Yes, The Jelly Bean Factory jelly beans are kosher. We want as many people as possible to enjoy our gourmet jelly beans and all 36 of their great flavors.
To make sure as many people as possible can enjoy our jelly beans, we made sure they are all kosher. They are also gluten-free, vegetarian, and halal.
Want to know how we make our kosher, vegetarian, gluten-free, and halal jelly beans so chewy and tasty? Then sit back, relax, and enjoy some gourmet jelly beans while we talk about how we make our beans so tasty.
Jelly beans – those colorful sugar-coated candies we all know and love. Their burst of sweet flavors takes many of us back to childhood, evoking nostalgic memories of Easter baskets and penny candy shops. But if you don’t eat pork you may sometimes wonder is there pork in jelly beans?
This is an important question for vegetarians, vegans, and those who avoid pork for religious reasons. Let’s take a closer look at the typical ingredients in jelly beans and whether they contain any hidden animal products.
The Basic Ingredients
Jelly beans have a fairly simple ingredient list
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Sugar – Provides sweetness and texture. Common types used include corn syrup, cane sugar, and beet sugar.
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Corn starch – Gives structure to the gummy interior
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Food coloring – Dyes the jelly beans their vibrant colors. Made from artificial FD&C colors.
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Flavorings – Usually natural and artificial flavor extracts that give each bean its taste.
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Citric acid – Adds tartness and helps preserve the candies.
As you can see, classic jelly beans don’t inherently contain any animal ingredients like pork. However, there are a few potential animal-derived additives to watch out for:
Gelatin – A Common Additive
Gelatin is a protein extracted from collagen in animal bones and tissues. It is sometimes used in jelly candies to achieve a chewy texture. The most common sources are beef and pork, so gelatin would indicate pork-containing jelly beans.
Thankfully, many jelly bean brands today are gelatin-free. But it’s still essential to check the ingredients list and not make assumptions. Terms like “gelatin” or “confectioner’s glaze” signal animal-based ingredients.
Beeswax – A Potential Contaminant
Some manufacturers coat their jelly beans in beeswax or carnauba wax to seal in flavor and give them shine. While beeswax itself doesn’t contain pork, contamination could occur during processing on shared equipment.
For those strictly avoiding all animal products, beeswax may also be unwanted. But jelly beans with beeswax would still be considered vegetarian, not containing actual pork ingredients.
Sugar Processing – Bone Char Concerns
There is also some debate around bone char filtration used in sugar processing. Bone char, often from cattle, can filter sugar to make it whiter. This means sugar is not technically “vegan.”
However, major candy companies claim not to use bone-char filtered sugar anymore. And there would be no direct pork contamination from sugar processing. But it’s something vegans may want to research further.
When in Doubt, Check the Label
The bottom line? If you want to know for sure if a certain jelly bean brand contains pork, your best bet is to read the detailed ingredients list on the packaging before eating them. Make sure no animal-derived additives like gelatin are included.
You can also look for reassurance from manufacturers. Many major brands now advertise their jelly beans as “vegetarian” or “vegan” on the front of the package, making your shopping easier.
Popular Pork-Free Options
Here are some top jelly bean brands that are confirmed to be 100% pork-free:
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Jelly Belly – Their classic jelly beans contain no animal-derived ingredients. However, other Jelly Belly products may contain beeswax or gelatin.
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Goelitz – Their traditional Jelly Bird Eggs and other gummy candies have no pork products.
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Kasugai – Their gummies and jelly beans avoid gelatin, with pectin for texture instead.
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Surf Sweets – Organic jelly beans certified vegan, free from beeswax and bone char concerns.
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YumEarth – Organic veggie-based jelly beans without gelatin or other animal additives.
Enjoy Your Beans!
Jelly beans offer a delicious burst of sweetness for people from all walks of life. Thankfully, with all the gelatin-free options now available, you don’t have to worry about accidentally consuming pork products in your favorite chewy candies.
Next time you’re craving these colorful bean-shaped treats, take a moment to check the ingredients list and choose a brand you feel comfortable with. Then you can bite into that vibrant jelly bean without a care in the world!
What Does Kosher Mean?
Kosher food is food that adheres to the kosher diet, the strict dietary standards of Jewish law, as stated in the Torah.
The kosher diet is defined by strict dietary laws. These laws contain an outline of the foods Jewish people can eat and which foods are forbidden. The laws also say how the permitted foods should be prepared.
Do Jelly Beans Contain Gelatine?
Most jelly sweets contain gelatine, a substance that makes sweets chewy and gummy. Gelatine can also help sweets keep their shape and flavour for long periods of time. Gelatine is commonly made with animal waste, such as skin and hooves. Our jelly beans however, do not contain any gelatine.
The most common animal products used in gelatine comes from pigs. By law, kosher food cannot contain any kind of pork. Because of this, many jelly sweets are not kosher.
We at The Jelly Bean Factory have made sure that none of our products contain any pork or other animal products. This way, as many people as possible can enjoy our tasty jelly beans. Instead, our jelly bean scientists developed a starch-based substance called glucose syrup.
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FAQ
Do jelly beans have pork in them?
Can Muslims eat jelly beans?
Do jelly beans have gelatine?
Does jelly have pork products in it?
Does jelly contain pork?
Jelly may contain pork if it uses porcine gelatin. However, jelly can also be made with bovine gelatin (from beef, chicken, or fish) or vegan alternatives like agar or pectin. To ensure a pork-free option, look for jellies labeled as vegan.
Are jelly sweets pork-free?
Check the label to ensure jelly sweets like jelly babies, wine gums, licorice, and marshmallows are pork-free. Most of these sweets contain porcine gelatin, which is derived from pig collagen.
Are jelly beans vegan?
There are a lot of foods that you would think are vegan, but really aren’t — and jelly beans are usually on that list. While the gooey, inside center of a jelly bean usually follows within vegan guidelines, it’s the exterior of most products that removes these candies from the vegan-approved food list.
Does gelatin contain pork?
Porcine gelatin contains pork, as it is prepared from pig collagen. Bovine gelatin, on the other hand, is made from fish, beef, or chicken collagen and does not contain pork. Gelatin can also come in a vegan form.