Foods such as gummy bears, yoghurts, ice cream and jelly all contain gelatin. Photo / Getty Images
Foods such as gummy bears, yoghurts, ice cream and jelly all contain gelatin. Photo / Getty Images
A grisly new video has emerged showing exactly how gelatin - a popular ingredient in jellies and other confectionery - is made, and it's putting people off their gummy bears.
The graphic clip shows pig carcasses being torched and stripped of their skin, which is then boiled down to create the flavourless ingredient.
Tendons, ligaments and bones are also utilised to create the substance used in many of our favourite sweet treats - from cola bottles to marshmallows.
The video, shared by Alina Kneepkens on Facebook and titled Gelatin - the Real Story, has garnered more than seven million views in three days and sparked a heated debate.
Almost 14,000 comments have been left on the video, which shows the process of gelatin production in reverse.
From the sweet being eaten to a baleful pig staring into the camera, the video shows us all the moments in between - including the torching of the pig carcasses, the removal of the meat and the boiling down of the skin.
Impassioned debate has been struck up around the practice of making and consuming gelatin.
Facebook user Gee Sidhu went as far as to suggest she would now be banning any jelly sweets in her home after viewing the video.
She said: "Wow (...) when u watch it like this it really brings it home....i do say no to sweets that state type of gelatin..such as bovine but if it just says gelatine I say ok.... cause what u don't know won't hurt. ..but just told kids no more jelly sweets in this house!!!!!. [sic]"
The skin, bone, tissue of a pig is used to make gelatin. Photo / Vimeo
The skin is seen in barrels before it heads to the grinder. Photo / Vimeo
The gelatin is reduced down to a fine powder. Photo / Vimeo
Adrian V Gosling wrote: "Animals do not give us their life, we take it from them. Animals value their life as much as we do and also have a right to coexist on this planet with us.
"Breaks my heart to see such innocent getting murdered, raped, enslaved, getting their babies taken from them just because of human greed nothing more."
Colours are added to the gelatin. Photo / Vimeo
The gelatin is shaped and covered in sugar before being packaged for sale. Photo / Vimeo
Alanna Smith added: "I don't think this video was to highlight weather meat was getting 'wasted' or not but it was to highlight how disgusting it is that we are eating animal skin just to get a 'sugar fix'.
"Saying it's ok because the rest of the cow was used for a steak does not make it any better. [sic]"
However, others were quick dismiss these arguments.
Jae Allison said: "I don't understand the big deal here. Yes it's pig skin, but bottom line is, the candy tastes good. What I see here is people using every part of the pig. Would you rather them throw it away unused?"
Mia Hancock agreed, and wrote: "All I see is the use of all the animal. Nothing wasted. We eat animals, we are designed to.
"What's important is the welfare of that animal, from birth till death. And for us not to waste any of the animal, as its disrespectful to the animal that gave us his life."
"Most candy is made from bi products of animals. I dont belive you will stop eat candy and sweets. They dont slughter pigs for candy. They take whats left from the food industry. [sic]"
Chrissy Christie said: "How can anyone not know where Gelatin comes from?????? and considering we eat cow and pig, gelatin is a bi-product that is useful instead of going to waste. Get over it!!! [sic]"
