Saudi - Kingdom yet to act on US products with pork gelatin

Arab News ^ | 28 May | By M.Ghazanfar Ali Khan

[swarthyguy]

Supermarkets and groceries in Saudi Arabia are openly selling Kelloggs products, including cornflakes, which were removed from shop shelves in the UAE last week after it was discovered that the products of this American company contain pork gelatin.

The supermarkets surveyed by Arab News said that they have no instructions from officials and have no knowledge about the controversy surrounding Kelloggs products.

Although a full-fledged campaign has been launched by a group of individuals in cooperation with the Islamic News and Information (ININ) network on the Internet to ban the Kelloggs products immediately, there was no immediate reaction from the Ministry of Commerce. “The idea is to alert the Muslim community to boycott Kelloggs products, which contain pork gelatin”, said an ININ mail received by Arab News.

Asked about the sale of Kelloggs products in Saudi Arabia, an official of the Binzagr Co., the local agent for the products, said on condition of anonymity that “they have knowledge about the controversy surrounding the products”. But he refused to comment, saying he was “not aware of the issue in detail, which is subject to further debate, scrutiny and eventually lab investigations”.

Kelloggs brands widely sold in the Gulf states, including the Kingdom, are Kelloggs rice krispies, chocholate squares and Kelloggs pop tarts and breakfast cereals.

A reply on behalf of Kelloggs company also confirm the presence of pork gelatin. “Kelloggs brands contain pork gelatin and only ‘gelatin’ is listed on the ingredients panel,” said Emma Dobbin of Kelloggs Consumer Services.

This confirmation proves that import of Kelloggs products is a gross violation Kingdom’s trade regulations, which ban products containing pork elements.

Saudi Arabia has already banned more than 21 items, including pork, dogs, frog meat, liquid milk with long expiry period, animal fats, intoxicants and night binoculars, because they are inconsistent with the teachings of Islam and the social ethics of the country.

Asked how the presence of pork gelatin could be confirmed, some local businessmen said that the Kelloggs products must be examined immediately at local labs.

The Kingdom has set up a world-class laboratory at the Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO) to test products containing pork ingredients. SASO also works closely with other health and food ogranizations to carry out investigations.

The products are also being tested by the laboratories in the UAE, according to a report published in Gulf News recently. The report said that “Kelloggs brands have been removed from supermarket shelves across the UAE, based on findings by two civic laboratories that they contain pork elements.” Although the brands are thought to contain pork, the issue is being discussed further by the government agencies, said the report.

Other Gulf states are also being informed about the conspiracy of some Western and American companies to dump pork and products with pork ingredients in their markets.

[dighton]

... pork, dogs, frog meat, liquid milk with long expiry period, animal fats, intoxicants and night binoculars ...

From the SAT, "which of these does not fit?"

[Oztrich Boy]

mmmmm! Pork products! < /homer>

[MarineDad]

Allow me to correct the omissions:

Saudi Arabia has already banned more than 21 items, including pork, dogs, human decency, frog meat, liquid milk with long expiry period, common sense, animal fats, intoxicants and night binoculars, because they are inconsistent with the teachings of Islam and the social ethics of the country.

[Thinkin' Gal]

... pork, dogs, frog meat, liquid milk with long expiry period, animal fats, intoxicants and night binoculars ...

"Arabian aphrodisiacs for $100!"

[Chemnitz]

That's better!

[Bogey78O]

I'm glad they ban night binoculars. It'll give us a tactical advantage when we have to kill the infidels.

[TomGuy]

k e double l og,
Kellog's best to you!

Hey, Saudi's. If that's in cornflakes, just imagine what's in those Froot Loops we're feeding your guys in Camp Xray, Gitmo!!!

[The Great RJ]

I think the Saudi's could eat hot dogs --have you ever looked at the ingrediants? As I told my children hot dogs are made from chicken lips and a**holes combined with healthy non-food fillers.

[swarthyguy]

Send this article to Cuba so the prisoners can read it!

[gitmo]

The Koran forbids night binoculars?

[Grut]

Hmm...anyone else here remember the proximate cause of the Sepoy rebellion?

If this were not published in the media, I might suspect it of being disingenuous....

[Bogey78O]

Obviously. After reding this I went to grab me a big bowl of frosted flakes. We were out so I had to eat Cracker Jack cereal.

[swarthyguy]

I want to know if pork gelation is being used in the Arafat Cheese pops on sale in Egypt.

[Logician]

I cuaght that big difference as well.... Must be a Secret Code I guess?

[okie01]

"Hmm...anyone else here remember the proximate cause of the Sepoy rebellion?"

Cartridges purportedly lubed with pork lard.

Kellogg's Corn Flakes are kosher. So, in this case, one suspects somebody is trying to work up a boycott of American goods.

Nothing like a little hysteria in Araby...

[muawiyah]

Just checked Kelloggs Rice Krispies. There is no "P" inside a circle so that means this stuff is NOT VEGETARIAN!

On the other hand, the list of ingredients contains nothing in it indicating an animal origin, to say nothing of pork.

The Saudis are not being fooled. Besides, Rice Krispies doesn't say it has gelatin in it.

Still, there has to be some animal origin products in the box somewhere because there's no "P" inside a circle. So, does anyone know what it is? Does anyone understand why Rice Krispies has to have animal material in it? The whole process was invented in India hundreds of years ago and brought back to America by early missionaries (who all became very, very wealthy). We regularly have Hindu, Buddhist, Moslem and Jewish guests, and were unaware that Rice Krispies might have pork in them. I am aghast!

[razorback-bert]

   In 1898, Kellogg created a process to produce grain flakes, and thus Kellogg's Corn Flakes were born. This simple cereal quickly became a central part of his diet plan for stopping sexual desire and masturbation... corn flakes, it seems, are just not sexy. At least, not anymore.. damn that John Kellogg!

   Hollywood later immortalized (and fictionalized) his struggle for health and fitness in the movie The Road to Wellville, based on the comic novel of the same name by T. Coraghessan Boyle.

   Kellogg's brother later went on and added sugar to the plain little flakes, negating their original purpose. Luckily, this made him millions. Masturbators are HUGE market, apparently. John, however, died poor in 1943. Here are some signs from his book that a young man might be masturbator:

Kellogg's Signs of Masturbation

1.	Rounded shoulders
2.	Weak Back
3.	Stiffness of the joints
4.	Paleness
5.	Acne
6.	Heart palpitations
7.	Fickleness
8.	Bashfullness
9.	Boldness
10.	Confusion
11.	Disgust at simple foods
12.	Bed wetting
13.	Nail Biting
14.	Consumption-like symptoms
15.	Untrustworthiness

[muawiyah]

My box of Rice Krispies does not have a mark on it saying that it is kosher, nor does it have a statement from an appropriate rabbinical certification authority!

Where do you get our information that this product is kosher?

[mathurine]

Let them eat sh-t.

[swarthyguy]

It could be an excuse to extend the boycott. And if cornflakes were invented in India, then the Arabs have another reason to boycott a kaffir invention.

[Tennessee_Bob]

The Koran forbids night binoculars?

All depends on which translation you read. A couple versions ban night binoculars and advocates the killing of all non-Muslims. The others don't mention night binoculars and still advocates the killing of all non-Muslims.

[MozarkDawg]

... pork, dogs, frog meat, liquid milk with long expiry period, animal fats, intoxicants and night binoculars ...

From the SAT, "which of these does not fit?"

Everybody sing: "Which of these is not like the others ..."

Hate to nit-pick, but liquid milk with long expiry? Does that mean powdered milk is okee-dokee? Or that milk what goes bad sooner is cool?

(I know, I know ... and yes, it's just me!)

[OKSooner]

For some reason this thread's beginning to look kinda blurry. Maybe if I use that big font and get my reading glasses I can read the whole thing...

[GovernmentShrinker]

Kosher hot dogs contain no pork products, so that must be what the Arabs are eating.

[GovernmentShrinker]

Ummmm . . . if Kellogg's Corn Flakes which are sold in Arab countries contain pork gelatin, then Kellogg's must be pulling a fast one to get even with the Arabs for their terrorism. I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian, and this article sent me on a quick label-checking trip to my kitchen cupboard. Just as I thought: no gelatin of any kind in U.S. Frosted (Corn) Flakes or Froot Loops, and I'm pretty sure regular Corn Flakes are the same as Frosted Flakes except without the sugary frosting.

[ROCKLOBSTER]

Supermarkets and groceries in Saudi Arabia are openly selling Kelloggs products, including cornflakes, which were removed from shop shelves in the UAE last week after it was discovered that the products of this American company contain pork gelatin.

So how long had the 3-M crowd been eating.......................PORK!

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[okie01]

"Where do you get our information that this product is kosher?"

I specifically referred to Kellogg's Corn Flakes, not Rice Krispies. The source for the assertion was Kosher Today.

[GovernmentShrinker]

There would only be a P if there was also some other symbol showing that the product was any type of kosher at all (P for "parve" being a subset of kosher foods). Even if there are no non-kosher ingredients, a product isn't necessaruly kosher, since production methods may not meet kosher standards, or just because the manufacturer hasn't bothered to seek kosher certification (the latter is rare among major U.S. food companies). And P doesn't necessarily mean no animal products, as kosher rules re meat/dairy/parve aren't that straightforward; eggs, for example, are parve.

[MarkL]

I guess nobody thought to look at the front of the box, labled "Kellogs Pork Flakes!"

Mark

[swarthyguy]

I read RoadtoWellville. It was interesting to find out all the factual info about Kellogg and his health farm, but not that good a read, unfortunately, IMO.

[swarthyguy]

Wait, wait, this is an article in the arab press. It's veracity is in doubt anyway, and on second glance, looks like an excuse to expand the boycott of US goods.

[boris]

"My box of Rice Krispies does not have a mark on it saying that it is kosher"

Some foods only have the "K" during the jewish High Holiday period. In other words, because the product "expires" and will be removed from the shelves, packages which are 'certified' kosher are only shipped at certain times of the year. So it is entirely possible that your Rice Krispies only have a "K" around the High Holidays.

At least this is my understanding. I am not well versed in the mysteries.

--Boris

[boris]

We must conserve all the pork gelatin we have for use in weapons of war. In fact, we should dump about 100 tons of it on the Kaaba.

--Boris

[Alouette]

Some foods only have the "K" during the jewish High Holiday period. In other words, because the product "expires" and will be removed from the shelves, packages which are 'certified' kosher are only shipped at certain times of the year. So it is entirely possible that your Rice Krispies only have a "K" around the High Holidays.

I think you're confusing the "High Holidays" (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) with "Passover". Passover laws require an additional stringency in that no leaven may be consumed, so there are a variety of products made especially "kosher for Passover." Kellogg's products, being made from grains, are not kosher for Passover although some products are labeled with a "K" can be eaten the rest of the year.

The "K" label is not a trademark of any certifying agency, but some companies use it in place of the registered kosher trademark. The reason for this is that if they change certification to a different organization they don't have to recall and destroy the packaging as the contract requires, leaving the responsibility of the consumer to keep track of current certification.

[weikel]

They get the camels and goats extra frisky LOL.

[DoughtyOne]

[boris]

I think you're confusing the "High Holidays" (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) with "Passover".

You are correct, and my degree of apostasy is showing.

--Boris

[Tennessee_Bob]

Cartridges purportedly lubed with pork lard

Thought it was purportedly pork lard and beef tallow.

[brat]

My God! They're all going to hell! LOL

[timestax]

bump

[krogers58]

My God! They're all going to hell! LOL

SSSHHHH...they're already there, they just don't know it....

[Quila]

Hate to nit-pick, but liquid milk with long expiry? Does that mean powdered milk is okee-dokee? Or that milk what goes bad sooner is cool?

Ultra-high temperature treated milk. It stays drinkable for months if kept sealed, and it's very popular in Europe. It has a funny taste at first that you get used to, but it's still not as good as fresh.

[buffyt]

When our children were small my husband threw a fit if I brought home Apple Jacks - they are about 60% sugar! Probably heavy with pork gelatin, too. Yummy!

[Quila]

or just because the manufacturer hasn't bothered to seek kosher certification

... or just because the company did something to piss off the rabbis and had their Kosher rating yanked for political reasons. I remember a case with the rabbis threatening a company with this a while ago.

[swarthyguy]

At least that what the rumor was, thereby pissing off both the muslim and hindu sepoys against the britishers. Probably a jewish plot, on hindsight.

[GovernmentShrinker]

Kellogg's products, being made from grains, are not kosher for Passover

I'm not an expert on kosher law (just familiar due to being a lacto-ovo vegetarian who is interested in the ingredient details of packaged foods), but I've never heard of any restrictions on grain during Passover, just on leavened grain products (i.e. those cooked with yeast or a yeast substitute). Matzo is certainly made of grain, and is a Passover staple.

[Cobra Scott]

I don't trust anyone who can't enjoy a ham sandwich on sourdough bread.

[timestax]

bttt