Why isn’t all gelatin kosher?
In a nutshell, common gelatin comes from pigs which are unkosher, as is all products derived from or used with parts of pig (also part of the reason why all wine and cheese aren’t kosher).
Kosher gelatin is available. That gelatin is either made from cows or other kosher animals, or is non-meat and made from carob beans, agar-agar, guar gum and xanthan gum.
An earlier article on kosher slaughter explained that animals must be slaughtered in a specific way in order to be considered kosher. The vast majority of animals are not slaughtered in this manner, and are thus not permitted to be eaten by those who follow the kosher laws. Because gelatin is derived from animal parts, and the animal has usually not been slaughtered in this manner, gelatin would be considered non-kosher. In addition, gelatin is often made from materials taken from pigs, which are not kosher at all. Although some believe that the creation of gelatin sufficiently denatures the product so that it is no longer considered non-kosher, the accepted position is that gelatin is considered the product of a non-kosher animal, and is thus non-kosher.
