Ivy Pepin
From candies to canned goods, you can find gelatin lurking in many ingredients lists. But what is it made of, and why isn’t it vegetarian?
The rumors are true. Marshmallows, Jell-O, gummy bears… although they seemingly bear no resemblance to animals (well, other than the gummy bears), these foods often aren’t vegetarian. That’s because they contain gelatin, a substance used to create the “fun,” gooey, chewy textures we expect from these foods. But the truth is, the process of making gelatin is far from fun. Instead, it’s rife with animal suffering. After learning what gelatin is made of, you’ll likely want to leave it off your plate.
What is gelatin made of?
Gelatin is made from the body parts of animals—mainly pieces of skin, bones, and connective tissue. Both animals and humans have collagen in their skin and bones, which gives them strength and elasticity. Gelatin is derived from the collagen present in these animal parts.
Colorless, flavorless, and translucent, gelatin is used widely in various products because of its versatility. It can be found in foods, medical products, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, confectionery, and more. More than 300,000 metric tons of gelatin are produced worldwide every single year—all of it coming from animals.
What is in gelatin?
Gelatin consists of processed collagen extracted from the skin, bones, cartilage, and tendons of animals. The end result—gelatin, or hydrolyzed collagen—is a soluble protein, meaning it dissolves in warm water. Its chemical composition is very similar to collagen.
How is gelatin made?
The process of making gelatin begins with animals—usually cows, pigs, and fish raised on factory farms. From the moment they’re born to the day they’re brutally slaughtered, these intelligent animals’ lives are full of suffering. Whether they’re raised for meat, leather, or any other animal product, animals are transported to a slaughterhouse and killed at a young age.
After slaughter, animals’ cartilage, bones, skin, tendons, and even feet are sent to a gelatin processing plant. When their remains arrive at the facility, they’re washed to remove impurities. In a process called “pretreatment,” workers soak the animal parts in vats of either acid or alkali. This enables the collagen to be extracted. Next, the pre-treated parts are mixed with hot water and go through the collagen extraction process. The resulting solution is purified to remove calcium, sodium, residual acid, and salts. Then, the solution goes through an evaporation process to thicken into solid gelatin. Finally, it’s cooled, dried, and pressed into gelatin sheets or ground into powder.
This end result is the gelatin that goes into items like shampoo, candy, sauces, and more—unrecognizable from the animal parts that produced it.
Is gelatin vegetarian?
No. Gelatin isn’t vegan or even vegetarian, as it’s extracted from the bodies of animals.
Do animals get killed for gelatin?
Gelatin is generally a byproduct of the meat and leather industries, using “waste material” or leftover animal parts from these processes. But gelatin could not exist without an industrial factory farming system built on extreme animal cruelty. While it may seem like a harmless byproduct, gelatin inevitably supports this system—all the way from a confined animal feeding operation to the slaughterhouse.
What animal is gelatin made of?
Gelatin is usually extracted from the skin and bones of cows and pigs, and less commonly, from fish scales or skin. However, it can also be produced from chicken, birds, ducks, or even insects. Regardless of the animal it comes from, all of these animals are forced to endure the worst forms of physical and psychological suffering on factory farms.
Is all gelatin made from animals?
Yes—all conventional gelatin comes from animals. However, there are great vegan alternatives to gelatin itself, as well as alternatives for the products that commonly contain gelatin!
Is gelatin made of horse hooves?
There’s a common misconception that gelatin is made from horse hooves. However, hooves don’t contain collagen, which is necessary to produce gelatin. While this particular myth isn’t true, the truth—that it comes from bones, tendons, skin, and more—is certainly no less disturbing.
What is gelatin used for?
Because of its structure, gelatin is often used as a gelling or thickening agent in foods and cosmetics. In fact, manufacturers sell more gelatin to the food industry than any other gelling agent. It gives marshmallows their pillowy bounce, lends a chewy texture to gummy candies, and is used in foods like cream cheese to make them fluffier. It can even be used in pill coatings. However, it’s far from necessary—with numerous vegan alternatives like agar-agar, starches, and more.
Types of gelatin
There are two types of gelatin: Type A and Type B. The difference between them goes back to the pretreatment process, when the animal parts are treated with either acid or alkali. Treating with acid produces type A gelatin, while the alkali (or basic) treatment produces type B gelatin. Different types of gelatin are used for their different gel strengths.
Gelatin is further divided into edible- or industrial-grade. Edible-grade gelatin is derived from animal bones and skin, while industrial-grade is usually tanned from leather (meaning it contains more impurities and metal residues).
What foods are made of gelatin?
Many common foods contain gelatin. If you’re looking to avoid buying gelatin, here are some foods to watch out for:
- Gummy candies
- Jell-O
- Marshmallows
- Some dairy products, including yogurt and ice cream
- Icing/frosting
- Canned meats
- Soups and sauces
- Chewing gum
Luckily, there are vegan versions of all these foods! You can enjoy the same delicious flavors and textures, without any of the animal suffering involved.
Is gelatin good for you?
Gelatin itself isn’t harmful for you, as it’s made up mostly of protein. But the products it’s found in tend to be less than healthy—often containing artificial sweeteners and colors.
Collagen vs. gelatin
While similar, collagen and gelatin are different substances. Collagen is the protein naturally found in animal bones, skin, connective tissue, and more. Collagen is considered the “parent protein” of gelatin, as gelatin is created by heating collagen.
What is vegan gelatin made of?
Lucky for us, there are plenty of great vegan alternatives to gelatin!
- Agar-agar: Derived from seaweed, this is a popular alternative to gelatin—no suffering required.
- Pectin: Pectin makes a great thickener in place of gelatin.
- Xantham gum: This ingredient acts as a stabilizer in many products.
- Carrageenan: It’s often used as a gelatin replacement in vegan versions of items like Jell-O and marshmallows.
Is it ethical to eat gelatin?
Because gelatin feels so far removed from the animals it came from, it can also seem less connected to animal suffering than foods like meat or eggs. But the truth is, gelatin is created through animal cruelty. If you’re concerned about animal suffering and are interested in removing animal products from your diet and lifestyle, gelatin is a good ingredient to cut out—especially since it’s generally found in items that are unhealthy anyway.
Disturbed by the stark realities of the factory farming industry? The good news is, you can help fight back for animals. Food companies have the power to end the abuse by changing their sourcing practices. Will you help put pressure on corporate giants to end the worst abuses faced by animals today?
