Is It Kosher? Yogurt often contains gelatin, and when it does, that gelatin is usually not kosher unless the tub carries a trusted hechsher. Plain yogurt frequently skips it, while flavored and low fat cups are the ones to watch. The label tells you almost everything you need to know.
Passover & Holidays Kosher for Passover means a food contains no chametz and carries certification made specifically for the eight days of Passover. Regular kosher is not enough. During the holiday, Jewish law forbids owning or eating anything leavened from the five grains, so a separate Passover symbol is what you look for.
Is It Kosher? In the US, Skittles no longer contain gelatin and the ingredients read as pareve, yet the standard bag carries no kosher symbol. Without a hechsher, a careful kosher shopper treats them as uncertified rather than kosher. Recipes also change by country, so the answer depends on the exact bag.
Ingredients & E-Codes Carmine is not kosher. It is a red dye made from crushed cochineal insects, and since kosher law forbids eating insects, no reliable certifying agency will approve a product that contains it. The hard part is spotting carmine on a label, because it hides under several different names.
Ingredients & E-Codes Carmine, listed as E120, is not kosher. It is a red pigment made from the dried bodies of cochineal insects, and insects are not among the creatures kosher law permits. If a label lists carmine, cochineal, or carminic acid, treat the product as non-kosher unless a trusted hechsher says otherwise.
Guides Kosher food falls into three categories: meat, dairy and pareve. Meat and dairy can never be eaten or cooked together, while pareve foods are neutral and go with either. Knowing which group a product belongs to is the heart of keeping kosher.