THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE BY KENNETH W. SWIGER
APPEARED IN "THE HERALD" MAGAZINE IN 1997
Many Christians are very careful in choosing what they will
put into their bodies. They realize that, as the temple of God,
they have a responsibility to take the best possible care of this
earthy tabernacle. If you are on who obeys God's dietary laws, it
may interest you to know that some things which you have been
eating are actually made from unclean animals!
A church member told me he had learned on the Internet that
Jello brand gelatin was made form pork products. I assured him
that this was not so. After all, they have a little (k) on the
label to indicate that their product is "kosher." Also, others
have told me that they had phoned the toll free telephone number
at Kraft Foods and had been assured that their gelatin was, in
fact, "kosher." He responded that he believed the warning he had
seen on the Internet and was not persuaded by "a (K) on the
label."
I called Kraft Foods and asked them if the (K) on the label
meant that the product was CERTIFIED as KOSHER. The lady
answered, "Yes, it does." I then asked if they meant by "kosher"
that their was no pork or equine (horse) products in the gelatin.
Again, she said, "Yes." I asked her to send me written
documentation of the "kosher" certification of Jello, now
satisfied that Jello was OK for us to eat.
When the documentation arrived, I was dismayed to find that
it listed all Kraft Foods products which are certified as
"kosher," EXCEPT for Jello! Their cover letter mentioned my
contact regarding the gelatin products, yet they didn't send me
the documentation for it. I called again to ask for the written
proof of Jello. This time I was told that the Jello was actually
certified through a different rabbinical source. Instead of
sending the documents on Jello certification, they gave me the
name, address and phone number of the rabbi in New York City. I
called and left messages requesting the information.
When I received the letter from the rabbi, I found a hand
written, single paragraph letter with a startling admission. See
the letter in box.
(The letter in the box in the magazine was:
December 23, 1996
Dear Mr. Swiger,
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.
Sincerely, Rabbi S....G..... name omitted by author
Keith hunt).
The information he enclosed was a two-sided photocopied
sheet. One side was a multi-paragraph explanation, quoting many
Orthodox rabbis and their writings, for the certification of
gelatin described from any source as meeting "specifications of
Orthodox dietary Laws and therefore Kosher and Pareve."
Side two of this document was a brief summary of the
production of animal-based gelatin. It explained that, contrary
to popular belief, gelatin is not manufactured from horns
or hooves of animals, but rather from collagen-bearing tissues in
the trimmings of the hide. These materials are soaked in
chemicals, washed and cooked to extract the gelatin,
which is then filtered and evaporated.
In order to make it clear that the gelatin could be made
from ANY animal, he UNDERLINED the word "any." They conclude that
the chemical process changes the composition of the product and
that the identity of the original material is completely
eliminated!
Amazing conclusion, isn't it? By this deceitful line of
reasoning, one could conceivably start with MANURE and, get a
certified "kosher" product!
So, you're thinking to yourself that you'll just avoid Jello
brand gelatin products from now on if you want to avoid eating
unclean things. But unfortunately, the deception goes further.
Many products contain so-called kosher gelatin. For instance:
Land O'Lakes Sour Cream (regular not the "light" version)
contains gelatin and has no (K) on the label. I called them and
they told me gelatin was added to make it seem creamier. They
also told me that their "kosher" gelatin was made from pork! They
began to explain how it was chemically changed and so that made
it all right.
Perhaps you've heard a health related audio tape touting the
use of Knox brand gelatin for treatment of arthritis/rheumatism.
A doctor on one such tape said that the Knox gelatin was made
from chicken cartilage. I thought that would be a way to use
gelatin and still observe "clean and unclean." However, I bought
a package of the gelatin and called the toll free number on the
box, only to hear them tell me that the product contains NO
chicken at all! It is primarily made of beef and pork. (To their
credit, they don't even pretend to be "kosher" and have no (K) on
then label).
There are some truly "kosher" gelatin products on the
market. These are made from VEGETARIAN ingredients. Specifically,
carageenan and locust bean gum are ingredients used to produce
gelatin which is suitable for human consumption.
The Bible warns us that evil men and seducers will grow ever
worse, deceiving and being deceived (2 Timothy 3:13). Surely
those who lie to us or mislead us regarding the unclean contents
of their food products quality themselves as deceivers.
Keep your guard up and don't be fooled.
.............................
Note:
If carageenan is from sea-weed or the like it is NOT suitable for
human consumption.
Entered on Keith Hunt's Website site, June 2003
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