As far as I am aware .... Kosher gelatin is usually made with agar agar because you cannot mix meat with dairy products and call it kosher and since a lot of dairy products have gelatin, it is usually made from agar and thus vegan.
However this may not always be the case because some kosher gelatin can be made with meat and still satisfy kosher guidelines. Though I could be wrong about that.
Kosher gelatin is just gelatin made from kosher animals (eg not pigs) slaughtered according to kosher laws (eg cows that have their throats slit while being suspended upside down. Don't YouTube it, I made that mistake once after my bf's Jewish relatives insisted kosher slaughter was more humane).
Finding it acceptable to mix with dairy is no guarantee. Gelatin sourced from fish could be mixed with dairy and still considered kosher by many folks who care about such things.
IMO it's much safer to stick with fruit pectin or agar agar or some other alternative that can be definitively identified as plant-based. Just like "gluten-free" or "organic," kosher is one of those food labels people associate with vegan/vegetarian even though they aren't really related.
Foods that are "parve" are neither meat nor dairy. The catch, when looking at whether a food is vegan, is that when declaring something parve it has to meet a standard that's something to the effect of "if it was food, but it is now so much so not food that a dog would not eat it, then it's not food, but then if you make it food again it doesn't matter if it was or wasn't meat or dairy prior because by becoming not fit for a dog to eat it became parve."
I'm explaining this poorly.
There's a point in the chemical destruction of animal parts on their way to being gelatin where, by kosher rules/jewish law, it stopped being food worthy of being eaten by a dog, so it gets judged on a clean slate as neither meat nor dairy from that point on, because dropping skin and bones in a vat of acid won't be eaten by dogs.
I've seen agar agar on food labels. As I understand it, while there are plant products that gel, gelatin ONLY comes from animals. Calling it kosher just means it was certified in compliance with kosher rules.
Yeah, does anyone remember the scandal a few years ago with Emes Kosher-Jel gelatin substitute and "vegan" marshmallows?
Vegetarians in Paradise reported here that although for years people had used Emes Kosher-Jel as a vegetarian substitute for gelatin, the product flunked the "gelatin test"-it was found to contain gelatin. This had many people up in arms, since they felt they had been lied to-and were.
However, your explanation, oxymoron02, makes it a little more clear to me why they were sticking to their lie, if-as I've heard-"parve" isn't a synonym for "vegan" anyway.
(Considering that most dogs will eat excrement, does that mean it's parve if it comes from a vegetarian animal?)
What went on with the Kosher-Jel stuff? I don't remember hearing about that.
Nevermind, I read the second link you posted. That's really annoying! Companies lying about shit like that? I can't say I'm surprised, but ticked off, for sure.
Kosher gelatin is, to my understanding, made from fish. Fish and eggs are both considered parave - neither containing 'meat' or dairy, therefore fish derived gelatin can be added to kosher yogurt.
Normally, if it's plant based, I don't see it called gelatin-- it's agaragar, or they use fruit pectin/some other hardcore jelly substance or binding agent-- but rather by it's own plant name (or they wind up placing vegetarian or vegan before the word gelatin if they really want to call it that).
As an addendum, I suppose there ARE vegetarian ones...I just have never seen one. I suppose to be sure, you could email the particular company in question!
A friend of mine buys me vegan 'gelatin' at a Halal market. The main label calls it gelatin, but when you read the ingredients, it is made from seaweed.
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However this may not always be the case because some kosher gelatin can be made with meat and still satisfy kosher guidelines. Though I could be wrong about that.
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Finding it acceptable to mix with dairy is no guarantee. Gelatin sourced from fish could be mixed with dairy and still considered kosher by many folks who care about such things.
IMO it's much safer to stick with fruit pectin or agar agar or some other alternative that can be definitively identified as plant-based. Just like "gluten-free" or "organic," kosher is one of those food labels people associate with vegan/vegetarian even though they aren't really related.
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I'm explaining this poorly.
There's a point in the chemical destruction of animal parts on their way to being gelatin where, by kosher rules/jewish law, it stopped being food worthy of being eaten by a dog, so it gets judged on a clean slate as neither meat nor dairy from that point on, because dropping skin and bones in a vat of acid won't be eaten by dogs.
I've seen agar agar on food labels. As I understand it, while there are plant products that gel, gelatin ONLY comes from animals. Calling it kosher just means it was certified in compliance with kosher rules.
Reply
Vegetarians in Paradise reported here that although for years people had used Emes Kosher-Jel as a vegetarian substitute for gelatin, the product flunked the "gelatin test"-it was found to contain gelatin. This had many people up in arms, since they felt they had been lied to-and were.
However, your explanation, oxymoron02, makes it a little more clear to me why they were sticking to their lie, if-as I've heard-"parve" isn't a synonym for "vegan" anyway.
(Considering that most dogs will eat excrement, does that mean it's parve if it comes from a vegetarian animal?)
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Nevermind, I read the second link you posted. That's really annoying! Companies lying about shit like that? I can't say I'm surprised, but ticked off, for sure.
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Though, to add on, here's a link for people questioning potential sanity:
http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/faq.htm#kosher
http://www.fitgelatins.com/ << A place selling kosher gelatin, stating it comes from fish.
Normally, if it's plant based, I don't see it called gelatin-- it's agaragar, or they use fruit pectin/some other hardcore jelly substance or binding agent-- but rather by it's own plant name (or they wind up placing vegetarian or vegan before the word gelatin if they really want to call it that).
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