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These days, you walk into any American supermarket, you can find kosher chocolate bars, kosher jelly beans, kosher all sorts of stuff. I understand why the gummy worms aren't kosher, they contain gelatin, and most gelatin isn't kosher.

But what about chewing gum? Is there some ingredient that's usually not kosher? Are the market forces just not there?

(I'm not asking "what ingredient makes Wrigley's non-kosher"; I'm asking "why hasn't it been worthwhile for Wrigley's to get an OU?" [Using Wrigley's and OU as examples of a major gum company and a major hechsher, of course.]

Shalom
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    Have you asked the kashrut.com people about this? – Isaac Moses Aug 27 '10 at 13:49
  • Good idea Isaac. Just sent them an email. – Shalom Aug 27 '10 at 14:07
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    I think the You are addressing the wrong people you wold have to ask the Marketing department I suggest an Email and post the Reply Here. – SimchasTorah Aug 27 '10 at 13:05
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    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it does not ask about Judaism. – mevaqesh Jul 18 '16 at 02:55
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    @mevaqesh, what is not "about Judaism" about the status of something as kosher or not kosher? That status has no meaning outside the context of Judaism. – msh210 Jul 18 '16 at 16:33
  • @msh210 Luckily the OP made it stunningly clear that he is not asking about the parameters of kashrut; Jewish law, but about market forces: "(I'm not asking "what ingredient makes Wrigley's non-kosher"; I'm asking "why hasn't it been worthwhile for Wrigley's to get an OU?") – mevaqesh Jul 18 '16 at 21:44
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    @mevaqesh, and explicitly on-topic is "general knowledge (science, etc.) as it relates directly to Judaism". – msh210 Jul 19 '16 at 02:36

1 Answers1

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From the editor @kashrut.com:

Companies make products kosher that are easy to make kosher
main ingredient is gum base

http://www.ok.org/Content.asp?ID=167
http://www.kosherquest.org/book.php?id=CHEWING_GUM.htm
http://www.ou.org/kosher/daf/advanced/gum.html

To summarize from those websites:

  • Synthetic rubber can be made from non-kosher animal fats
  • Gum base can be made with stearates and glycerin, which are often from animal sources

So many ingredients in gum often come from non-kosher sources; this makes it too difficult (read: expensive) to get them guaranteed exclusively-kosher sources.

Contrast with a chocolate bar, where the main ingredients (sugar, cocoa beans, etc.) are generally vegetarian and more straightforward kosher-wise [don't get me wrong, it needs a hechsher!]; the hard work is on the candy-bar manufacturer, not its suppliers.

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Shalom
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    And why are the Euro-Wrigleys Kosher? Is it that their factories have better access to the non-animal sources of gum base? – Yosef Oct 14 '10 at 18:22