Does Kosher Beef Gelatin Make Marshmallows Kosher
Gelatin, kosher pork?
Members of God's congregations strive to follow the food laws laid out in the Bible. One of those laws is regarding unclean meats, and pork is one of them that is forbidden to be eaten. Any product or food made from pork should be considered unclean by scriptural standards and the kosher label on food is supposed to indicate that it is clean. But with gelatin, there seems to be a conflict.
Gelatin is almost entirely protein and is derived from collagen in the skin and bones of an animal. Most all of the gelatin in our food is made from pork, even kosher gelatin. In fact, kosher gelatin can be made from any animal.
But kosher food can't be made with pork!
There has been a debate in the kosher industry for years whether or not gelatin from pork is kosher. This means that some kosher standards organizations will approve pork based gelatin as kosher, and some will not.
Gelatin is made from the skin and bones of animals - not the meat: as per information that I have enclosed, it can be considered Kosher, even if it starts with pork skins/bones.
Rabbi (name censored)
http://www.keithhunt.com/Foodlaw6.html
An article on kosher foods on Wikipedia.org briefly addresses some of the differing factions opinions.
How many products that we currently purchase at our local grocery store indicate the source of gelatin in the ingredients list?
Some food companies aren't hiding it (sort of)
In the United States many food companies are actively communicating with the public which products contain pork, we just have to look for it.
Kellogs
Products containing pork gelatin include Kellogg cereal products with marshmallow additives (i.e., Kellogg's® Marshmallow Froot Loops cereal and Kellogg's Smorz® cereal) and all varieties of Kellogg's® Rice Krispies Treats® Squares.
http://module.kelloggs.com/nutrition/util/faq.html#3a (link no longer works)
Kellogs also notes that some products use only beef gelatin, but can we trust this?
Evidently, we can't trust them to be consistent with separating pork from beef. This peice of information was harder to find, and is hidden behind a search box and a few mouse clicks. Compare this with the previous statement about fruit snacks only have beef gelatin.
Kraft
This question is asked & answered in reference to BSE. But there is nothing to worry about, because it's not beef!
Is Jell-O Pork?
Considering that Kraft does not distinguish between pork and beef gelatin, then the only reasonable conclusion is that Jell-O is pork.
Kraft is certainly more direct on their marshmallow products.
Pork skins, ready for gelatin extraction
How is gelatin made?
Gelatin is derived from collagen, and the extraction process simply uses hot water. Gelatin is not a highly processed product.
The Gelatin Manufacturers Institute of America has a gelatin "handbook" that details the production processes. There a few different methods for the preparation of raw materials, but the processing is similar regardless of the source.
Videos on gelatin production and manufacturing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf0uEWGWLgg
How can we know most gelatin is from pork? Cost vs Value
Gelatin from cow hides and bones takes significantly more time and money to process than it does for pig skins. The processing of raw materials before extraction for type B gelatin from cow skins & bones can take "5-20 weeks, usually 8-12". (GMIA Gelatin Handbook)
Pork skin is a significant raw material source for production of edible gelatin in the United States. The short time required for pre-treatment prior to extraction, and the minimization of wastewater generated are important economic factors in the manufacture of gelatin from this raw material.
http://www.gelatin-gmia.com/gelatinhandbook.html
The type of gelatin also determines what it is used for. Higher quality gelatins are used in manufacturing, photography and other industrial uses.
Gelatin from people?
Evidently, yes. Considering that some Rabbi's and kosher standards organizations support "any meat source" people based gelatin could be considered a "kosher product". As crazy as it sounds, scientist are already working on how to produce gelatin from human genes.
- "Next-Generation Gelatin Could be Derived from Humans Instead of Animals" (Popular Science)
- "Human-Derived Gelatin" (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry)
Is there any clean gelatin?
Yes there is, but very few manufacturers produce it, basically specialty kosher companies, and you have to look carefully for it. There are a number of providers of gelatin made from seaweed, agar-agar, and fish, but the only one I have found so far that is 100% kosher beef based (hides), is Kolatin. Here's their site: koshergelatin.com
Source: https://www.congregationsofgod.org/gelatin
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