"Jello" brand jello used to have "kosher" on the package. I noticed that it no longer does. Is it no longer "kosher"?
by 
sassyqtnatl
ANSWERS: 4
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I would imagine that the gelling agent they are using has changed and they now cannot label their jelly as being kosher. If you only eat Kosher food I would not risk it. Food manufacturers alter raw material suppliers on a regular basis for a number of reasons, and they may no longer be able to source their kosher ingredient.
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Jello had a plain letter K found on it. A letter of the alphabet cannot be trademarked, so any manufacturer can put a K on a product, even without any supervision at all. For instance, Jello gelatin puts a K on its product, even though every reliable Orthodox authority agrees that Jello is not kosher. If it has been removed it is so that it isn't confusing anymore. The words/letters to look for are: 'D' or the word Dairy next to the kashrut symbol. Meat may appear near the symbol if it is meat. Pareve (or Parev) may appear near the symbol. (Not a 'P' as that means kosher for Passover) There are rabies out there who certify products without having a trademark to offer and they just use the letter 'K' but like I mentioned above, anyone can place a K on their item.
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As far as I know, Jello has never been considered strictly kosher. Some products use a k to try to designate that they are kosher, but unless there is someone supervising the entire process from purchasing to packaging to ensure that a product is kosher, it isn't. No one who is orthodox would accept a product with a K on it to indicate kosher. The symbols that are generally accepted are: the letter U in a circle (Orthodox Union), the letters cRc in a triangle (Chicago), Kof-K (Hebrew letter Kof with a K in it), the letter K in a triangle, Star K (Baltimore), The letters COR in a circle (Toronto) or the letters MK in a circle (Montreal) to name a few. A longer list can be found at http://www.mazornet.com/jewishcl/Kosher/kosherorgs.htm
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Jello gets the "gelatin" from beef. Unless the beef bones used are also Kosher, the gelatin would not be. There is Kosher gelatin made from fish bones. I know this because a relative is alergic to fish and got sick as a child eating Kosher "Jello". I don't think Jello-brand gelatin was ever kosher.
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