Posted July 9 2008
Bull By Any Other Color
That’s right, it’d still be bull.
In an attempt to take a break from the philosophical and creative ideas that have been the basis for most of my posts to Jewneric, I will be delving into the issue of Kashrut.
Between myself and the other posters on Jewneric there has been adequate discussion on issues relating to Kashrut. From Jellybeans to Postville, anyone interested in an array of Kashrut issues can browse the articles that come up with the Kosher and Food tags and read up on many pertinent Kashrut interests.
It is nothing new that an item may receive a certificate of Kashrut by mistake. There are Kashrut alerts for products on a consistent basis and anyone looking to learn more can subscribe to Kashrus magazine and their email alerts. (A recent alert involves Budweiser beer, and according to the website, until further notice, anything else beats a bud.)
Also not so new is questionable Kashrut, anyone who spent time in Israel quickly learns that Kosher symbols that claim to be observing the highest levels of Kashrut might be Treif to you. The confusion comes about primarily through the different opinions regarding gelatin.
While veal’s Kosher status is a fun topic, the issue I wish to take up is Red Bull. No Hashgacha on the can. Check the website and we are told yes. Red Bull is certified as Kosher by the KF: a London based supervising agency. And while that may be the end of the story for some, other people have not been as satisfied.
If you look through the FAQ on Red Bull’s website you’ll notice three separate questions: Is it Kosher; Is it Hallal; Is it for vegetarians. And while we Kosher people tend to be pretty picky about what we eat, the people on the Hallal side are generally willing to take a Kosher symbol just the same. And if it is a product suitable for vegans, Hallal doesn’t enter it and some would think Kosher doesn’t either (unless grape juice was an ingredient).
So why all the fuss?
Red Bull is made with the super-ingredient, Taurine. Anyone interested in astronomy or astrology will recall the constellation, Taurus. It doesn’t take an etymological genius to realize that Taurine is an ingredient derived from the animal Taurus. And anyone who has been to Mexico or Akron, Ohio knows that the Taurus is the Bull.
To paraphrase the line from Anchorman: “Red Bull: It’s made with real bull, so you know it’s working.”
Red Bull’s claim is that all of its ingredients are synthetically produced, ergo, the C2H7NO3S of Red Bull is connected only by name to the acid originally derived from ox’s bile.
Anti-climactic and unoffensive, Red Bull is still Kosher, for those who trust the KF and for those who don’t think that Red Bull is full of it.
For those still not so sure, the Israeli conceived Astrix energy drink is a nearly identical product (even bottled by the same plant) boasting the O-K (Parve) supervision on the can. It is available at Key Food in the heights and many other places although they do not have a formal distributer just yet.
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David….I have to tell you that this post is much, much better than your other post. Great job.