# "Kosher" gelatin in Yogurt! Is this an oxymoron? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 3, 2003, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-gelatin-in-yogurt-is-this-an-oxymoron/166155 "2003-04-03T07:51:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rusalka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecd19e/32.png) [@Rusalka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rusalka)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-gelatin-in-yogurt-is-this-an-oxymoron/166155/1 "2003-04-03T07:51:21Z")
So I was looking at the ingredient list of some popular flavored yogurt brands, (like Dannon) and what do I see… but “kosher gelatin” on the list. I looked at several brands and noticed the same thing. As far as I can tell, this is a recent development, I’ve never noticed gelatin in yogurt before. This was a source of some concern for me because I don’t eat beef products, and gelatin is usually made of inedible parts of beef. Isn’t it impossible to mix gelatin with yogurt and still be kosher? Could gelatin mixed with a milk product ever be a kosher food? I understand there are such things as “gelatin substitutes” made from plant or algae sources, but always thought “gelatin” is a very specific animal product. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-gelatin-in-yogurt-is-this-an-oxymoron/166155/2 "2003-04-03T07:55:35Z")
No. There are many thickening agents past gelatinous beef-related animal products that could permit Kosher consumption of thickened yoghourt. You could even have a beef-gelatin thickened yoghourt made of goat’s milk. ---
**Author:** ![raygirvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@raygirvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raygirvan)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-gelatin-in-yogurt-is-this-an-oxymoron/166155/3 "2003-04-03T11:03:42Z")
A Google search for “kosher gelatin” finds many articles on this: for instance, [here](http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/faq.htm#kosher). There are a number of ways around the milk-meat problem in this situation. Fish-derived gelatin is one possibility. Another is that (in the view of some authorities) hides treated by correct kosher procedure aren’t considered as meat, therefore hide-derived beef gelatin can be OK. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-gelatin-in-yogurt-is-this-an-oxymoron/166155/4 "2003-04-03T14:05:20Z")
Just because one of the ingredients is kosher does not make the entire dish kosher. Is the yogurt marked as being kosher or just the gelatin? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-gelatin-in-yogurt-is-this-an-oxymoron/166155/5 "2003-04-03T14:08:27Z")
The upshot is, if it says “gelatin” it’s from an animal source. There is no such thing as gelatin from a non-animal source. ---
**Author:** ![chukhung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-gelatin-in-yogurt-is-this-an-oxymoron/166155/6 "2003-04-03T14:13:40Z")
On a somewhat related subject, this [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=155314) discusses kosher cheese and kosher rennet. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kosher-gelatin-in-yogurt-is-this-an-oxymoron/166155/7 "2003-04-03T15:21:55Z")
There is a thickening agent called “agar agar” made from seaweed. It is vegetarian and kosher. I don’t eat it cause anything the texture of gelatin gives me the creeps.