Kosher candy – no hidden ingredients from dead animals

Sweets are one of the product categories with the most complex ingredient lists. Hardly any other product group contains more ingredients whose origin is not always easy to clarify. Chocolate, biscuits, chewing gum, candy and other sweets – most people will be surprised how much ingredients with animal origin could be found.

Take carmine for instance: Carmine – also known as Cochineal or E120 – is a red dye that is derived from an insect: the cochineal scale. This food color is often found in colored candy. Other undesirable ingredients such as rennet could be found in so-called sweet whey powder, a common ingredient for chocolate and biscuits. The most well-known material from dead animals is gelatin. Gelatin is made either from pork or beef bones and skin – and thus makes the products unsuitable for Jews, Muslims and vegetarians.

Also candy, snacks and sweets are available kosher-dairy as well as kosher-parve

Similar to kosher baked goods, a distinction is also made for kosher confectionery between products that are kosher-dairy or kosher-parve. Since the kosher dietary laws rely strictly on a separation between milk and meat, a variety of kosher candy is kosher-parve. This means that they are free of dairy products of any kind; some biscuits and wafers are also produced without the use of eggs. Many traditional sweets from the Middle East such as baklava or halva are free from animal fats, milk and eggs. However, some sweets, which are declared as kosher-parve, may contain eggs, honey and in the case of some kosher fruit gums also kosher fish gelatin. Thus, if you are vegetarian or vegan and interested in products that fits your diet, don´t hesitate to ask us. We will provide any necessary information.

Sweets kosher-dairy

Confectionery such as milk chocolate, but also pastries often contain so-called sweet whey powder. Sweet whey powder is a byproduct in the production of cheese. Depending on whether natural rennet or a vegetarian rennet substitute is used, the sweet whey powder contains traces of animal rennet – or not. Kosher chocolate and biscuits that were manufactured under the supervision of a rabbinate guarantees the use of sweet whey powder, which is free from rennet. Products that have been produced according to these standards thus can be consumed by Jews and vegetarians – and are increasingly in demand by these groups.

Kosher snacks

Many people that keeps either a vegan or a vegetarian diet may remember that some time ago a number of seemingly “purely vegetarian” do in fact contain animal derived ingredients made from pork, chicken and even game. This is the case with some potato chips and other snacks. Again, we have to stress that all kosher snacks we are care are free from ingredients of pork or other meat derivatives.