Famous breakfast cereal 'comes out of closet'

[Shlomo]

Just unbelievable... now General Mills makes homosexual pervert versions of their breakfast cereals.
Famous breakfast cereal 'comes out of closet'
Frosted Lucky Charms, they're magically 'gaylicious'

Did the Supreme Court’s recent decision to unleash same-sex marriage on America leave you hungering to celebrate lesbian, “gay,” bisexual and transgender pride? Well, look no further than your cereal bowl!

General Mills, the company that introduced the nation’s children to characters like the Honey Nut Bee, the silly Trix rabbit and Lucky the Leprechaun, has come out in support of the “gay” community by filling boxes of their cereal brand Lucky Charms with rainbow-colored marshmallows.

Fruity Cheerios maker General Mills now ranks among the top companies in America with policies beneficial to homosexual and transgender workers.

The “magically gaylicious” cereal is serving as the face of the new #LuckyToBe campaign which encourages people “lucky enough to be different” to use the hashtag #LuckyToBe when tweeting and posting online.

“We’re celebrating Pride month with whimsical delight, magical charms, and two new rainbow marshmallows,” the #LuckyToBe campaign stated in a press release sent to GLAAD.

http://www.wnd.com/2013/07/frosted-lucky-charms-theyre-magically-gaylicious/

[Binyamin Yisrael]

Luckily the marshmellows aren't kosher so that particular cereal doesn't not have hashgacha.

[Rubystars]

"Lucky" always did seem kind of gay.

[muman613]

Barfalicious...

How sad is it that when walking down the breakfast cereal aisle you have to pass so much perversion and wickedness. Not to insult the Irish but the entire leprachaun thing always seemed kinda 'odd' if you know what I mean?

[Rubystars]

Barfalicious...

How sad is it that when walking down the breakfast cereal aisle you have to pass so much perversion and wickedness. Not to insult the Irish but the entire leprachaun thing always seemed kinda 'odd' if you know what I mean?

The ones from mythology are not nice. They're more demonic in nature.

[Kahane-Was-Right BT]

Luckily the marshmellows aren't kosher so that particular cereal doesn't not have hashgacha.

I don't see what the difference would be.  A hashgacha means the ingredients and food is kosher to eat according to the laws of kashrut.  It is not an endorsement of the company's political views.

Secondly, you are wrong, it is kosher (at least according to Rabbi Abadi and probably others who have a similar view of the marshmellow ingredients in question)

See here:
http://www.kashrut.org/forum/search.asp?keyword=lucky+charms

The third question on the bottom has the answer there.  For some reason when you click on it, it comes up without the rabbi's reply - this could be some kind of glitch since it's a really old entry from 2002.  But you can see his reply in the search page right there in red.

Edit to add:  The issue at hand here seems to be the ingredient "gelatin."  Some claim this is not kosher.  Rabbi Abadi considers this ingredient kosher.  If I remember correctly Rav Bar Hayim has also said there is no problem with gelatin as an ingredient.   Some may disagree.   

But again this has nothing to do with the political views of General Mills, and an agency could give a hechsher to the product if that agency held that gelatin is a permitted ingredient.

[muman613]

I don't see what the difference would be.  A hashgacha means the ingredients and food is kosher to eat according to the laws of kashrut.  It is not an endorsement of the company's political views.

Secondly, you are wrong, it is kosher (at least according to Rabbi Abadi and probably others who have a similar view of the marshmellow ingredients in question)

See here:
http://www.kashrut.org/forum/search.asp?keyword=lucky+charms

The third question on the bottom has the answer there.  For some reason when you click on it, it comes up without the rabbi's reply - this could be some kind of glitch since it's a really old entry from 2002.  But you can see his reply in the search page right there in red.

Edit to add:  The issue at hand here seems to be the ingredient "gelatin."  Some claim this is not kosher.  Rabbi Abadi considers this ingredient kosher.  If I remember correctly Rav Bar Hayim has also said there is no problem with gelatin as an ingredient.   Some may disagree.   

But again this has nothing to do with the political views of General Mills, and an agency could give a hechsher to the product if that agency held that gelatin is a permitted ingredient.

I don't think he was implying that the Hechsher would condone the political leanings of the manufacturer. I think he was implying that since it is not Kosher we have no ethical dillema concerning whether we should cease eating it (since we don't eat it in the first place).

This was my understanding of his statement.

I am of the belief that gelatin is NOT kosher as most Rabbis suggest.

From Star-K:
http://www.star-k.org/kashrus/kk-palate-gelatin.htm

The answer, in short, is it depends on the source. As mentioned before, gelatin is made by extracting the collagen from the bones and skins of animals and fish. Most commonly, the gelatin made from animal products is not being manufactured from kosher or Kosher-slaughtered animals. There are several questions that must be addressed to understand the Halachic status of gelatin. For starters the Torah prohibits eating the meat of those animals or fish designated as tameh (unclean/non-kosher). Examples are, pig, horse, catfish, and shark. Meat of an animal that is tahor (clean/kosher) and is not properly slaughtered is prohibited by the Torah as nevelah. Do these prohibitions also apply to the bones and skin of the animal as well? If the prohibitions of nevelah and tameh were to apply to the skins and bones, can this status be altered through the processing used in the manufacture of gelatin? Lastly, if the animal source for the gelatin is kosher, does it retain the properties inherent to it's source? Is such gelatin considered meat and therefore cannot be cooked or eaten with dairy products? If the source is fish, can it be used together with meat? The Shulchan Aruch (Yore Deah 116:2) states that one may not eat fish with meat as it is considered unhealthy. This is based on the Gemora which teaches that meat cooked with fish causes disease. Does gelatin extracted from fish carry this restriction?

With reference to the question, does processing alter the status of meat, we may cite a similar question discussed in Yore Deah (87:10). It used to be the practice to make cheese curd by adding the skin of a calf's stomach to milk, or by letting the milk sit in a calf's stomach. The Rema states that where the stomach has been salted and dried to the extent that is like a piece of wood, if milk is added to it, it is permitted to use the resulting cheese. The Shach notes that although one may use the milk products, it is not proper to do this intentionally. The Pri Megadim notes that the Rema's leniency applies specifically to the stomach of an animal which has less meat flavor and not to regular meat. The Pri Megadim adds that the Rema allowed this only where the stomach was removed from the milk after a short time and not heated with the milk. If the stomach stays for a period of over 24 hours or is heated with the milk, it will absorb meat flavor and be prohibited.

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As you may have deduced from the above information, if we were to produce gelatin from a non-kosher animal bone, this may only be done with cleaned and dried bone without any marrow or soft tissue. Rabbinic authorities note that one cannot assume that the manufacturers process alone will be pure enough to produce gelatin in a kosher manner. We should also take into account the opinions that the collagen in the bone is prohibited as part of the animals liquids. All things considered, one should refrain from consuming gelatin from a non-kosher animal. This indeed is the practice of most reputable kosher certifying organizations. Where the source of the gelatin is a kosher animal, there are still logistical problems to overcome. Aside from the prohibitions of tameh and nevela discussed above, we must also be concerned with the prohibition of treifa. This refers to the Torah's prohibition against consumption of animals that have certain injuries or disorders. Since most of the inspections to determine if the animal is treifa are done after the slaughter and skinning of the animal, the hides must be tracked to be sure that treifa hides do not get mixed up with kosher hides. For this reason meticulous supervision is needed to oversee production. As with any kosher food, the production must also be done on kosher equipment. If the processing is to be done in a non-kosher plant (as is usually the case), the equipment must be cleaned and kosherized before kosher production.

Similarly fish gelatin in order to be considered kosher must be produced from kosher species of fish. The use of fish gelatin with meat foods poses an interesting question. As we have mentioned the Shulchan Aruch (Yore Deah:116) prohibits cooking meat and fish together because of health concerns. When dealing with possible health concerns we are more stringent than with possible Issur (prohibited substances). For this reason there is a question among the commentaries if the nullification in sixty rule applies to unhealthy substances as it does with prohibited substances. The custom is that one can nullify unhealthy substances in sixty (see Nekudas Hakesef, Yoreh Deah:116 & Pische' Tshuvah).

Today there are many reasons for leniency in the use of fish gelatin together with meat. Many rabbinic authorities are of the opinion that the nature of some foods have changed, making the mixture of meat and fish no longer unhealthy (see Magen Avrohom Orach Chaim 173:1, Tshuvos Chasm Sofer vol:1 #101) In addition there is reason to say that not all fish are dangerous with meat. It may be that only the type mentioned in the Gemora (Binita) is unhealthy (see Pische' Tshuvah, Yoreh Deah 116:3). There is also good reason to say that the unhealthy aspects of fish cooked with meat are found in the flesh of the fish, not in their skin and bone (from which gelatin is made). Gelatin does not have fish flavor. As such it may not harbor the harmful effects that fish carry (see Pische Tshuva ,Tshuvos Sride Eish vol:2 #67 re. cooking beef in fish oil). With this same reasoning we can say that gelatin can be batel (nullified) with a majority of other food ingredients and can be mixed with meat. (As stated according to R' Aharon Kotler, zt"l regarding animal gelatin & milk) As a result of these reasons it is acceptable to use fish gelatin with meat. We may use much the same reasoning in the reverse case, to allow animal gelatin with fish.

In summary, gelatin produced from tahor species that is properly processed (slaughter, internally checked and salted in the case of animal source) and made on kosher equipment is acceptable.
 

So it appears KWRBT you are correct that there can be Kosher Gelatin (if made from Kosher animals under Kosher supervision). I assume this is why we can get Kosher Marshmallows... But I don't know if Lucky Charms has a Hechsher. I found this article though which claims that Lucky Charms once sold boxes which bore the OU Hechsher even though it was not kosher:

http://www.kashrut.com/Alerts/?alert=A0553

Lucky Charms Cereal that is packaged as Lucky Charms Self-Serve Bowl General Mills Foodservice mistakenly bears an OU and is not kosher. Corrective action is being taken.

PS: After further research I conclude that according to Kashrut.com it seems that Lucky Charms may indeed be kosher.

[Kahane-Was-Right BT]

I don't think he was implying that the Hechsher would condone the political leanings of the manufacturer. I think he was implying that since it is not Kosher we have no ethical dillema concerning whether we should cease eating it (since we don't eat it in the first place).

This was my understanding of his statement.

I am of the belief that gelatin is NOT kosher as most Rabbis suggest.

From Star-K:
http://www.star-k.org/kashrus/kk-palate-gelatin.htm

So it appears KWRBT you are correct that there can be Kosher Gelatin (if made from Kosher animals under Kosher supervision). I assume this is why we can get Kosher Marshmallows... But I don't know if Lucky Charms has a Hechsher. I found this article though which claims that Lucky Charms once sold boxes which bore the OU Hechsher even though it was not kosher:

PS: After further research I conclude that according to Kashrut.com it seems that Lucky Charms may indeed be kosher.

There's a machloket over gelatin.   I personally don't follow the star K, but some people do.   Perfectly fine.  My main point is, a hechsher is not an endorsement of general mills or its philosophies.   I think the implication of Binyamin's statement is clear.    He said luckily the marshmellows are not kosher (matter of opinion obviously), so that therefore it doesn't have hashgacha.   Well, why should we be concerned if it has a hashgacha or not.    The concern is whether or not it's kosher.   He didn't say "luckily he marshmellows aren't kosher therefore I don't have to decide whether to eat this or not"

To clarify above - when I say I "don't follow" star K I mean that I find them too stringent, so if they don't certify I may still eat it, but I certainly eat whatever they certify as kosher because they have very tight standards.     

[Binyamin Yisrael]

I don't see what the difference would be.  A hashgacha means the ingredients and food is kosher to eat according to the laws of kashrut.  It is not an endorsement of the company's political views.

Secondly, you are wrong, it is kosher (at least according to Rabbi Abadi and probably others who have a similar view of the marshmellow ingredients in question)

See here:
http://www.kashrut.org/forum/search.asp?keyword=lucky+charms

The third question on the bottom has the answer there.  For some reason when you click on it, it comes up without the rabbi's reply - this could be some kind of glitch since it's a really old entry from 2002.  But you can see his reply in the search page right there in red.

Edit to add:  The issue at hand here seems to be the ingredient "gelatin."  Some claim this is not kosher.  Rabbi Abadi considers this ingredient kosher.  If I remember correctly Rav Bar Hayim has also said there is no problem with gelatin as an ingredient.   Some may disagree.   

But again this has nothing to do with the political views of General Mills, and an agency could give a hechsher to the product if that agency held that gelatin is a permitted ingredient.

I said what I said because religious Jews won't buy the product and therefore won't eat the gay pieces of cereal even if it's made from kosher ingredients.

It's also gay that the homos don't know what the Rainbow really is. It's the sealing of the Noahide Covenant that prescribes the death penalty for sexual immorality including homosexuality.

[Kahane-Was-Right BT]

I said what I said because religious Jews won't buy the product and therefore won't eat the gay pieces of cereal even if it's made from kosher ingredients.

Gay pieces of cereal?   
And clearly there are religious Jews who will eat it since it is kosher, even if there is not a certification agency with its hechsher on it.

[Mishmaat]

Gay pieces of cereal?   

 

And clearly there are religious Jews who will eat it since it is kosher, even if there is not a certification agency with its hechsher on it.

Quite true. Although I prefer to play it safe and have stopped eating that cereal over ten years ago.

[nessuno]

Luckily the marshmellows aren't kosher so that particular cereal doesn't not have hashgacha.

All General Mills products should be boycotted!  Not just the ones with marshmallows.

[TruthSpreader]

I haven't eaten their cereal in years and probably won't ever again.

[muman613]

Come to think of it they are pretty gay little pieces of cereal...

RED Hearts, ORANGE Stars, YELLOW Moons, GREEN Clovers, BLUE Diamonds, and PURPLE Horse shoes.

[Ephraim Ben Noach]

This is racism against the Irish and leprechauns, I'm going to the ACLU!

[Lisa]

No good people should eat that junk!  It's nothing but sugar and food coloring.  It's disgusting. 

[TruthSpreader]

This is racism against the Irish and leprechauns, I'm going to the ACLU!

Agreed. At least Lucky Charms is banned in Ireland.

[Dr. Dan]

Hey what ever happened to good old raisin bran? 

[Rubystars]

I like Nature's Path Organic cereals and Cascadian Farms Organic cereals.

Nature's path even makes some good cereals for kids.

[cjd]

Hey what ever happened to good old raisin bran?

The best one for my money is good old Corn Flakes... I must admit however that I do enjoy Corn Pops but they seemed to have gone to some sort of artificial sweetener and they just are not as good  as when they were loaded with plain old sugar... Personally I think the sugar was far better than all the chemicals used to replace it.

[Binyamin Yisrael]

Quite true. Although I prefer to play it safe and have stopped eating that cereal over ten years ago.

I remember eating it as a kid and I liked the marshmellow pieces but I didn't even know what gelatin was back then.

A plain letter K on foods that have gelatin is not good enough. If it said OK or Star-K (Among others) it would be good.

Just like Jello says K and in the ingredients it says "Kosher Gelatin". There actually is kosher bovine gelatin and certified pareve even though it's a cow product. And there are kosher things and it says "fish gelatin" in the ingredients. They even sell gummy fish with actual fish gelatin in them. And in the area listing food allergies, it sometimes says "Fish Ingredients". I've seen that on cookies.

[Binyamin Yisrael]

Come to think of it they are pretty gay little pieces of cereal...

RED Hearts, ORANGE Stars, YELLOW Moons, GREEN Clovers, BLUE Diamonds, and PURPLE Horse shoes.

There's nothing wrong with all those colors and shapes, even rainbows, but if it's done to promote homosexuality, it's evil. If you buy it, you are helping them sin.

[Kahane-Was-Right BT]

I remember eating it as a kid and I liked the marshmellow pieces but I didn't even know what gelatin was back then.

A plain letter K on foods that have gelatin is not good enough. If it said OK or Star-K (Among others) it would be good.

Just like Jello says K and in the ingredients it says "Kosher Gelatin". There actually is kosher bovine gelatin and certified pareve even though it's a cow product. And there are kosher things and it says "fish gelatin" in the ingredients. They even sell gummy fish with actual fish gelatin in them. And in the area listing food allergies, it sometimes says "Fish Ingredients". I've seen that on cookies.

As I tried to convey to you before, there is a machloket over whether gelatin is kosher or not.    Regardless of whether it says bovine, fish, etc.   Gelatin which some rabbis say is not kosher, some other rabbis say it is.  That is also regardless of whether a box has a K on it.    So, what I mean is, the same gelatin ingredient that one rabbi says is Not-kosher, another rabbi believes it is kosher and can be eaten.

There are many Jews out there, myself included, who do not care if the box has a certification agency's symbol on it, IF the ingredients are all kosher.    So then the K or OK or No K are all irrelevant.    I sometimes use kashrut.org where people list out ingredients and the expert poskim there let them know if all the ingredients are kosher or not, so that I can eat certain products which ARE kosher but at the same time do not have a certification from an agency as being such.     

[Kahane-Was-Right BT]

There's nothing wrong with all those colors and shapes, even rainbows, but if it's done to promote homosexuality, it's evil. If you buy it, you are helping them sin.

Really?  If I buy Lucky Charms, I'm helping gay people sin?    That's certainly imaginative...

[Binyamin Yisrael]

Really?  If I buy Lucky Charms, I'm helping gay people sin?    That's certainly imaginative...

I meant you're helping General Mills commit the sin of promoting homosexuality. Machsom Lifnei Iver. Although if they're not Jewish, I don't know if that applies.

Maybe you're helping them (General Mills) help people (homos) sin.