Is Mission Carb Balance Whole Wheat kosher?
Verdict by tradition
Ingredients as printed
WATER, MODIFIED WHEAT STARCH, WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, VITAL WHEAT GLUTEN, WHEAT GLUTEN ISOLATE, VEGETABLE SHORTENING (INTERESTERIFIED AND HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OILS), SALT, CALCIUM PROPIONATE (TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS), SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, BAKING SODA, DISTILLED MONOGLYCERIDES, FUMARIC ACID, SORBIC ACID (TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS), CARAMEL COLOR, CELLULOSE GUM, ENZYMES, STEVIOL GLYCOSIDES.
Rulings behind these verdicts
Processed foods are relied upon only with a recognized hechsher, because ingredients, equipment and processing aids cannot be verified from the label alone. Hey Kosher reports what is printed on the package; the agency has the final word.
Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah 118-119; contemporary agency practice
A reliable hechsher is the preferred way to establish that a processed food is kosher. Where none is present, the ingredient list is read against CJLS rulings and the result is marked for your judgement.
Rabbinical Assembly, "A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice" (Klein, 1979), ch. 21
Gelatin of unstated source and other animal derivatives are marked for a closer look until the MJRC states a position. Porcine gelatin is treated as unclean.
Open question submitted to the MJRC
A recognized hechsher settles the question. Without one, the ingredient list is read for unclean species and questionable animal derivatives.
MJRC Standards of Observance, Kashrut section
Reform Judaism frames kashrut as informed personal and communal choice, weighing tradition, ethics and sustainability. Hey Kosher shows you the facts on the label and does not issue a verdict for this tier.
Mary L. Zamore (ed.), The Sacred Table: Creating a Jewish Food Ethic (CCAR Press, 2011)
This tier reads the ingredient list against Scripture's clean and unclean lists. It does not require rabbinic certification and does not separate meat and dairy.
Tier definition
Hey Kosher reads what is printed on the package and matches it against published rulings. It is not a halakhic authority. For the final word, ask your rabbi or the certifying agency.
