JELL-O’s Shocking “Secret”

Did you know that every time you eat a delicious bowl of JELL-O, you’re eating the bones, connective tissues, organs and intestines of cattle, pigs and horses?

And I thought putting shredded carrots in it was bad.

No, really, JELL-O contains gelatin, a tasteless, colorless substance derived from the collagen inside animal hides and bones.

In addition to JELL-O, gelatin is also found in some gummy candies, jelly beans, marshmallows, low-fat yogurts and in that favorite Easter yellow chicken candy, Peeps.

Gelatin is the processed version of a structural protein called collagen, which makes up a third of the protein in the human body. It makes skin, bones and tendons strong and elastic.

That explains why – as we grow older and the body produces less collagen – our bones become more brittle, our joints stiffen and our skin wrinkles.

When I was growing up, I heard from someone or read somewhere that JELL-O was made – like glue – from horse hooves. However, whether that was true at the time or not, Kraft – the current maker of JELL-O – says its products are NOT made from horse or cow hooves.

Thank God they only use intestines, bones and connective tissues!

JELL-O has been around for as long as anyone now living can remember, and we’ve been loving it for more than 100 years.

According to Wikipedia, industrialist Peter Cooper – who built the first American steam-powered locomotive – took out a patent on powdered gelatin in 1845. After 40 years of trying to sell the product, Cooper sold the patent in 1885 to Pearle B. Wait, a LeRoy, N.Y. carpenter who  added strawberry, raspberry, orange and lemon flavorings and named it JELL-O in 1897.

The product slowly began to catch on, and by the 1930s it was the main sponsor of the Jack Benny radio program and in 1934 the famous “J-E-L-L-O” jingle was created.
Thirty years later, the slogan “There’s always room for JELL-O” was introduced, which every Baby Boomer heard repeatedly growing up.

Here’s a fun fact: LeRoy, N.Y., where JELL-O was produced from 1885 until 1964, has the only JELL-O Museum in the world. On the way to the museum, visitors stroll down the “JELL-O Brick Road,” which has stones inscribed with the names of former JELL-O factory workers.

You gotta love those small towns.

In modern times, enjoying JELL-O has become more complicated.  Because of its animal origin, gelatin is off limits to some religions. And strict vegetarians have to avoid it or find a non-animal-based substitute.

Agar-Agar, a flavorless gelling agent made from cooked seaweed, is one such substitute.

Hmmmm…seaweed or pig bones? Neither sounds that appetizing.

Of course, Kraft Foods doesn’t go out of its way to tell people that its gelatin-based products are made from animal parts, and I guess that’s a good business strategy.

Because of that lack of knowledge, or just because JELL-O tastes so good and has so few calories, the company sells more than 300 million boxes of JELL-O every year.

Bone appetit!

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