What is Kosher Gelatin? Why Gelatin Isn’t Naturally Kosher

What is Kosher Gelatin? Why Gelatin Isn’t Naturally Kosher
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What is Gelatin?

Gelatin is a colorless substance that can be added to foods to change their consistencies. For example, most gummy candies and hard jelly confections are made with gelatin. Gelatin is also added to yogurts, ice creams, and whipped creams as a thickener. Normal gelatin is derived from collagen, which comes from the bones and skin of animals.

Why Isn’t All Gelatin Kosher?

An earlier article on kosher slaughter explained that animals must be slaughtered in a specific way in order to be considered kosher. The vast majority of animals are not slaughtered in this manner, and are thus not permitted to be eaten by those who follow the kosher laws. Because gelatin is derived from animal parts, and the animal has usually not been slaughtered in this manner, gelatin would be considered non-kosher. In addition, gelatin is often made from materials taken from pigs, which are not kosher at all.

Although some believe that the creation of gelatin sufficiently denatures the product so that it is no longer considered non-kosher, the accepted position is that gelatin is considered the product of a non-kosher animal, and is thus non-kosher.

What is Kosher Gelatin?

Although synthetic collagen does not yet exist, there are alternatives for those who keep the kosher laws. Agar agar, for example, is a similar substance that is derived from seaweed. Although it cannot be used in place of gelatin is all products, it does substitute well in some products. Another type of gelatin can be derived from fish. If it is taken from kosher fish, or fish that have fins and scales, it is considered kosher (for more details, see this article on basic kosher laws).

Although these substitutes work well in place of gelatin in most products, some products truly require gelatin made from animals in order to form correctly. A less common, albeit still available, alternative is gelatin made from kosher animals, which were slaughtered in the correct way.

So what is kosher gelatin? It is any of a number of substitutes for the animal-derived gelatin that exists in many candies and other products. Many people, including Muslims, Hindus, and vegans benefit from the kosher gelatin industry that the kosher market has created.