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Rant about gelatin


SyrLinus
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Ok. I just want to rant a little because it drives me nuts: why do supplement manufacturers insist on using non-vegetable based gelatin?! *GRRRRRR*

 

I mean, it can't be that much more expensive, can it?! Although I do not want to think about the animal testing they did -- **IF** they did any (and based on what I see the FDA seems to miss or outright ignore) it seems many do not.

 

Sigh.

 

What is so hard about just making a product good without causing harm to someone else?!

 

*grumbles quietly in the background*

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Personally, The animals will already be slaughtered. Might as well get the most out of it. =\

 

/flamesuiton

 

Doesn't justify it for me personally. If it doesn't have to be done and there are options otherwise, especially if they are less likely to introduce other potential problems into the supplement or medication encased in it, it doesn't make sense to do it.

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No I'm not kidding. I would use veggiecaps if it was an option for me.

 

 

That's not what I'm talking about though. I'm saying, for the non-vegans...what would you rather be done with all the "leftovers" that gelatin is made from? What's the alternative? Wasting it?

 

"On a commercial scale, gelatin is made from by-products of the meat and leather industry, mainly pork skins, pork and cattle bones, or split cattle hides."

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No I'm not kidding. I would use veggiecaps if it was an option for me.

 

That's not what I'm talking about though. I'm saying, for the non-vegans...what would you rather be done with all the "leftovers" that gelatin is made from? What's the alternative?

The alternative would be that they would have to incur losses by paying to dispose of the animal waste at a landfill or elsewhere, rather than making a profit by selling it.

 

-Chris

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No I'm not kidding. I would use veggiecaps if it was an option for me.

That's not what I'm talking about though. I'm saying, for the non-vegans...what would you rather be done with all the "leftovers" that gelatin is made from? What's the alternative? Wasting it?

"On a commercial scale, gelatin is made from by-products of the meat and leather industry, mainly pork skins, pork and cattle bones, or split cattle hides."

 

Why arent vegan/vegetarian caps an option for you?

I strongly believe that every animal and animal by- product for human consumption brings the pain of death into our bodies. The violence involved in the whole process of killing an animal is transferred to our bodies. Although, this is a more spiritual, there is also some scientific proof of this assumption. I dont see the difference between eating a steak and consuming gelatin. If money is the issue, i completely understand, but personally I just wouldnt take any capsules if money was an issue and supplement it all through foods.

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That is exactly why leather is so abundantly used in our culture, the purchase of any animal by-product directly contributes to the support of the animal industry. If you have no other options and your are doing your best than I believe that is an ethical choice to make. By not consuming milk or dairy or purchasing leather you are making a relatively HUGE difference when compared to the use of gelatin caps. With that in mind though, you can still do things such as write letters to the company that makes your supplements asking them to switch to vegetable-based caps and also inform your dad that alternatives exist.

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Same things goes for hot dogs...they're mostly by products but that doesn't make eating them OK...same goes for cheap leather. Its just not excusable and saying its OK so you can stand yourself doesn't make sense.

 

As for the companies not using vegan caps they'll do anything to increase margins...it doesn't matter how small they are. The total number of bottles sold is so hight that 2-3 cents per bottle means a lot in total. It'll be a while before they volunteer to switch over.

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I don't think that the fact that it's a byproduct means that it's good to buy. I find the reason why the animal is killed to be irrelevant, it was still killed, and then bits of it sold for profit. All of it is being sold, and they know from the outset that they will sell all of the parts. It's not like gelatin is on the way to the garbage, then you stop them and say "wait I can get some use out of it". Instead, it is intended for sale from the outset, it just makes the whole thing more profitable for them. I don't want it to be profitable for them - I would prefer the gelatin to go in the bin and for them to make less money out of it.

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You're right about that...if the animal agriculture industry threw away all the by products rather than making money off of them they'd actually lose money. You'd be surprised what they get out of animals. If you take away the by product or the meat...I think you'd find they lose money...after all they wouldn't even be able to function without subsidies...that shows how little they make off each animal...which is why they need to kill so many and cut costs wherever they can.

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Just a little side note on gelatin capsules. I noticed that the gelatin caps from other countries have on their label that they are guaranteed to be Prion-free (Mad Cow Disease), while the ones made in the US are not. Hopefully all of our gelatin is made in the US and not outsourced, since we all know that the US doesn't have any mad cow diseased cows.

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I don't really know how they can guarantee that unless they're making gelatin from animals that aren't susceptible. We'll really never know for sure unless all the animals they use die of old age instead of being killed.

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Can you get gelatin from pigs and other animals besides cows? Can other animals get mad cow disease?

 

Gelatin can be made from pretty much every animal with skin. And yes...other animals can get Mad Cow...but it normally goes under a different name if another type of animal gets it...but not always. Chickens don't get it but it seems any hoofed animal is susceptible.

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Here is more information on prion diseases: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tse/tse.htm

 

I had to study this in my histology class and my immunology class. It is weird how the brain has the prion (viral proteins) normally, and all it takes is one abnormal amino acid in the sequence of the protein that effects the folding of the protein and turns it into this mad factory machine of making more of itself, and then it is a race to consume the host/brain.

 

Testing for prions is done with fluorescent antibodies, which of course is made in a rabbit usually, and then extracted. The extract is then mixed with the gelatin, and looked through an essay for florescences indicating that it contains prions.

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