Zed, who is the president of Universal Society of Hinduism, said consumption of beef is highly conflicting to Hindu beliefs. “Cow, the seat of many deities, is sacred and has long been venerated in Hinduism,” he said.
The incident came one week after the Hindu organization found out that Kellogg’s cereals contain beef, this site’s sister publication, BakeryandSnacks, previously reported.
Beef-containing candies
Silva Moctezuma of Wrigley customer service wrote in an email that all Starburst Fruit Chews contain gelatin that is derived from beef. She also added that some other products sold in the US contain gelatin coming from a mix of beef and pork, including Altoids mints, Life Savers gummies, and all Starburst GummieBursts.
“Some of our products contain gelatin, which will be listed in the ingredient panel. The source of the gelatin, however, is not listed,” she wrote.
Zed said: “It was a very serious issue for the devotees and would severely hurt their feelings when they would come to know that they were unknowingly eating beef-laced popular candies, gums and confections.”
He suggested that the gum producer should “admit their error of not being transparent enough to mention in clear and simple terms what was inside the box and package so that an ordinary consumer could make right and appropriate choices.”
ConfectioneryNews has reached out to Wrigley for a comment.
‘Truthful’ food labels
Anne Norris, spokesperson from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said regulations require that when gelatin is used as a food ingredient, it must be declared as an ingredient on the product label.
However, “FDA regulations do not require manufacturers to declare the source of the gelatin,” she added. “As always, food labels must be truthful and not misleading.”