Comments on: Kashrus Concerns as FDA Phases Out Artificial Dyes https://anash.org/plan-to-phase-out-artificial-dyes-raises-kashrus-concerns/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=plan-to-phase-out-artificial-dyes-raises-kashrus-concerns News, Views, Inspiration Wed, 30 Apr 2025 14:10:24 +0000 hourly 1 By: cRc as well https://anash.org/plan-to-phase-out-artificial-dyes-raises-kashrus-concerns/#comment-64537 Wed, 30 Apr 2025 14:10:24 +0000 https://anash.org/?p=908052#comment-64537 https://consumer.crckosher.org/publications/shellac/

]]> By: confectioners Glaze https://anash.org/plan-to-phase-out-artificial-dyes-raises-kashrus-concerns/#comment-64536 Wed, 30 Apr 2025 14:08:36 +0000 https://anash.org/?p=908052#comment-64536 From the star K https://www.star-k.org/articles/kashrus-kurrents/4222/candy-take-a-shellacking/:
Both R’ Moshe, zt”l, and Dayan Weiss, zt”l, cited exactly the same reasons for permitting confectioner’s glaze. R’ Moshe equated the resin exuded by the lac bug with bee honey and felt that halacha permitted this type of secretion. Furthermore, unlike honey, which is very tasty, once the resin hardens it no longer retains any food-like properties; it is used only to preserve the color integrity of a product, and the starter material is halachically no different than honey. As pointed out by Rav Moshe Heinemann, shlit”a, Rabbinic Administrator of STAR-K, confectioner’s glaze is the same type of shellac that is used to polish floors. It is not considered an edible product, although it is approved by the FDA as a ‘GRAS’ product. However, Rav Heinemann, shlit”a, points out that this is the basis of the heter of R’ Moshe, zt”l. It is the policy of STAR-K to follow R’ Moshe’s psak of permitting the use of confectioner’s glaze. The Minchas Yitzchak, zt”l, while agreeing with all of R’ Moshe’s reasoning, acknowledged the permissibility of its use only in theory due to his lack of firsthand knowledge of the confectioner’s glaze process.

To sum up the reasons for their psak: (1) The lac bug expels the sap without additional processing (similar to honey, unlike royal jelly, which is considered to be non-kosher). The resin becomes usable only after processing. The lac bug simply acts as a conduit between the sap and the stick resin. (2) The shellac hardens on the tree and has no nutritional value. (3) The shellac has no taste or color. (4) During the process of transforming the stick resin into confectioner’s glaze, the resin is mixed with an alcohol-to-resin ratio of 4:1 and is, thereby, nullified (batel). (5) Refined confectioner’s glaze is used as a protective coating and not for color (chazusa) or taste (taam).

]]> By: confectioners Glaze https://anash.org/plan-to-phase-out-artificial-dyes-raises-kashrus-concerns/#comment-64535 Wed, 30 Apr 2025 14:05:27 +0000 https://anash.org/?p=908052#comment-64535 In reply to Confectioners Glaze.

From the OU https://oukosher.org/halacha-yomis/what-is-confectioners-glaze-and-is-it-kosher-2/:
Rav Belsky zt”l agreed with Igeros Moshe that shellac is permitted. He explained that shellac is what the gemarah refers to as “pirsha”, which means a “waste product”, of the beetle. There are many poskim who write that waste products of insects are permitted, such as the Maharam Chaviv (84:37). Teshuvos Ginas V’radim (2:16) ruled that silk is permitted even though it is produced by silkworms, because it is a waste product. In many ways, shellac is similar to bee’s wax which is also an insect secretion, and many poskim write that it is permitted.

]]> By: Confectioners Glaze https://anash.org/plan-to-phase-out-artificial-dyes-raises-kashrus-concerns/#comment-64532 Wed, 30 Apr 2025 04:23:34 +0000 https://anash.org/?p=908052#comment-64532 Why do many hecksherim permit confectioners Glaze??

]]> By: Perfect! https://anash.org/plan-to-phase-out-artificial-dyes-raises-kashrus-concerns/#comment-64531 Tue, 29 Apr 2025 23:19:22 +0000 https://anash.org/?p=908052#comment-64531 B”H
This is great news! Lots of unhealthy items become not even kosher. Makes our lives as parents a lot easier.

]]>