There are alternatives to gelatin
I am a vegetarian. No, I'm not going to shove my opinion that being a vegetarian is great down your throats. I am here to open peoples eyes to how difficult it is to find certain products that are vegetarian friendly.
I know what you're thinking, there are lots of alternatives out there for vegetarians that are easily available. Sure, if you're talking about meat alternatives, that is true. Well, I was prepared to give up meat when I became a vegetarian, that's kind of the idea. I was not however, prepared for the sheer amount of confectionery and sweet foods in general, I would have to give up.
Confused? Well, at first, I was too. You see many foods require to be spongy or soft or gelatinous, such as marshmallows, or the little jelly cola bottles. Well the ingredient used by most mainstream companies, is a product called gelatin (sometimes gelatin). It is a product made from boiling up bones, and skins and more uncommonly, hooves and horns. The collagen seeps out from these materials and the water turns into gelatin. Obviously there's more to it than that, but that is the basic idea.
Obviously this isn't acceptable to most vegetarians (and in some cases, some religions), and many unknowingly consume it. It was just the other day I almost ate a chocolate mousse, only to realise that, this too, had pork gelatin in it.
Now, my main issue with this, is that there are many many alternatives to using gelatin. To name a few: Agar-Agar, Biobin, Guar, Xanthan and Carob fruit. These all have the same properties as gelatin, yet companies refuse to use these sources. It wouldn't change the taste, most of them aren't hard to produce, and I'm sure they lose a rather large amount of customers because of it.
Further Information
Xanthan Gum
Some information on Wikipedia about Xanthan Gum and its uses in food as an alternative to gelatin.
Gelatine FAQ
A frequently asked questions (FAQ) from the International Vegetarian Union (IVU) site with information on the use of gelatine (gelatin) and alternatives.
Gelatine free sweets
Bagofsweets.com have a special selection of gelatine free sweets.
Vegetarian Cooking - Gelatin alternatives
Hundreds of vegetarian and vegan recipes to search within or browse. Spotlighted vegetarian and vegan foods, products, menus, and restaurants.
Comments from visitors
-7
Click to rate 
Report
-6
Click to rate Report
-10
Click to rate Report
-14
Click to rate Report
Yes, I have to check the labels on juice drinks too, but so far, there is just one brand that uses gelatin in their orange drink.
-2
Click to rate Report
However, there are ways of making recipes(normally with gelatin) omitting gelatin and it tastes and looks better.
-12
Click to rate Report
-14
Click to rate Report
I am not a vegetarian but feel that is such a cheap way of bulking food and drinks.
I came across an orange juice drink in the chiller section and found it had gelatin in it. Why? Why put gelatin in orange drink? I don't want ground hoofs and cow bones in my food ! Leave it for the serious meat eaters.
-7
Click to rate Report
+2
Click to rate Report
-3
Click to rate Report
It my choice I know, but it can be so hard to find suitable products that dont have animals insides in them, everytime I go to a takeway place I have to ask if the chips are cooked in vegetable oil as alot of places cook them in beef driping, yuck! my stomach turns!
+4
Click to rate Report
Cost/customer base basically.
It's cheaper than the 'alternatives' and the customer base they already have would likely dissapear if they change the taste and texture (which all of the 'alternatives' would affect)
the reason I state it as 'alternative' is because they are not a replacement, they are not the same.
while changing the content may gain some veg customers they'd lose more than they'd gain.
Sad but true
+4
Click to rate Report
+6
Click to rate Report
+2
Click to rate Report
Having said that, I find the big supermarkets like Tesco and Sainsbury's have their own sweets that are clearly labelled whether they are suitable for vegetarians and vegans. They have a quite a choice so I can get my sugar fix that way.
-6
Click to rate Report
+3
Click to rate Report
-16
Click to rate Report
-2
Click to rate Report
I know the idea of eating bugs is off putting, but if everybody was to think deep about the content of their food, everyone would starve. Nobody picks the bugs out of corn or wheat, and nobody pays it a thought, but it still has bug eggs in.
Get a bag of flour and tip it into a glass container, and leave it.Don't open it, and don't shake the contents up. After some time(a month or so) you will see little black bugs crawling around in it.
I know a man who works in a hard boiled sweet factory. Rotten fruits go in along with the good fruits.
Fish have to go through a uv light to show up the worms that they contain, and they only get picked out if noticed.(they look like mini polo's with a thin skin over them).
Who want's a fish finger butty ?(chunder) lol.
+2
Click to rate Report
I didn’t know about the safety aspect of using cochineal but I think even meat eaters would draw the line at eating crushed insects if they were aware of what E120 is. I have seen it as an ingredient in common products like Mr Kipling cakes and many sweets, even on a box of confectionery labelled “suitable for vegetarians” in a mail order catalogue.
Apart from cochineal and E120 it is also sometimes labelled as carminic acid or carmine so vegetarians need to look out for all of those.
+3
Click to rate Report
