Is gelatine a by-product of meat production?

Question

Whenever it is discovered that I do not eat gelatine, people tell me I may as well since it is just a by-product of meat production, so animals are not killed simply to get it. Is this true?

Regardless of whether it is or isn't, I still won't eat gelatine. I would just like to be able to rebut these aforementioned people if possible. Thanks for your help!

Answer 1

Gelatine is an intrinsic part of the meat industry and anyone who uses it is directly contributing to the death of the animal.

Animals are not "simply killed" to get any one individual slaughter by-product, the whole system is interdependant.

Without the use of gelatine, the cost model would change, meat would be dearer, less people would buy it, less animals would be killed.

Another example being leather accounts for 20% of the meat industry cost model

So, the "people" who tell you its "just a by-product" need to realise that is is an important part of the meat industry and they need to accept and take responsibility for what they pay for.

You cannot get gelatine without killing the animal, its fairly simple.

Not sure if you are veggie or not, but as you posted it in the V&V sections I'll say that anyone calling themselves a vegetarian or vegan cannot eat any gelatine.

There are vegetarian products that do the same job as Gelatine but these are never called "gelatine", so anytime you see gelatine on a packet you can be sure its dead cow or pig.

Answer 2

Many gelatin products come from the meatpacking industry. The type of gelatin that you consume also depends on what you're eating. There are "aspics" which are derived from animal products and then there are the "pectins" which are derived from non-animal sources. I could tell you volumes about making a gelatin from animal products, but I am not certain how fruit pectins are made. I hope this helps a bit in your research.

Answer 3

It is a by-product in that since so many cows are killed for beef and leather, (or pigs for pork) it is not necessary to kill them for their gelatin, since there are plenty of dead ones already.
However, you can point out it is still part of a dead animal that you don't want to eat - doesn't matter if someone killed it for one part or another. And that should people stop eating beef and wearing leather but there still existed a large audience for gelatin, inevitably they would kill cows for it. Finally, that those by-products aren't free for the companies that use gelatin, the meat companies are still profiting from the sales and you don't feel like giving them money either directly or indirectly.

Answer 4

Gelatin(e) is most certainly a byproduct of the meat industry, and that is the very reason veg*ans don't eat stuff with it. No, the animal is not killed for his hooves, bones, tendons, and hide, but someone who eats gelatin is contributing to the meat industry.

So if people give you crap because you won't eat gelatine, just tell them that cows' hooves are not in your diet.

Answer 5

Gelatine is made from a meat by-product.

Answer 6

I think gelatin comes from either horse hooves or maybe bone? Not sure on the exact source, but the idea of eating bone or horse hoove just generally creeps me out, so I try to avoid gelatin if I can.

Answer 7

There is a type of gelatin that does not come from animals, but traditionally gelatin does come from animals, but no animals are slaughtered strictly for the gelatin, it is a by-product, but it's pretty hard to totally avoid it, as a person posted above. Like lard it is in many items.

Answer 8

It isn't a question of proving them wrong. It's like leather shoes. Some vegetarians will wear them, others won't. Me personally, I'm not buying any new ones, but I'm not throwing my old ones out. I generally avoid gelatin, just because I don't want to eat anything animal based...

Answer 9

Gelatin (also gelatine, from French gélatine) is a translucent brittle solid substance, colorless or slightly yellow, nearly tasteless and considered foul smelling, extracted from the collagen inside animals' connective tissue.

Answer 10

if animals were killed just to obtain gelatin, that would make it cost something like 5 dollars a packet.

when you think of big businesses, just think cheap.
once they obtain all the consumables from teh animal, the hides go off for leather products, and they send the bones off to have th collagen extracted for gelatin

!Alexiis