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.)