Non hechshered gum...

Ruchel

Thu, Aug 18 2011, 11:10 am

It is worth asking a shaila. Maybe it is on a country's kosher list. Maybe it is a type of natural gum that can be checked by ingredients. Maybe you are in a place where even traces of smthg are written in the ingredients, or where anything under 2% isn't mentioned, or somewhere in between - big difference.

JAWSCIENCE

Thu, Aug 18 2011, 11:45 am

Our Rabbi holds we should not eat it so we don't. You should really ask your Rav about this since people hold differently and an internet forum has all types of people. Some Rabbi's hold gelatin is fine to eat while the majority do not etc., etc.

We once bought some Juciy Fruit (non-hechsher) because we read it was good to use to kill groundhogs. Basically they like the fruity smell but they choke on it and never come back to your yard. It was maybe 65 cents, so although we did not really think it would work we figured we'd try it. I put it on the counter and went to change into yard clothes. I come back and Poof. it is all gone. Some visiting friends who have a different Rav and eat this gum were happily chewing away. It was hysterical. I told them they were all eating groundhog poison and everybody got a good laugh.

MaBelleVie

Thu, Aug 18 2011, 11:50 am

I was told there can be questionable ingredients, which may not be listed as such. For example, flavors or colors may be derived from animal sources.

bm1234

Thu, Aug 18 2011, 12:06 pm

With such a large variety of kosher gum around, why would anyone choose the non-kosher ones. It pays to stay away even if there is a 1% chance that its not kosher. With so many chemicals and preservatives used today, you can never know. Also some things are made with the same machinery as other stuff that can be traif. I don't think it pays to take a chance.

amother

Thu, Aug 18 2011, 2:02 pm

Are any of the "normal" American brands that sell cinnamon flavor gum certified kosher? Big Red, Extra, Trident...any others? Any of the typical kosher brands sell cinnamon?

yo'ma

Thu, Aug 18 2011, 2:05 pm

amother wrote:

Are any of the "normal" American brands that sell cinnamon flavor gum certified kosher? Big Red, Extra, Trident...any others? Any of the typical kosher brands sell cinnamon?

There is a company called Tenli that has cinnamon gum, but I don't recommend it. The taste is good, but the texture is horrible.

Thu, Aug 18 2011, 2:15 pm

bm1234 wrote:

I agree about the risks - it's hard to tell from the ingredient list what's really in a product. I don't use non-kosher gum. But kosher gum isn't ubiquitous. I live in a fairly substantial Jewish community, and kosher gum ("Must" brand only) is found in stores that have a "kosher candy section," not at every little shop in the neighborhood. That is an improvement over how it was when/where I lived before; it required a special trip to a kosher market and then maybe there wouldn't be any.

Ruchel

Fri, Aug 19 2011, 4:54 am

For someone used to (and allowed), it is not hard knowing what ingredient is allowed, because it is taught to people. I still need the list, but my dh who was taught by kashrus specialists do it by heart.

FranticFrummie

Fri, Aug 19 2011, 5:14 am

You can order kosher gum from Oh Nuts in Brooklyn. When I go to NY I buy it in bulk to bring home, because it is SO expensive here.

Non kosher gum is the bane of my existence. Mad

It drives me crazy because between the non Jewish cleaning ladies who hand it out to their client's kids (it's not really food, right? Rolling Eyes

) to the MO parents who will eat out a vegetarian restaurant and give non kosher gum to their kids, it's all I can do to make sure my kid doesn't end up with it.

Aaaaargh!

ewa-jo

Fri, Aug 19 2011, 11:40 am

amother wrote:

Why is this a problem?

Thanks!

Animal-derived products.... could be non-kosher animals. This is from a vegetarian resource site.

http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/fa.....m#gum

What is chewing gum made out of?

Most chewing gums innocuously list "gum base" as one of their ingredients, masking the fact that petroleum, lanolin, glycerin, polyethylene, polyvinyl acetate, petroleum wax, stearic acid, and latex may be among the components. Because of standards of identity for items such as gum base and flavoring, manufacturers are not required to list everything in their product. According to Dertoline, a French chemical manufacturer, their adhesive "dercolytes" are used as a label and tape adhesive, as well as a chewing gum base. Many brands also list glycerin and glycerol as ingredients on the label. Both of those compounds can be animal-derived.

auntie_em

Fri, Aug 19 2011, 7:11 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

You can order kosher gum from Oh Nuts in Brooklyn. When I go to NY I buy it in bulk to bring home, because it is SO expensive here.

Non kosher gum is the bane of my existence. Mad

It drives me crazy because between the non Jewish cleaning ladies who hand it out to their client's kids (it's not really food, right? Rolling Eyes

) to the MO parents who will eat out a vegetarian restaurant and give non kosher gum to their kids, it's all I can do to make sure my kid doesn't end up with it.

Aaaaargh!

Really?

shabbatiscoming

Sat, Aug 20 2011, 5:50 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

You can order kosher gum from Oh Nuts in Brooklyn. When I go to NY I buy it in bulk to bring home, because it is SO expensive here.

Non kosher gum is the bane of my existence. Mad

It drives me crazy because between the non Jewish cleaning ladies who hand it out to their client's kids (it's not really food, right? Rolling Eyes

) to the MO parents who will eat out a vegetarian restaurant and give non kosher gum to their kids, it's all I can do to make sure my kid doesn't end up with it.

Aaaaargh!

not all MO people eat out at veggie places or eat non kosher gum. Please dont make a statement like that. It sounds like you are generalizing about MO.

Raisin

Sat, Aug 20 2011, 8:20 pm

shabbatiscoming wrote:

FranticFrummie wrote:

You can order kosher gum from Oh Nuts in Brooklyn. When I go to NY I buy it in bulk to bring home, because it is SO expensive here.

Non kosher gum is the bane of my existence. Mad

It drives me crazy because between the non Jewish cleaning ladies who hand it out to their client's kids (it's not really food, right? Rolling Eyes

) to the MO parents who will eat out a vegetarian restaurant and give non kosher gum to their kids, it's all I can do to make sure my kid doesn't end up with it.

Aaaaargh!

not all MO people eat out at veggie places or eat non kosher gum. Please dont make a statement like that. It sounds like you are generalizing about MO.

Chill. where does she say that ALL M.O people eat in non kosher veggie resturants? I also know people who call themselves M.O who openly do things like that. Wheras a chareidi person, if they did do do such a thing, would not admit to it becasue they know it is not halachically acceptable.

imabima

Sat, Aug 20 2011, 9:46 pm

yo'ma wrote:

amother wrote:

Are any of the "normal" American brands that sell cinnamon flavor gum certified kosher? Big Red, Extra, Trident...any others? Any of the typical kosher brands sell cinnamon?

There is a company called Tenli that has cinnamon gum, but I don't recommend it. The taste is good, but the texture is horrible.

I bought that gum once and I thought it was me! I'm so glad it was the gum. I was so excited to see cinnamon gum, but so sad when I tried it. Sad

MaBelleVie

Sat, Aug 20 2011, 9:49 pm

To everyone getting worked up about frantic frummies example: she said "THE MO parents," indicating that she is referring to a select group. She did not write "MO parents," which could imply that all MO parents fall under this category. We can all relax.