk product makes it non-kosher. b) It is regular gelatin. This is quite common. What is happening here is that the rabbi giving the label Kosher believes that gelatin is so far removed from its sources that it can be considered a chemical and is not considered an animal derivative. I would also like to point out that kosher gelatin IS NOT a vegetable derivative. (There was only one product on the market that ever did list vegetable gelatin as kosher gelatin, called MY-GEL, but I haven't seen it on the shelves for a number of years.) Vegetable gelatin is listed as either agar-agar (its real name) or as vegetable gelatin. For further info you should contact the manufacturer. Your local rabbi may also know the scoop. -Israel ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer: I would like to point out that I am not a rabbi, nor am I stating that any product with the ingredient 'kosher gelatin' is or is not kosher. (I just won't eat it, but that is a personal preference.)