Kosher vegan?

[Hasha]

Certain foods (I'm thinking of cereal primarily) have a 'U D' label, which, as far as I know, means 'Kosher, contains dairy.' But when I look at the list of ingredients, they look completely vegan. Any thoughts?

[Mystic]

I actually come from a Jewish background and kosher does not necessarily mean vegan. A lot of the products are vegan, although it is best not to assume so, as these products can contain dairy, eggs and fish. Not to mention that Kosher meat is available!!!!

[Artichoke47]

It probably has the "D" because it was processed on equipment that also uses (or processes) cow milk.

[gertvegan]

This is from www.askcarla.com , linked to the peta site.

This issue is complex, but kosher symbols and markings are not indicators on which vegans or vegetarians should base their purchasing decisions.

The “K” or kosher symbol basically means that the food-manufacturing process was overseen by a rabbi who, theoretically, ensured that it met Hebrew dietary laws. The food may not contain both dairy products and meat, but it may contain one or the other.

The “P” or pareve symbol means that the product contains no meat or dairy products, but it may contain fish or eggs. Kosher gelatin, for example, usually comes from a fish source.

The “D” symbol, as in kosher D, means that the product either contains dairy ingredients or was made with dairy machinery. For example, a chocolate and peanut candy may be marked “kosher D” even if it doesn’t contain dairy products, because the nondairy chocolate was manufactured on machinery that also made milk chocolate.

If you have further questions regarding kosher symbols, please consult Jewish organizations or publications.

[Hasha]

Thanks everyone! I guess that cereal is made on the equipment that processes dairy products as well then. It's just that I'm always concerned about hidden ingredients. But then, the stuff that I was interested in didn't have anything such as 'natural flavors' listed, so...

[cedarblue]

The K or kosher symbol basically means that the food-manufacturing process was overseen by a rabbi who, theoretically, ensured that it met Hebrew dietary laws. The food may not contain both dairy products and meat, but it may contain one or the other.

i always think on this one - does this mean the rabbi is constantly employed to oversea the manufacturing at the factory day after day? or does is mean that the initial process was overseen and deemed to be OK, and is then left to daily working without rabbi-presence?

anyone know??

[JaredM]

Okay i am a new vegetarian. I want to know if kosher gelatin and whey/whey protein is vegetarian.T

[foxytina_69]

heres a link about kosher gelatin:

http://www.ivu.org/faq/gelatine.html

and whey is derived from dairy. heres a list of ingredients:

http://veganpeace.com/Ingedients/ingredients.htm

[Artichoke47]

Best to cook your own food using agar-agar and buying bread from a health food store, preferrably organic.

[John]

No! Neither are vegan.

Whey is from milk so I guess it is "vegetarian".
Kosher gelatin is not vegan or vegetarian.

[JaredM]

No! Neither are vegan.

Whey is from milk so I guess it is "vegetarian".
Kosher gelatin is not vegan or vegetarian.

So what kind of yogurt do vegetarians eat? or do they eat any? also what kind of soy yogurt is good?

[foxytina_69]

sogood soy yogurt is delicious. depending on where u live, here in canada i can find it in many grocery stores.

vegetarians eat any yogurt since they are dairy.

most vegans dont feel the need to eat a yogurt as once u are vegan for a while u realize there are so many other delicious foods u can eat. i dont feel the need for any vegan animal replacements.

[gertvegan]

JaredM I'll assume you are in the UK as you profile doesn't state anywhwere. As a vegan I consume yofu made by provamel, see www.alprosoya.co.uk .

[gertvegan]

I found this on www.vrg.org

Is kosher gelatin vegan? What is pareve?

Kosher gelatin can be made from fish bones, beef, Japanese insinglass, agar agar, carrageenan, and Irish moss. According to the September/October 1989 issue of Viewpoint, a magazine from the National Council of Young Israel, "a tiny minority of rabbis permit pork gelatin as a kosher product!" Contrary to assumptions, it is also considered kosher to use animal-derived gelatin with dairy products. Unless it is specified as being derived from a non-animal source, such as agar agar and carrageenan, it is very possible that kosher gelatin is animal-derived.

The general meaning of "pareve" refers to foods that are neither milk nor meat, and many people assume this means that the product is vegetarian. However, pareve certified ingredients can contain animal products, such as fish and eggs. Kosher law is very complex and the bones and hides used in gelatin production, even if they are not kosher slaughtered, can be considered pareve by some koser certifying agencies. "Getting Into the Thick of Things, Which Gelatin is Kosher?" an article from the February 2001 issue of Kashrus Magazine, explains the many complexities surrounding kosher gelatin. According to the article,

"[Horav Moshe Feinstein] writes that hides are not considered meat (to prohibit its mixture with milk) by Torah Law, but they are prohibited by Rabbinic Law. If they are dried and processed, the gelatin that comes out is not included in this Rabbinic prohibition. Therefore, gelatin produced from the hides of kosher-slaughtered animal may be intentionally used with milk, provided that the hides are cleaned to remove any meat residue."

[wuggy]

UGH!
And those Kosher slaughterhouses - sick.

[John]

So what kind of yogurt do vegetarians eat? or do they eat any? also what kind of soy yogurt is good?

I like WholeSoy brand yogurt-drink. Apricot-mango flavor. However, I have heard some controversy over whether soy yogurt is in fact vegan. It says "vegan" on the bottle but some people say that the culture for soy yogurt is grown on dairy product. Others say that the culture is grown on seaweed and is vegan.

[Yogini]

I grew up in northern California where there aren't really a lot of Jews, so I don't know much about Jewish food (among other things.) But it was my understanding that eating Kosher has something to do with not combining certain animal foods such as meat and cheese, and with how the animal was murdered (excuse me, slaughtered.) And I once had a Jewish professor who, upon learning I was vegan, winked and said "Oh, so you're Kosher!" So I was under the impression that veganism was automatically Kosher.

But now I live an area with a significant Jewish population. I occasionally meet people who describe themselves as Kosher vegan and I see food at the local natural foods grocery labeled "K-Vegan." I'm too embarassed to ask one of my new Orthodox friends and reveal my total ignorance of their culture, but am totally confused. Can anyone tell me what's going on?

And I apologize for being such a dumb shiksa.

[princessemma]

Sorry I can't be much help but I worked in a Jewish Hotel for a little while. I would have thought that anything vegan or indeed vegetarian is kosher because of course there is no problem with mixing meat and dairy. I would think the labeling is because many people don't know what vegan means. A lot of products are lablled suitable for vegetarians and vegans when of course anything vegan is automatically vegetarian as well, but many vegetarians don't know what vegan means and only look for vegetarian labelling.
I didn't enjoy working at the hotel. The Rabbi was funny about me bringing in my own food when of course there was no meat in it (there was dairy as I was veggie at the time not vegan). Yet on one inspection I found pork gelatine in a yogurt there
I would swallow your embarrasment and ask, if you don't ask you'll never know.

[Seaside]

Kosher laws prohibit contact between flesh and dairy. I'm not Jewish myself, but I remember hearing about a woman who basically had two whole kitchens in one room, one for preparing flesh dishes, and the other for preparing dairy dishes.

For vegetarians, kosher is not a guarantee of a "food" being free of dead animal ingredients. Kosher gelatin comes from fish, and is used in yogurt to thicken it up. So just because something is labelled "kosher" is no guarantee that it is suitable for vegetarians or vegans, if they are eating something with kosher gelatin in it. You have to make sure the kosher gelatin is plant-based.

[Yogini]

Yeah, I knew that something being Kosher didn't automatically make it vegan. But I thought that something being vegan did automatically made it Kosher. I wish I knew how to draw a Venn diagram here to better illustrate why I'm confused.

[Spiral]

I used to use a kosher margarine in the early 1980s called Tomor because it was quite difficult to get vegan margarines in the UK back then. Kosher non-dairy creamers for tea and coffee were useful too.

http://www.jewfaq.org/kashrut.htm

[Mr Flibble]

Like a lot of things, it depends how extreme people take it. Strictly speaking (as far as i know), vegan food is only kosher if prepared by or under the supervision of a Rabbi. There's quite a lot of debate over this though, and I've yet to meet a Jew who observes it properly (a bit like vegetarians who eat gelatine).

[Yogini]

OK, so I swallowed my embarassment and asked. It was explained to me that the dishes used to prepare the food also have to be Kosher for the food to be labelled Kosher.

Good to know.

[insubordination]

Are kosher and halal similar? In Australia, a lot of things which marked 'halal' seem to be vegan.

[Yogini]

I believe Halal refers to food specifictions for Muslims. Like Kosher, I know that it has something to do with how a food animal is slaughtered, but it's also more complicated than that. And that's about all I know on the subject. Sorry.

[pat sommer]

"thou shall not boil a kid in it's mother's milk" that is the bible injuction referring to an idolatrous practice which subsequently, the kosher separation of meat and milk derives. So, if you eat in a kosher restaurant, sit in the meat section and order veg/grain side dishes which will be dairy-alternative or free. Halal shops mean bread won't have lard (in practice) rather hydrogenated sunflower oil for western-type loaves.
There are some great products by mail-order from Israel ask your Jewish aquaintences. From one schiksa to another, bon apetite

[treehugga]

Scuse my ignorance, but I often see products which state halal or kosher gelatin. Someone told me these are sourced from vegetable sources such as agar. Is this true? Is it ok to consume these as a vegan/ The word gelatin gives me the hebbie jebbies!

[Seaside]

I don't know about what halal means, but kosher gelatin can be made from fish. Kosher laws are supposed to prevent contact between meat and dairy, but they don't consider fish meat, so fish gelatin can be considered kosher.

[Wildflower]

Kosher gel here where I am is made of agar agar. The brand is Eames.