Can I eat pudding and jell-o?

Pudding and jell-o: I always just assumed that they are vegetarian, but now I just realized they probably are not... right? I'm sure this has been asked before, but are they or not?

I am a fairly new vegetarian, and I love my pudding and jell-o, but I would easily give them up if they are being made with animal bones... and whatever else they put in there.

 

If they contain gelatin they are not vegetarian. :)

But do most contain gelatin? Like, should I assume it contains gelatin unless otherwise stated?

The problem is that I'm in college now, and the dining hall makes all the food, so I don't have any packages to read the nutrition/ingredients... I guess I should just go ask them huh?

You can ask, I'm sure they will be able to let you know. I am 100% positive the jello will have gelatin, they pudding may or may not. I haven't read pudding labels in 2+ years. :)

Good luck!!

It's already been said, but jell-o is never vegetarian.  It always has gelatin.  (So do marshmallows and frosted mini-wheats and a million other things.  Alas!)

However, I recently checked the label on normal jell-o brand pudding, and it didn't contain any gelatin.  I was pleasantly surprised. 

The employees at the dining hall should be able to check the packaging for you to see if there is any gelatin.  If they give you a hard time about it, you could always tell them you're kosher or that you have a sensitivity to it.  People don't always give the same respect to decisions made without deference to deities or allergies, unfortunately.

Also- FYI: Almost all flavors of Pop Tarts have gelatin (I've only found one that doesn't- It's an apple flavor one without icing), many candies (fyi- junior mints do, but not york peppermint patties. yay!), many vitamins, and a whole bunch of other things you wouldn't imagine... ALWAY CHECK LABELS!

Thanks everyone! I asked the dining hall, and yes, both of them have gelatin in them. Darn it. 

And I just checked my vitamins now too, and they have gelatin in them too. WHY?!  Now this is a second question: can I find vitamins without it?

There are lots of vitamins that are gelatin free.  They'll often be labeled as a vegetarian multivitamin, but it's still best to check the ingredients.

Jello isn't.  Look for pudding without gelatin.  i think some brands use carrageenan instead

Usually the gelatin in vitamins comes from the outer capsule.  If you buy the horse-pill ones, they're often vegetarian/gelatin free.

Kind off topic, but a couple months ago I randomly read the ingrediants of the face wash I used and noticed that it contained gelatin!  I didn't even think to look.

 

Anyway, it is possible to make vegetarian jello.. I've had some at a vegan restaurant once.  Quite tasty.  I think it's made with agar agar or something.