Mike and Ikes | Imamother

Leleh

Sat, Feb 05 2022, 8:40 pm

My husband recently told me there's a concerning ingredient in the coating of Mike and Ikes and he won't let us eat them. My children are surprisingly pretty reliably about this, yet they come home regularly telling me how they were given them at a party or in a pekalach...

I understand there's a hechshar on the product, which is why it's technically fine to eat. I'm just wondering if anyone else out there has this restriction?

sky

Sat, Feb 05 2022, 8:44 pm

confectioners glaze.

We also don’t eat it. It’s mike and Ike’s. Jelly belly’s. Many sprinkles. Shiny large gum balls

Most ppl and hechsherim say it’s fine.
Our rav holds not to eat it.

What is Confectioner's Glaze?
Confectioner's glaze, also known as pharmaceutical glaze, Is used by numerous candy companies to add a shiny, smooth finish on their products. It's made using shellac, but shellac—or “beetle juice,” as ABC News calls it—is made of bug secretions.

How is Shellac Made?
After feeding on tree sap, the female lac bug secretes a substance called lac to protect her soon-to-hatch eggs. Often found and collected in forests of India or Thailand, the lac later hardens to create a flaky shellac. It is then dissolved in ethanol, an alcohol fuel distilled from plant materials. The process leads to the creation of glaze and shellac polish.

Uses for Shellac
While the glaze is used to enhance shine of apples, jelly beans, and other hard foods, shellac-based sprays are also used to coat pills, polish fingernails, and varnish wood.

Shellac and the FDA
According to the Food and Drug Administration, the glaze is a “non-nutritive substance,” or a substance that does not contribute negatively or positively to nutrition. However, it is “generally recognized as safe” by the administration. (The FDA also allows a certain amount of insect fragments into the foods we eat.)

Is Confectioner's Glaze Vegan?
No. Because shellac is hardened lac bug secretions, products containing it are not considered vegan. With worries that shellac processes may lead to bugs incidentally getting dissolved into ethanol, some vegetarian and vegan bloggers have encouraged the avoidance of food products with the glaze.

number

Sat, Feb 05 2022, 8:54 pm

How is it different halachically from honey.

bsy

Sat, Feb 05 2022, 8:57 pm

Same

Sprinkles1

Sat, Feb 05 2022, 8:57 pm

And I'm wondering if the ones with the Blooms- Yoka hechsher sticker are made differently than the plain mike & ikes with the OU?

bsy

Sat, Feb 05 2022, 9:00 pm

Sprinkles1 wrote:

And I'm wondering if the ones with the Blooms- Yoka hechsher sticker are made differently than the plain mike & ikes with the OU?

Don't think so. That hechsher isn't much according to what I've heard

simcha2

Sat, Feb 05 2022, 9:11 pm

number wrote:

How is it different halachically from honey.

It's not.

https://www.star-k.org/article.....king/

But it is clear there are different opinions.

(We hold it is fine - along with R Moshe).

momof2+?

Sat, Feb 05 2022, 9:12 pm

This thread is really yucky. I never heard of this and just ate some mike n Ike’s tonight. And I really like hot tamales Sad

simcha2

Sat, Feb 05 2022, 9:19 pm

momof2+? wrote:

This thread is really yucky. I never heard of this and just ate some mike n Ike’s tonight. And I really like hot tamales Sad

Definitely don't read how honey is made ...

BrisketBoss

Sat, Feb 05 2022, 9:22 pm

simcha2 wrote:

Definitely don't read how honey is made ...

Ha, yes. They say honey is only kosher because by the time we figured it out there was already a mesorah.

Bruria

Sat, Feb 05 2022, 9:23 pm

We don't eat anything with confectioners glaze either. I know more people that don't eat it as well.

momof2+?

Sat, Feb 05 2022, 9:23 pm

simcha2 wrote:

Definitely don't read how honey is made ...

Thanks for the heads up Smile

number

Sun, Feb 06 2022, 8:13 am

simcha2 wrote:

It's not.

https://www.star-k.org/article.....king/

But it is clear there are different opinions.

(We hold it is fine - along with R Moshe).

Interesting article. I wonder why they don’t use the vegan version and open up the market more. I’m sure they have their reasons.

chocolate moose

Sun, Feb 06 2022, 4:52 pm

sounds like a question for the OU

sky

Sun, Feb 06 2022, 5:08 pm

chocolate moose wrote:

sounds like a question for the OU

The ou holds confectioners glaze is not an issue.
There is definitely what to rely on for ppl that eat it. One person in kashrut told us he considers mike and Ike’s one of the most kosher candy bec how reliable their ingredients suppliies are. So it’s not like one opinion for everyone.

simcha2

Sun, Feb 06 2022, 5:16 pm

number wrote:

Interesting article. I wonder why they don’t use the vegan version and open up the market more. I’m sure they have their reasons.

Guessing cost.

As an aside, Mike and Ike's are made by the Just Born company- owned by the very nice Jewish family, the Borns.

sky

Sun, Feb 06 2022, 5:25 pm

I don’t judge anyone’s kashrut level if they do or don’t eat confectioners glaze.
I consider it a personal stringency.