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From: smb@ulysses.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: milk & meat - (nf)
Message-ID: <724@ulysses.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 1-Dec-83 19:53:06 EST
Article-I.D.: ulysses.724
Posted: Thu Dec  1 19:53:06 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 4-Dec-83 03:05:02 EST
References: <2622@hp-pcd.UUCP>
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	From: jack@hp-dcde.UUCP
	Subject: milk & meat - (nf)
	Message-ID: <2622@hp-pcd.UUCP>
	Date: Wed, 30-Nov-83 03:35:18 EST
	Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO

	While shopping today, I picked up some Yoplait Custard-Style Yogurt.
	It was marked with a K (not a U in a circle).
	Among the ingredients were listed:
		Skim Milk Solids
		Colored with Beef Fat extracts (definitely Beef Fat something)

	Now, doesn't this violate the rule about Kosher food not mixing milk & meat?


							-Jack Applin
							 (hplabs!hp-dcd!jack)

It would certainly seem to.  There are a few possible explanations
other than a mistake (we'll discount fraudulent intent), though.
First, a substance derived from an animal product can be sufficiently
far from its origins that it is considered a chemical, and no longer a
meat product.  For example, most hard cheeses are cured with animal
rennet, yet most Conservative Jewish authorities consider such cheeses
kosher.  Exactly where the line is drawn varies, of course, depending
on your rabbi.  Some Orthodox rabbis agree with this reasoning, but
insist that the rennet must come from a kosher, ritually slaughtered
animal.  To quote the First Jewish Catalog (an excellent book):


	List of chemical additives, which, besdies probably poisoning your
			body, may be unkosher.

	Depending on what rabbit or authority you ask and what positions
	you adhere to, some of the following may be treif [unkosher] for
	you.  The best policy is to consult a rabbit who likes to eat the
	same things you do.

	Mono-glyceride		Glycine
	Di-glyceride		Emulsifiers
	Stearates		Gelatin
	Stearic acid		Lipids
	Softeners		Rennet
	Argol			Pepsin

A second possible explanation is that the particular K in question may
not be a kashruth symbol.  The Kraft logo, for example, is easily confused
with a indication that the product is kosher.  Nor can the use of K be
restricted, as letters of the alphabet are not copyrightable.